being mounted. Cowboy rode him around a bit then gave him a big “cluck” and he started doing this very pretty gait. Was it ever smooth! Cowboy laughed as he went around and said all he needed was a full martini glass! My eyes got big, “He’s a Tennessee Walker,” Cowboy said.
I was offered to try him and I was excited. I could not wait to get him into that same gait and see for myself how smooth it was. I was falling in love!
I had never ridden a gaited horse before, didn’t know anything about them. I changed his name to Chapo (Spanish for “shorty”) and home we went.
I rode him home bareback with a halter while hubby grumbled all the way home.
I had been riding for only a couple years and was just discovering horses. I wanted to know and try everything. I hired a trainer and the work began. Pretty soon we were doing very well and I learned he could do a nice slow lope but I never had the nerve to “open him up”. After all, he was just a Tennessee Walker!
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