Selling a wonderful horse is a heart-wrenching process. If we are fortunate enough, we get to see our horses go on to do wonderful things with their new riders. EN reader Suzanne Kaplan has the pleasure of seeing just that this weekend at Young Riders and she was kind enough to write to us about the wonderful Brisco Bay. Thank you very much for writing this Suzanne and thank you for reading.
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From Suzanne Kaplan:
It’s NAJYRC time and I find myself haunting the results page for the Area 1 CC1* team. My son, Michael Robbins, has long since aged out of the competition, though he did represent the Area 1 team for two years in 2004 and 2005. He didn’t win but finished in the middle of the pack and had a great time. He’s still riding, training, teaching and making his way in the sport he loves. No, it’s not Michael I’m eager to follow-it’s his former young rider horse-Brisco Bay. He’s still competing, still sound at 16 and taking his latest young rider to the “big show.” I’ve never met his current rider, but Mike tells me Hannah Forte is treating him well.
Young rider horses are not all about buying a made 4* horse and going for glory. Many of them are solid, gentle, OTTB’s who look after their riders and go up the levels with them. Brisco was purchased after a rather disastrous first horse. Mike’s trainers (eventing and dressage) both came up to me after a dressage lesson and told me that the horse needed to move along since it was trying to kill him. I’d like to think I did what any horsemom would do, I listened to the trainers and immediately began looking for a new horse.
We checked out a few horses with mixed results and then Mike’s trainer at the time, Ferial Johnson, let us know that Brisco’s owner had decided to sell him. Brisco was 6 and was going training. He had mixed results but was solid and known. I’ll never forget what Ferial said to me at, she said “I can’t tell you how far he’ll take Mike or what to expect-but I promise that he will be safe.” There’s nothing more precious than safety to a horsemom. Mike wasn’t sure, but we made the purchase and never looked back. Brisco and Mike formed an incredible partnership. They went on to prelim, young riders twice, intermediate and a couple of two stars. Brisco started protesting at the upper levels when the fences got more technical-he’d lock on to what he thought was the next fence and get frustrated when Mike redirected him and would stop. After that happened a few times Mike decided that Brisco would be happier not pushing for higher levels. He was successfully sold to his next young rider.
I went with Mike the day he took Brisco to his pre-purchase exam to be sold. Brisco was 12, I think. He passed with flying colors and he was to be left with his new rider. I had brought a bag of his favorite apples, granny smith, and told the young girl they were his favorite and she had to promise to keep him supplied-which she did. Mike was a bit surprised that I burst into tears on the way back to his home base. I tried to explain that there is no way to thank a horse for taking care of your child. That I will always be grateful to him for being exactly what Mike needed, for keeping him safe and launching him into the world.
So I sing Brisco’s praises and all those like him. May he have, yet again, a terrific run at young riders and go home safe and happy. And Hannah, give Brisco a granny smith from his first horse mom, please.
