Me and Charlie - Random Facts?

Charlie having a little conversation with her baby brother.

I know no one asked for this, but my fingers are itching to write and it's all I could think of, so here we go!

1. I was not in the market for a Thoroughbred when I met Charlie. I was looking for a project horse, yes, but something I could actually get into barrel racing on. Yeah, I totally missed the mark!

2. Some negative stereotypes about Thoroughbreds can be true! In a list below I have confessed the major ones I have found with Charlie.

3. Charlie has an underbite, but it does not keep her from being “such a pretty girl!” ...and NO, I don't care about anyone else's opinion on her looks. Don't bother speaking on that.

4. Heart horses are real, and Charlie is 100% my heart horse. I’ve heard the term used a few times when it comes to online equestrian influencers. I used to think it was an interesting thing to say. I had the attitude of, “Okay there, Disney Princess”, rolling my eyes, so hard! I apologize for unfairly criticizing anyone (in my head) that I have heard this from. You're right, it's real. Yeah…I’ll just sit quietly over here now, being a Disney Princess with my heart horse. 

5. My horse grew taller in her 6th year. Now, as far as what is generally known about horses, they typically don’t grow taller after 5 years old. I bought Charlie when she was 3 years old. At 3 years old, she was 15.2 hands tall (about 5 ft. 2 inches at the point of her shoulders). I was quite happy with her height at the time, and I really was not expecting her to grow taller. She was 15.2 and a half the next year. 15.3 came around when she turned 5 years old. I thought she had to be finished. Nope! She made it to 15.3 and a half (quite close to 16 hands tall) in her 6th year. I am so curious how that happened, and if she’s going to be any taller this year!

6. Charlie has a ‘crazy’ eye! One of her eyes has white around the iris, where most horses have dark pigment. Her other eye is more typical, with the dark pigment around the iris. Usually, you don’t see the white of a horse’s eye unless it’s scared or super stressed out. So, her expressions on one side of her face can be a little unsettling if you’re not used to it. HA! This IS a more typical trait in other horse breeds, such as Appaloosas, but not so much in Thoroughbreds.

7. I don’t do a lot of riding right now. My job, and the fact that I am a new mom have taken up the majority of my time. Charlie lives on our family Ranchette, however, and gets to be in a small herd. Between myself, and my parents, she is well looked after. When I can ride, I do, but it isn’t a priority for me. I’m far more concerned with making sure she’s healthy, safe, and happy. 

8. I did not get Charlie from a rescue organization. She was posted for sale on a website. I went to go look at her, saw that she was not in great shape, and still decided to take her on. She had a few issues that required a lot of veterinary care, but with the help of my family she has overcome them. We rescued her, and it was a group effort, for sure.

9. I do not, and will not ever, feel regret over not getting the horse I had been looking for prior to finding Charlie. I met a soulmate of sorts when I met her. Done deal.

   
   

   As previously stated above, here is the list of stereotypes Charlie does exhibit.

   
   

   1. Yes, my horse has the super sensitive ‘thin skin’ they always talk about. She’s much better now, but when I first got her I could not use fly spray on her. She would move away rather frantically every single time I sprayed her. 

   2. Yes, her feet were not the greatest. They still aren’t, but they’re so much better now than they were when I first got her. I don’t absolutely have to keep her in metal shoes anymore.

   3. Yes, my horse is accident prone! I can’t tell you how many times I find a new scrape, or cut on her. We really do our very best to make sure their pasture and stalls are safe, but you can’t save them from everything.

   4. Yes, she is a ‘hard keeper’. Y’all, the emotional roller coaster I’ve been on with regards to what to feed this horse would probably send most people running away screaming. We have her under control now, but it took a few years to get the right combination!

If you read this, thank you so much and God bless you,

E. G.