Gutti
by Gail Legate
This is Gutti. The little boy is my friend and neighbour, Mark Collingwood, who was three then. He's now 5 and is riding Gutti (who is very tolerant of little boots banging on the saddle flaps and little hands hauling on the reins).
Gutti is 24 years old. Susan Hodgson imported him in 1981 and I bought him in 1984. We are a team. I trust him implicitly and he's never let me down. (He did run away with me once many years ago--we had an incredible ride, just because he felt good and he found an excuse to spin and run). I was both terrified and exhilarated which probably made him run faster.
He's a little imp who makes me and others laugh just by looking at us kind of under his eyebrows. He tests me at least once on every ride to make sure I'm still the boss. he can be really stubborn--I bet he's a Taurus!
I love the photo with Mark. It's very "Gutti"--"So, whaddaya want me to do, kid?"
And the reflective photo is another facet of him--he's contemplative, reliable and steady. Hates ring work, loves working on the trail.
Gutti has terrible eczema and this year the Boett pajama has made it possible for us to ride throughout the summer--the first time in many years. We've had a fairly cool, dry summer or cold, wet summer this year which has helped, too.
At 24, he's slowing down a little. His stifle seems to either lock or unlock, more often lately and more dramatically. We were doing a lot of mountain rides, but have cut back on that and we're staying closer to the ranch.
He definitely has a personality--he is a little imp. If there's a way out of a field, he'll find it. I saw him "climb" over a stone fence once and run away from first one of us, then the other while grabbing choice hay in the hayfield while he played tag. I tie him to the rail, go to get his flax-yeast-kelp concoction, come back and he's untied himself and is over on Eileen's lawn chowing down. Go and get him and you can practically hear him snap his fingers and say, "Rats". He's neat.
Guess you can tell he's my very special friend. I was watching a bunch of people and horses at a roping clinic at the ranch where I board him--I went back to him and told him he didn't know anything about being a horse--he's my pet!
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