Concho!

My husband has wanted to learn to drive for many years. He saw a couple of Haflingers at a horse campout and he decided that he wanted to buy a Haflinger for driving. He found one for sale, tried him out and decided he wanted to buy him (even though he was not a beginners driving horse). The second time out, with me at the reins, he spooked and bolted with the cart. This happened two more times (once to our trainer and once to my husband). At that time I said no more driving Concho! I tried and finally tracked down his original owner who had purchased him over the internet as an unbroken, unhandled five year old and found out his history. He had been “started” under saddle by a cowboy (who Concho had broken his leg). No one at the training facility could ride him as he either bucked or bolted with them. The owner brought him home, had a couple of wrecks with him (with the saddle ending up under his belly twice) and decided to drive him instead of riding him. She drove him with a heavy carriage in a sandy river bed (we wondered why he lunged each time he was asked to start to pull the cart). We felt that if we tried to sell him he would end up at the auction then probably to slaughter or worse, so decided to have him trained as a saddle horse. I talked to three local trainers that I know and they all said they would not take him on. Then talked to a friend that has a Haflinger and she recommended Susan. That was a stroke of luck! We sent him to Susan for four months of “Wirgler Horsemanship”. When he came home I knew he was safe to ride, but…… I had lost confidence after the bolting wreck I had in the cart. I rode him for the first month in the round pen, then took him to a small group lesson and then to Susan’s for a “confidence lesson”. I knew if we were going to try to sell him I would have to keep riding him so signed up for the High Desert Challenge (five weekends of clinic one day and a small show the next day – I figured I could lead him through the clinics if I needed to). Our first clinic was trail trial. I was “brave” enough to first lead him through the clinic obstacles then ride him through most of the obstacles. Everything went great so I rode him in the trial trial the next day (we did almost all of the obstacles). Then onto the cow working clinic (a Haflinger can work a cow), the reining clinic, the western dressage clinic and finally the ranch horse versatility clinic (which we came in 5th in the show competing against quarter horses!). I have taken Concho to quadrille practice, ridden him in the mountains, rode him on moonlight drive and ride and he has not “missed a step”. Without Susan’s help, training ability and knowledge, Concho would have probably ended up at slaughter. Now he is my wonderful riding partner than I feel confident and safe in riding anywhere and doing almost anything on. P.S. He is not for sale anymore! -Janice and Concho, 2012