Shadrack was the second horse I’ve ever bought, but the first horse to live at Saloma Acres. He was supposed to be a companion horse to the first horse I bought named Stokely. Shadrack was cute, I liked him enough when I went to go look at him. I was building up my love for red geldings, so he fit the bill. Nice size.
In a series of (probably intentional) unfortunate events, Stokely never made it to Saloma Acres. So now Shadrack was MY companion horse. My emotional support horse. The horse I would continue to learn and make mistakes on. Who ultimately became the foundation for my life with horses now.
He was sold to me as grade. When I bought him, I still didn’t know what I wanted to *really* do with horses. I knew I wanted them in my life. I had been boarding at an English barn while I closed on and built the first phase of things at Saloma Acres (literally built the place from nothing!). So I had all of the English tack and riding clothes. Nothing ever felt fully right, but I took it as I was new to all of it, I would adjust. To no one’s surprise, I did not.
I remember the first Western Saddle I bought. I was thrilled, and could breathe a little. Felt more in control of the situation. I started asking more questions about what kind of events happen in those kinds of saddles, LOL, and that’s where I started to put my interest. Meanwhile, Shadrack was truly becoming my best horsey friend. Gentle on the ground. Patient. In the saddle, we still had things to work out, but overall he was emerging as a horse I was starting to love.
What I’m mostly trying to say is I didn’t know much, and with my friend Tay, and with Shadrack, I was learning who I wanted to be as a horsewoman, and what kind of horses I wanted–more of Shadrack. One day on a trail ride, I told Tay, “I want a paddock full of Shadracks” and his eyes got wide. He is not an easy horse by any means. He’s a thinker. He is a self-preservationist. But he’s the same horse every day, and that consistency (even with some testy-ness) helped me grow quickly, doggedly, in a way that really helped me understand who I needed to be. We tried out so many sports together! Roping, Sorting & Team Penning, Cutting, Reining. He’d be game to hop on the trailer and do whatever it was I asked of him. Finally, I discovered Cowboy Mounted Shooting, and the first time he heard gun fire and he didn’t flinch an ear–I knew it was our* sport.
But he was grade. Meaning, I had no idea what his identity was. His only distinct marking was a “P” on his left shoulder. And when I went to buy him, the seller said off handedly she thought he came from Alabama. Tay insisted that his brand would lead us to his breeder. I was determined to find out more.
It took me a year, but I found it! I was able to get in touch with the breeder, and confirmed Shadrack was one of his horses. I got his identity. I understood how he was bred. We got his actual age–3 years younger than what he was sold as. But because of AQHA complications, we’ll never have his papers. And even though he still owned Shadrack’s sire, his Dam was deceased, so I’d never be able to make another Shadrack. My next conversation with the breeder was if he had a filly related to Shadrack. He did! Technically, a niece (Shadrack’s mother was this filly’s grandmother). We met up just outside of Atlanta a few months later, and that’s how I got Butterbean.
It only took a while to understand the differences–LOL! The stubbornness in Shadrack was amplified in Butterbean, compressed in a muscled up two-year-old filly with the biggest hind end I’ve seen. She’s the strongest horse I own. You cannot try to pick a fight with her and win. You will lose. I love her still. She was the first step to my dream. But I also understood that the parts I really leaned into, the parts that led me to say a statement like, “I want a paddock full of Shadracks” was from the sire’s side. Which I was beginning to understand was stacked with King blood. Foundation Quarter Horse Lines.
Fast forward a year year later, and I went back to the breeder. I wanted a King filly. This would get me closer to Shadrack. One had just hit the ground, and as soon as it was ready to wean, I could pick her up. That’s how I got Birdie! She and Shadrack have the same Sire, 14 years apart.
I was building my paddocks of Shadracks, while also understanding more and more what kind of horsewoman I want to be, and how I understand I can contribute to this industry. Stay tuned!
