Growing up in NY, the first Saturday of May, the day of the Kentucky Derby, was normally the day that I got to ride again after the winter snows and the spring melt. My parents farm is kind of boggy and good footing was important to me, especially after my horse had gone anywhere from five to seven months of just eating hay and not working.
Three years after my first horse died, I woke up on the day of the Derby and just had to ride. It was consuming me. I went on a two hour trail ride on a rented horse and had a great time. And that was it. I immediately started looking for a horse to lease. I knew I didn't want the burden of ownership with a wedding later that year but I needed to be around horses.
An ad in the newspaper caught my eye. $65/month, unlimited riding. Almost too good to be true. So I called and went out to Horse Quarters in Chapel Hill. There were some really good horses there and some confused horses there. The guy that caught my attention (and my heart) was Dan. Dan was a great horse and very much like my first horse. He was 25 but not slowing down yet. He was smart and playful. We hit it off great. I wanted to lease him exclusively but someone else had already beat me to it. But, there were other horses that needed exercise. I'd be able to ride Dan sometimes but I couldn't have him all to myself. For $65/month, I wasn't going to complain. I soon became a fixture there and every free Saturday (and often Sunday) was out riding.
And then there was Fox. Fox was abandoned on the farm by an overwhelmed owner. They were trying to find her a new home but no one understood Standardbreds here in NC and avoided her. She was over 100 lbs underweight and just looked awkward. Her fourth birthday had just passed and she hadn't grown into her body yet. Her nickname was the demon horse. Everyone would have a great honeymoon with Fox and then one day, Fox would decide to see what you were really made of. I think if I had been paying attention, I would have seen the pushing on me earlier but I didn't. My fiance and I grew up around STBs and there was nothing unusual about Fox. We decided to lease her. Problem was, she wasn't broke yet. She had barely started pulling a cart before she got kicked off the track (most likely because she kicks in harness). We decided to take ownership of her before something bad happened to her and she went off to be someone's dinner.
For six weeks, no sign of the demon showed up. Then the honeymoon ended. I went to feed Fox one day, and I was probably mentally checked out, I don't recall any warning but Fox attacked me. She swung around and chased me away from her food with both hind feet aiming at my face. Now she pulled her kicks and did not connect with me but being able to read the brand on the bottom of her shoes was upsetting. I had no whip, rope, or any means to extend my reach. All I could do was run backwards and scream. Some people in the barn heard me and came running with a lunge whip to rescue me. That's when I realized I wasn't ready for this horse and needed to find someone to help me along the way.
