About Jet

How Jet came to be mine is a thoroughly un-exciting story except for the fact that HE chose ME. I was trying to make friends with a different horse in the same paddock Jet was in at the time, but Jet rushed over instead, nibbling my sleeve and draping his head over my shoulder (a horsey hug?)

He was born in New York on May 25th, 2002. Upon learning he was a native New Yorker, just like me, and that his birthday is just 4 days after mine, I somehow KNEW he was the One. His registered name is Gold Ending. He is by Precise End out of Made for Satin by Premiership. I have never heard of any of these horses. Bragging rights in his bloodlines include Forty Niner, Secretariat, Mr. Prospector, and my very favorite racehorse of all time, Man O' War. I look at him in goofy awe that I have a living decendant of Man O' War. Quite often I will see Man O' War's imperial, lordly look come out in him when he raises his head in defiance.

Horsenality wise, Jet is the LAZIEST Left Brained Extrovert you will ever meet. He has more qualities of LBE than the other categories on the chart, but his 2 favorite pastimes are stopping and eating.

Jet lives at a rescue sanctuary about 45 minutes from the infamous Strip. My mother and I started volunteering there at Christmas time (BTW, all you Parelli folk who donated blankets, Shiloh was soooooo grateful! I couldn't believe the response I got!! Over 30 blankets from Savvy Club members were donated to the rescue farm! You guys are amazing!) and were more taken by those needy horses than any of the show barns we rode at back east. I could write for HOURS about the wonderful friends (human and equine) we have made up there, but I think it is better described at http://shilohlasvegas.com/ . Thankfully Jet's story is not filled with saddness. He was one of the luckier TB's who was sent to Finger Lakes Thoroughbred Adoption Program in Finger Lakes, NY when he stopped racing. After he was rehabbed he was shipped out to Shiloh. A lady adopted him shortly thereafter, keeping him at the ranch, but she stopped paying board so Jill (one of the owners of Shiloh, and one of my personal heroes) re-po'ed him. Whatever this gal did to Jet while she DID want him was fabulous. He responded to the 7 Games for the first time so well, Mom and I thought his previous owner was a fellow Parelli-ite.

My mother and I adopted Jet on his 6th birthday and he has been the new family baby ever since. Ooed and ahhed over, adored by all who meet him and UTTERLY SPOILED ROTTEN. He is thoroughy treat driven, which we have tried working to our advantage. At least he has figured out that he has to be polite and not climb over Mommy and Grammy to get a carrot. The boy is 16.2 and Mom is 5'1, she will turn into powder if he steps on her. When we take him out, we put his supplement bucket in different spots so that he will not anticipate where we are leading him and start rushing to get to his bucket. We also do this so that he associates all areas of the ranch we take him to with something yummy and fun for him to look forward to. IT'S WORKING.
Although he is making slow but surely great progress through Parelli methods, my absolute favorite time with him is Undemanding Time. Jet is nothing more than an 1200 lb pet, and he loves to be cuddled and scratched and rubbed. He is the World's Largest Kitten. There's where most of his spoiling comes in - the petting, hugs, kisses, cuddles. He has such a sunny disposition, and just soaks up the attention. Total ham. The other day a visitor, little boy, asked me if he could give Jet an apple. I said sure and led Jet to him. Jet took a big bite and the boy reached out to pet him while he was munching. Like a shy baby, Jet buried his head in my middle instead. I couldn't help but "Aww, sweetie!" him to death while I rested my head in his bridle path. Such a kyootie.

We pasture board him which provides EXCELLENT Catching Game strategies, although they don't always work. Sometimes we can only make it to the barn twice a week, so pasture boarding is especially worth its weight in gold. He is one of 2 geldings in a field of 12 mares. When he was first put in that pasture he made friends with a Palamino who followed him everywhere, but when Blahnik, the fancy chestnut with 3 white stockings joined the crew, he dumped the Palamino and has not been seen without her ever since. In essence, right now we're working on TWO relationships - our relationship with Jet AND his girlfriend Blahnik. She throws tantrums whenever he leaves the pasture so we try to spend time with her as well so she knows we are friends, not evil predators who might eat her lover. We also play the games with her to gain her respect so she won't be bitchy and try to push us out of the way when we want to pet our own horse. She and I are getting along far better than we first did (I posted in the SC forum about the "high hoof" she gave me). But Jet is our one and only, our baby boy, the light and sunshine in our lives. The vacations and nice clothes and fancy dinners I always enjoyed may have to be sacrificed for awhile (or forever!) but everytime I look into those innocent, big brown eyes of that big black monster, none of it matters because he's all I've ever really wanted my whole life.