Stash gets to SHOW!

He backed out of the one horse trailer, his big statue lingering a moment in the sunlight as he looked about getting his bearings. Letting out a loud neigh to the surrounding horses he presented himself to them. Not all were interested in the new guy on the block, but still a few mossied up to the fence to check him out. Myself I was quite impressed, he was beautiful, big and seemed to be very friendly. He was being turned into the center because of three tumors that had developed on his massive body. Looking him over I really couldn’t see anything out of the way to make me give him up if he was mine. However it was not my decision nor would it be.

Stash was his name and he has made his debut on a race track. He did pretty well at it for a beginner. At an early age he was sold to a woman that decided to turn him into a dressage horse. A number of years and training was put back into him and he did rather well for himself for a while there also. Then came; the so called unsightly lumps that often come on horses. Stash was a deep dabble gray and it took some looking to spot the lumps on him, they just seem to blend into this coat like a maze.  

He was now a rescue horse and our job was to get him adopted out into a good foster home giving his best and finding out his potential of what that best might be. Stash was delightful to have around, he was always friendly and happy to be groomed, handled and even rode. He looked forward to our volunteers taking their turn riding around the 150 ft square ring. He even managed to teach one or two of them a thing or two. So over all he settled in and was a happy horse, pretty easy keeper, and more than willing to put a smile on your face.

We decided to move him to the indoor arena when riding season ended at the center. He moved along with 13 other horses to the facility we rented in Stockbridge. He had a large 12 by 12 stall and loved the attention he received there. He was used as a lesson horse by the owner of the barn along with giving lessons to my oldest grandson James.  James decided he would don the breeches, boots and helmet, pick up a few pointers to take Stash to Ohio where we were going for a Pet Expo.

We had been invited down to Columbus to set up a display in hopes of raising funds and donations to support our cause. February was right around the corner, and everything was on target for the show.  Stash got a new wide dressage saddle, James managed to get a new outfit, nice shinny new bridle with some jewels made Stash and James look like a winning team.

On a cold day in February we trailered two horses to Ohio, only to find out when we got there it was a dog show and the crew setting up the expo had no idea a horse would be showing up let alone two. There was no stall to put either one in.  After a few horse of manipulation a couple of portable put-together stalls were arranged and the horses were put away for the night.

Friday opening day we managed to get there early and get everything set up in our booth along with our horses stalls cleaned out and making them presentable to the public. It was a slow day and very discouraging for us as a horse group to be put in with dogs and cats. As the only horses there, the other pet vendors did not appreciate what we did as horse people to get there. First, again nothing thinking they did not supply us with a horse riding ring, they offered us a ring to share with the god groups. The thing was the god groups did not like the ideal of having to take down their display for use to come in and use the arena, not to mention it was a cement floor covered in Astroturf rather than sand. We again negotiated with the committee and took up just 10 feet along the front of the arena next to the bleachers. After all we were not planning on any dressage riding at this point in time. Still Stash and Aggie stole the show with their personalities and what little bit of display they were allowed to give.

Stash shamed us and caused a big hissy fit from the dog people because he decided to take a dump while exiting the stage. We did run right back as good horse people would do and clean it up. However that did nothing to impress or help our standing with the dog group. They claimed that 7 years of training was discarded because their dogs wanted to stop and smell the roses (manure spot). I had to defend my horse and reply “if it took me seven years to train a horse and he did such a thing I would consider myself a poor trainer”. Yep, you guessed it, it did not go over very well. At the end of the day we cleaned up, fed our horses and put them away for the night in what we hoped would be a good nights rest.

Not; we entered the next morning with vendors just in front of us all upset, a mess on the floor and our horses in goodness knows what a condition.  Assessing the situation I had to defend my horse one more time. He is a big guy, he gets hungry, he is a really big guy, and the stalls were makeshift portable ones. The vendor across from us about 8 feet set up her booth with a 4 foot high counter where she proceeded to put her doggie treats.  Now I understand all that and it’s all good.  What she didn’t understand was why we were allowed to be invited when to her knowledge it was a god show. If I read right it said PET lady; I thought to myself. She cutting corners did not cover her counters, but left all that doggie treats out in the open just a few feet away from Stash.  Somewhere, somehow in the middle of the night to early morning hours he must have decided enough is enough and he just went after the treats, most likely thinking he was entitled to them.  He dragged not only his stall but his little buddies stall with him. Now she wasn’t a large horse so she just moved as the stall moved forward, but Stash being massive in size managed to get his head over the stall and eat up all the doggie treats on the counter. That is what did not end up in the floor. He made such a mess, all we could do was say sorry. I was not going to offer to pay for all that doggie treats when she was so rude to not only our horses, but us in general, nor did she take any precaution to conceal it from the horses. And she had the nerve to call Stash stupid, I think not he got the treats didn’t he?

With all this going on we were still the toast of Columbus that weekend. The local television station news picked us up, giving us a little publicity. The Saturday and Sunday crowd was just awesome, they came in great numbers lined up to sit up on a horse and take pictures at the pet show. All in all I would say Stash was a star in his own right. Aggie did her share, she made hundreds of dollars letting people climb up on her while she posed for the camera.