Cross Country Horses

[Lottii]

SHOW NAME: Navigator

BARN NAME: ‘Gator

AGE: 9

GENDER: Gelding

COLOR: Bay

BREED: Cob

HEIGHT: 15.2

PERSONALITY: ‘Gator is a bit of a speed machine, flying down the course, and spinning on a dime. This powerful gelding is always raring to go, and is full of the spark that horse people crave. He’s funny and charming with a quirky hint of mischief in his eyes. His size may not be huge, but he’s not the shortest of horses, and not many would expect him to be as light on his hooves as he actually is. ‘Gator executes cross jumps with ease, and he’s rather surefooted for his build. He often doesn’t require shoes either.


HISTORY: ‘Gator was a backyard “pony” to some very non-horsey people in his younger years, and has only recently become a gelding. He became too much to handle for his former owners when he began to jump fences in order to get to know some of the neighborhood mares. The ex-stud was then trained, manners and proper discipline being drilled into his hard head. Once his stubborn nature was put aside, he became a lesson horse for bolder students, including those not actually ready for them. After throwing a child, he was sent away so that the parents wouldn’t sue the stable.


DISCIPLINE: Cross Country

OWNER: Park Equine College

[Lottii]

SHOW NAME: A Bold Triumph

BARN NAME: Cass

AGE: 13

GENDER: Gelding

COLOR: Bay

BREED: Thoroughbred

HEIGHT: 17.2

PERSONALITY: Cass is a big thundering clutz. This off-the-track Thoroughbred can trace his lines back to Bold Ruler, the sire of Secretariat. He is patient, and a little lazy. But, he can get his job done, and is able to jump just about anything at any level, so advancing students can start out on him. His trot is an absolute killer though.


HISTORY: Cass has the basic racing Thoroughbred story. He raced until he was five, then was dumped as a crazy horse at a trainer, was given kindness, and eventually turned out to be a decent lesson horse who was shifted stable to stable.


DISCIPLINE: Cross Country (main), Hunter, Show Jumping

OWNER: Park Equine College

RIDER: Simon Greene

[Lottii]

SHOW NAME: Hot Pursuit

BARN NAME: Cop

AGE: 7

GENDER: Gelding

COLOR: Dark Brown

BREED: Mustang/Appendix Quarter Horse

HEIGHT: 14.3

PERSONALITY: Cop is a mean little almost pony with tons of drive behind him. The best you can do is hold on and hope you can steer when this little speed machine gets going on his course. He eats up the ground and seems to always have energy to spare. His crazy speed most likely comes from his mother, and his general crazy is thought to come from his dad. Cop is small, but he takes the jumps like they aren’t even jumps.
Outside of the course, he’s still a speed demon, tearing around his pasture, and often bucking in high spirits. Around kids, he tries to be gentle, but he’s not patient. He likes to get where he’s going, basically.


HISTORY: He was born in Nevada to an Appendix OH mother and a roaming Mustang stud. He was quickly sold for his blood and his size to the only stable to have him; an English one in Kentucky, where he become a track pony, leading out the Thoroughbreds. He soon got excited at the racers, and would be caught tearing around the pasture at the sound of the bell. Over jumps, he was an excellent mount, taking them without a sweat, never refusing unless his rider was in the wrong. He never went big time, but his owners gave him to a boy who competed him a few years before the family moved to England, where they sold him when they realized that there was no place to keep him.


DISCIPLINE: Cross Country

OWNER: Park Equine College

[Lottii]

SHOW NAME: Concertina

BARN NAME: Cirque

AGE: 8

GENDER: Mare

COLOR: Black

BREED: French Warmblood

HEIGHT: 16.1 hh

PERSONALITY: Cirque is a mare, through and through. She’s well named, for some say trying to ride her is like trying to run a three ring circus. She’s hates to be ridden, but loves to be on the course, hate’s to be forced to do things, but wants to jumps. Doesn’t like to work, but wants to please you. She likes to be given treats, but she’ll bite you as soon as she sees the saddle. An ill-tempered creature is what some would call her.


