And Finally....Lex

This big goofy boy is Chips Dun Hotrodin, or Lex.  He is 5 years old, and a Solid-bred Paint gelding.  He is massive and I honestly believe he has ADHD.  There is not one day that he doesn’t make me laugh out loud or smile at something silly he does.  I bought him as my graduation present to myself when I graduated from college, when he was 3 years old and I was 20.  In our short two years together we’ve already been through a lot, which has made me a paranoid horse owner and also taught me to notice the details concerning my horses. 

                Lex was fairly green-broke when I bought him, knowing how to walk, trot, and canter, but not steering very well.  We’ve come an incredibly long way and he now moves off of leg pressure and (sometimes) goes around calmly.  He loves to explore and meet different people and animals.  He’s always getting into something, whether that be a pop bottle someone left behind, taking the lids off five different feed bins when I turn around for 3 seconds, or eating my cell phone when I mistakenly left it within his reach.  Like I said, he’s always making me pull my hair out laugh. 

                When I first started working with Lex, I pushed him too hard too soon to be a great show horse.  Due to that, he developed a couple of splints on his front legs, and had severely bruised coffin bones.  We’ve dealt with those problems and were finally able to move on after 6 months of vet appointments and specialists with different opinions.  I still try to take it easy with him, as yes, I have my goals for us, but I don’t want to end his career at 5 years old because I got too impatient and hasty. 

                Lex is a complete joy to work with-he has an incredible mind that I’ve never really gotten to work with before.  He learns incredibly quickly and hardly ever spooks.  He just wants to please and once he finds the right answer, he very rarely comes up with the wrong answer again.  He continues to surprise me at shows by handling new situations calmly, but with curiosity.  He is the complete opposite of other horses I’ve shown-in the show pen he gets down to work and gives me the best rides, whereas at home and in the warm-up pen, I usually start to wonder why I’m even trying to show him!  He knows his job and performs when he’s supposed to. 

                My big goofball is full of fun and surprises-he likes to play soccer with me and his jolly ball and he loves nothing more than agitating the mares around him by making them squeal.  I took him to a local open show a few weeks ago, and he reinforced the fact that he is totally oblivious to what he is doing when I tried to put him on the trailer.  This trailer was a 2 horse straight load with a ramp, and he started to walk right on, before realizing there was a ramp there.  He tripped, half-heartedly tried to get back up, and then proceeded to slide back down to the bottom of the ramp on his front legs.  When he got to the bottom, he looked up at me like, ‘What just happened?!  Was I actually supposed to climb this ramp?!’ 

                Lex has taught me a lot about patience and trust.  I’m still not sure sometimes that I fully trust him-he’s huge and powerful and young and sometimes, I just let fear creep in.  However, I still love to explore with him and try new things.  Right now we compete in Hunter Under Saddle and English Equitation.  I plan to add Showmanship next year, and Western riding classes in 2-3 years.  I know Lex has the capabilities to do whatever I ask of him, but I constantly have to remind myself to take it slow with him!  Just because he’s smart and talented doesn’t mean I can push him until he breaks.  I know he’s going to go far, but it will take time.