The Rest of the Story

I have so much catching up to do, but this post has been in the back of my mind for a while now so you get it first.

At the show in June I was stabled across the aisle from Trainer BM.  Peebs' breeder rides with BM, but wasn't at the show. She had mentioned to me once that BM had had Peebs for a little bit, back when he was 5 or 6.  So during a break from showing, I walked over and introduced myself to BM and his client GK. We ended up chatting for a while and both BM and GK were super friendly.  And at the show last weekend (post is coming) I was stabled on the same aisle again and we hung out and talked more.

He's the best

BM gave me lots of info on Peebs' life from age (approximately) 5 to 7.  Peebs' breeder sold him at 4 and I know the barn I bought him from got him at 7.  But I didn't know much about those in between years.  I know someone beat him and made him terrified of crops and lead changes.  I know his teeth never got done.

BM had a junior client who was leasing Peebs and both client and BM loved him.  BM said he had started lead changes with Peebs, and that he remembered you had to shove him over to get the left to right.  Which is his hard direction. Peebs was put up for sale and BM tried to get his client to buy him, but they didn't have the money. He got sold to trainer JR (oddly enough JR was Tia's breeder and she and I have talked at shows about Tia. #itsasmallworldafterall) and her teenage daughter BR took him on as a "project".  BM flat told me that BR was the one who ruined him with lead changes.  Said she would go right to the whip and spur and smack, smack, smack him for it. BM was riding some for them and they asked him to get on Peebs and he said he almost didn't recognize him. He had gone from a nice quiet hunter to going around completely inverted and panicky. He's such a chill horse about 99% of things under saddle except lead changes, that I can't imagine what she must have done to wig him out.  After having him for over 2yrs we're just now able to start schooling them without him freaking out. And it took me almost a year for him to be ok with a tap from my crop.

Peebs was sold by JR to the barn I bought him from, and they had him for about two years.  JR messaged me last week asking me about Peebs and Tia.  She said they had loved him, and was glad he had a "soft landing".   I'm glad I got the rest of his story and was able to fill in the gaps.  I know I shouldn't be mad that she let her daughter screw him up and then pass him off, but I am. I'm eternally grateful that I got him, and he's going to stay with me forever but I can't help but feel angry at them.

TBT: Baby Peebs

When I bought Peebs, I didn't get much of in the way of his history.  I was told he was a QH cross, probably an appendix.  He was 9, and the barn I bought him from had had him for two years.  Pedigree and papers don't matter too much to me; I'm not going to show on a breed circuit and he's a gelding so no babies for him.  USEF/USHJA don't require breed papers, and since he's never been registered with them I could register him under his new show name and not worry about any past records.  

His momma, Mystic, while pregnant

The saddle rep (sidenote: saddle shipped from England today, should be here soon!!!!) I'm using had told me that one of her students used to ride at the barn that had Peebs and next time the rep comes down she wanted to come along to see him.  I said of course, hoping I could get some more background info from her.  Apparently she knows Peebs' breeder, and now the breeder rides with the saddle rep.  The breeder, HP, found me on Facebook and sent me a bunch of pics as well all Peebs' info.

Cute from the start

Peebs is a QH cross, but not an appendix.  He's 3/4 QH and 1/4 Morgan, which explains his movement and front end conformation. He's a grandson of Scotch Bar Time, one of the leading AQHA sires.  Two other horses in the barn are his grandchildren as well, so Peebs has cousins in the barn! His birthday is June 7th.  He was three weeks late being born, and HP's dad ended up pulling him out.  Only one front leg came out so the dad pushed him back in, turned him, then pulled both front legs out.  They said he just slid out super fast after that, so fast that he left his fourth sock behind! A couple days after birth he got sick and ended up spending a week in the hospital. He's always had some GI/diarrhea issues, which makes me feel better about the discharge issue I've had with him.

 

They called him Little Scotch, or just Scotch.  HP says she likes the name Peebs better than PB or Paddy, which is what the barn before called him. She sold him as a five year old when she joined the Army, and was supposed to be contacted if/when he was ever sold.  He bounced around a little and she lost track of him.  I assured her that I'm not planning on getting rid of him anytime soon, if ever, and that I'd keep her updated on him.  Hopefully we can meet up at a show this fall since she lives less than two hours away and has gotten back into showing with her new horse.

Yearling Peebers after he was gelded.  Apparently he had a fun habit of rearing and trying to stomp on people.

4yr old Peebs