HISTORY: Her past isn’t clear. She just appeared on the market one day.


DISCIPLINE: Cross Country

OWNER: Park Equine College

[Lottii]

SHOW NAME: Quirtsquip

BARN NAME: Flitwick

AGE: 11

GENDER: Gelding

COLOR: Bay

BREED: Appendix Quarter Horse

HEIGHT: 15 hh

PERSONALITY: Flitwick is a sweet boy who loves to please. He really doesn’t have many vices, and is great for those just learning how to go over Cross jumps. However, his temperament is sometimes well-mannered enough, but also with enough zest for older, more experienced riders depending on their taste. He absolutely adores people, and loves to be your best friend. He doesn’t have much of a crazy speed, but he is a very smooth ride.


HISTORY: Flitwick is another one of those “little girl pony” stories. Eventually, his owner decided the boy next door wouldn’t be interested in having a girl who rode horses as a girlfriend, and thus, Flitwick was sold.


DISCIPLINE: Cross Country

OWNER: Park Equine College

RIDER: Gareth Ward

[Lottii]

SHOW NAME: --

BARN NAME: Orian

AGE: 12

GENDER: Gelding

COLOR: Black

BREED: Thoroughbred

HEIGHT: 16.2 hh

PERSONALITY: Orian is a simple, get-it-done, down-to-earth kind of mount. He’s not one to play tricks, he wants this ride over. He’s actually been known to jerk his rider to attention with a buck, or by flicking the reins out of their hands. He’s not patient, he’s not calm, he just wants to get business out of the way so that he can go do his own thing.


HISTORY: He’s an ex-would-be-steeplechaser who could never quite last. He has a slight breathing problem. Other than that, all he his history is just being trained by multiple trainers until he ended up here.


DISCIPLINE: Cross Country

OWNER: Park Equine College

[Lottii]

SHOW NAME: Puzzle Pieces

BARN NAME: Puzzle

AGE: Four years

GENDER: Gelding

COLOR: Pinto

BREED: Warmblood cross Arabian

HEIGHT: 15.2hh

PERSONALITY: Puzzle has a bit of a reputation about the yard for being a troublemaker. Really it's just boredom though, he just has an over-active brain and constantly needs something to keep him interested. He has a tendancy to be a little destructive in his stables, and he's a handful to be around on the ground. When he's being ridden he's the same, always needing a focus, a point to be working towards. Hacking out on the trails doesn't suit him much, the environment bores him and he can't just relax and enjoy the scenery. No matter what the work is, he's always on his toes although he doesn't spook very often. One of his favourite things to do is just run, feel the wind rushing past him. It's the only time his mind calms down and he can just concentrate on running. On the other hand, he loves the attention and discipline of dressage or show jumping that can keep him interested for as long as his rider is.


HISTORY: Puzzle was found at a trainers yard at three, doing work much too advanced for his age. His trainers saw his ability to school for hours on end without misbehaving and cruelly to advantage of this fact. When Anna's grandfather stumbled across him, he was already working at dressage movements that normally wouldn't be introduced until a horse was five plus. Puzzle was also starting to jump over low fences, when his back wasn't developed to sustain the work. When he went lame Anna's grandfather purchased him for a few hundred pounds. If he was sound he would have been worth several thousand. He spent a week on box rest until he was sound again, then spent a couple of months out in the field getting a chance to catch up on all the maturing time he'd missed out on. Three months ago he started coming back into work and he adored it. His talent was kept under wraps, only known about by Anna's grandfather and the groom who schooled him. When Anna's grandfather died, the groom informed Anna of Puzzle's real ability and value, and Anna managed to buy him for just a few hundred - none of the other grooms or Anna's grandmother had any idea of his value. Now Anna plans to work with him as an eventer, slowly getting him to the level he used to be at. She worked with him for a while, getting him up to a standard that would be expected of his age, but he finds it easy. When she had to leave the college, Puzzle was left behind, donated to the college for use by other students.


DISCIPLINE: Eventing

OWNER: Park Equine College