Redwood Bluff
Redwood Bluff is a four year old bay thoroughbred gelding by Woodman. His grandfathers were Mr. Prospector and Pine Bluff.
Red has been adopted by Heidi and Matt. We are so grateful that Red will be going to a place where his talents at soothing nerves will be appreciated. Red will be not only a riding but also therapy horse and this gentle giant will definitely live up to these expectations! We could write the epilogue ourselves but new caregiver and friend Heidi does a much better job of it:
"Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit with us. It was obviously a success for us, as I found Redwood Bluff waiting for me. Your gut instinct was right - he was it! It's funny how some things work out. He was it for me. I knew it when I went into his stall that first time. I still wanted to spend time with the horses to make sure that I was making the right decision.
One more thing about Redwood Bluff (I'm contemplating calling him Xanthos, after Achilles chestnut or Atlas, the god who held the pillars of Greece on his shoulders) - he will be helping several people join the world of horses. My close friend, Yvonne, is going to learn about horses by spending time with my horse. She wants to conquer her fear of them (which she didn't know she had until she came to a riding lesson with me last year). He will also help my employees' 12 year old daughter learn about horses. Our hope is that it will motivate her to keep good grades and help calm her down during her Mom's divorce. She has been having a tough year. And last but not least, he will be Matt's introduction the horse world. He has a lot riding on his red shoulders. I think he can do it. :)
Thank you so much for everything you do - and introducing me to that wonderful gelding!"
Update - January 2010
I was enjoying the Neigh Savers site again today when I saw that NS has horses with Paddington Station. When I was a teen, we lived around the corner from PS. I boarded my horse, Spunky, there and Helen fulfilled my dream of english riding. Not only that, but she gave me my love for the Thoroughbred! :)
Xan is doing great. He needed a new blanket this year because he has grown so much over the past year! LOL. He measured out at 85 so we bought a cozy 87 to allow room to grow. We also bought a nice liner to go with it, just in case. He has not developed a good winter coat, so I get a little worried about him (although Linda thinks I worry too much). He has done well in training ans has spooked exactly one time! It was very justified, though, as a cat leaped out from behind some equipment right as he was turning away from it. I was relaxing my legs and riding on a very loose rein - he ran forward three whole steps and stopped! I must say that it was so smooth that I didn't even get an adrenaline rush! :) I have done walk/trot with him, no cantering, mostly due to weather conditions and only being able to ride him every once in a while. He still is learning how to control his limbs, so I don't want to risk having him fall in the round pen while lunging.
We are going to start him over poles in the spring/summer. Linda likes him quite a bit, for his intelligence, kindness and sense of humor. He is so friendly that he want to stop and visit with people, even when he is supposed to be working! It started during his first lunging exercises when he would try to stop to "talk" with Matt. I wouldn't allow him to, since he was being asked to do something, so he got into the habit of twitching his ears back and shaking his head whenever someone was by the fence while he working. It is his way of saying" I would love to chat, but meanie over there won't let me". My farrier is very patient with Xan, especially on days when I can't be there. A couple of months ago, my Dad held Xan for the farrier. Dad hasn't been around horses since I was a teen, so it is a testament to his character that Xan was well behaved for him. Anywho, Xan gets bored fairly easily (the down side of intelligence) and, deciding to entertain
himself, stole the farriers' hat. Then, as the farrier picked up his hat, Xan picked up the hoof stand and threw it. Dave, my farrier, took it all in stride and asked my Dad to hold the lead instead of having him tied. Dad remembered my advice ("Just stick a bunch of treats in your pocket and slowly feed him") and they didn't have any more problems. LOL. Pretty much everyone that meets him loves him. :)
We MAY enter some shows later on this year. I will keep you posted! If you can't make it, we will make sure to take lots of pictures and send some your way. You are, of course, always welcome to visit him whenever you wish!
Have you read "Beyond The Homestretch"? I am reading it right now and am loving it! It's wonderful to have, in writing, all of the things I feel about TBs. They are the Pit Bull of the horse world - constantly having to combat negative press, yet
when one has had a TB, they usually have nothing but wonderful things to say about it. We'll get through, eventually...
We have two new updates on Xanthos (January 2008) "Xan" from proud new owner Heidi:
"My friend that trained in Europe as a show jumper met Xan on Monday. She thinks he ia amazing! She can't wait to help me get him "dialed in" (her favorite phrase!) for jumping. She was impressed with the hold it command that he is doing. His hold it has come along nicely - he will hold his hoof pick for about twenty - thirty seconds now. I have only worked on it three or four times, but he is coming right along! I hope to turn it into a full retrieve.
His touch is awesome - my friends four year old was holding the pad for Xan to touch. Xan is so good...He was very safe around Zain (the four year old). He was even giving Zain "kisses"!
Xan met Wicked, my male Malinois today. They both did great (Wicked better than Xan). Xan kept making friendly overtures, which Wicked responded to, but if Wicked moved closer, Xan backed off. You know the song and dance routine!
I can't wait for you guys to come see him! He takes all his visitors in stride. He is becoming very affectionate (heck, I've only had him two weeks!) and recognizes me when I call him. Our next trick is going to be a whistle recall. :)"
"We started his target training today. He did well - the only problem being that he knows what a bag of carrots is. So I need to get a Xan specific treat bag (I don't think he'd appreciate the bits of beef on his carrots from my dogs' treats!). I am taking things slowly with him and not trying to puch my affections on him too much! He is very patient with me. If I become a nuisance he gives me acertain look and I know to back off. He even gave me a long look with a deep, "I've been very patient so why do I have to still put up with you?" sigh. I can be a very clingy owner! He is letting us handle his ears more and is learning that the only tools used on his face are hands or a siper soft brush.
He loves his next door neighbor and plays with him/her (I haven't checked) through the fence. The downside of this is they cavort together, which causes Xan to limp a little. I am hoping that once he becomes more accustomed to his new place that he will mellow out.
He is also one of, if not THE, handsomest horses on the place, if I do say so myself! We have visited him every day except for yesterday - Matt picked me up from work and we went strait to dog training. We are visiting him twice today, though!
He has wonderful manners. I do all of my grooming and training without a halter on. He lifts each leg carefully for me to pick out and gently sets it back down again. He doesn't yank, pull or lean. He does appreciate a warning before being sprayed with fly spray, so I am going to start a spray command, so that he is aware it is coming before I do it. Currently I spray away from him a couple of times, then spray him.
Karin, thank you for adopting me this horse. Just being around him puts a smile on my face. My boss teases me about how handsome I say my horse is! I try not to talk about him too much to people (new mom syndrome!) but that can be difficult when you have someone so wonderful to talk about! I am hoping to ride him by the end of next year, but we'll see. No need to rush! He is young and he will be around for a long, long time!"
Update:
Neigh Saver Karin visited "Xan" recently and found him to be in great spirits and condition. He has an entire gallery of photographs devoted just to him at Heidi Green's Wicked Pet Photography site. Heidi has generously offered to donate a portion of any prints purchased back to Neigh Savers. Please visit her website at: www.wickedpetphotos.smugmug.com
We have updated Xan's page with a few photos that illustrate his beauty and joy.
 
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