I wanted to post that I just picked up my new horse, a nine-year-old half-draft QH/Percheron/Belgian sweetheart named "Woody" on Saturday. Yeah, I know. Anyway, good and chunky at 15.3hh (though I'd swear he was taller...) and about 1400 lbs of so. Big boy who can carry my 200 lbs with ease. I sold by big QH to buy him, and I think I made a very good choice in this. I took him on a good trail ride on Sunday, then trailered him home (6-hours) and he was a dream all the way around. He'll make a great war horse!

Tomorrow we start with the Cavalry Training, and later on in the month we take out the quintain and start playing with Lances! I can hardly wait!

I'll post a link for a pic later.

Gordon

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Gordon

[ 10-19-2004: Message edited by: Gordon ]

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To try to post something positive about Warhorses, after the very sad news of poor Bella's passing, I thought that I would let folks know of my endeavours to turn my new horse into a real Warhorse. Today I took him out to see how he would do with a lance and quintain. A friend rode my old retired Warhorse Taxi to get Woody used to some of these ideas, and that they aren't all that scary. I needen't have worried, Woody yawned through it all. Within less that ten passes ( first walking & trotting by without and then with a lance, then hitting it) after the first introduction to the big yellow beast (the quintain) we were charging it at the canter, with no appreciable shying, balking, twitching or much of anything on his part from the noise and movement of hitting the quintain with my lance. Lord, what a dream this horse is! After having a horse (not Taxi) that was a bit of a "Booger Hunter" this is GREAT!

Now we'll see what he thinks of my armour next, and finally accustom him to gunfire. If these new things go as smoothly as the quintan went, then it ought to be a snap. If not, the ground is nice and soft where we're working!

Cheers,

Gordon

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One of the most touching moments of Bella's last day was when we hitched up the trailer to bring her to the hospital. Bella heard the screech of the ramp springs as we opened the back and my poor suffering girl who was doped up and woodenly plodding next to me in obvious pain suddenly came alive. Her ears pricked up, she picked up her pace and fairly danced to the back of the trailer to be loaded. To her, the trailer meant only the best things - school demos, events, parades. She loved them all and it broke our heart to know that the lure of the events she delighted in were the only thing able to get through her pain.

Jeff and I wish you the very best with Woody, and that someday he will come to enjoy these silly things we do as much as our Bella did.

Thank you so much for relating the wonderful story of Bella! I understand both how sad and proud you must have been just then, with your brave old Warhorse still struggling to give her best to you. Words just can't describe how that touches me, so all I can say is thank you for sharing this with me, and all of us here.

My old Warhorse, Taxi, is pushing 30, and still gets all worked up at the idea of "Going for a Ride" for all the same reasons you spoke of: great experiences that REALLY get a horse's attention. I always cringe when people say "Why don't you put him out to pasture and let him be if he's that old". And break his heart? Not hardly, he loves to work and play! And at least Bella could pass on with some of those wonderful memories going through her head (or whatever it is horses do in that regard); the smells, sounds and sights of excitement and fun of days past fresh to her from just the trailer ride she had at the last. About as close to going down "in harness" as you could have managed for her under the circumstances.

And thank you for your kind encouragement as well with regards to Woody... he looks to become a fine Warhorse, brave and steady in the finest traditions of Mounted Combat, and I hope he shall be able to come up to near the high standards set by Bella.

With Best Regards to you and Jeffery,

Gordon

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I'm touched by your comments and sentiments. I hope we get to meet sometime soon. Rest assured we'll keep on with our 15th C equestrian pursuits (we can't abandon the track Bella so boldy pioneered now, can we?). Perhaps we'll get a chance to cross lances sometime. I wish you the best of luck with Woody.

Best wishes,

Jeffrey

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Thank you for the kind words! I certainly hope that you are going to train a new Warhorse to follow in Bella's footsteps, what with your knowledge and passions for this pursuit it would be a terrible shame not to. I'm sure that there are a host of good candidates out there for your perusal, and may you be as fortunate in the youngster as you were with Bella!

I certainly hope that we can meet, and perhaps cross lances, in the near future. As noted, I am close friends with Nick Worthington, and we are working on an event to be held in Northern California the first weekend in April, to be enclusive of the era of the Pike and Matchlock. And of course I am working feverishly on the Mounted end of the equation as well! We are right now drawing up the invitation list and paperwork, and you of the Red Company are DEFINITELY on our list, either as participants, vendors, or, preferably, both! I shall also be posting here as well the details of this event. But I do indeed look forward to working with you on some level, and talking Warhorses at length!

So thank you again. Good luck with all your endeavours, and thank you for allowing us to help you shoulder the burden of your grief. Your Warhorse is more than a friend, companion or team-mate, but a part of you.

Gordon

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