Several of my followers will probably recognize this image. I use a cropped version of it as an icon on various sites/forums/etc. But, not many people have ever seen the larger version (I don't think). So, I wanted to share it.
I also wanted to share a story about my very own Toler, written to me by my father. (He sent it to me in an email, and, well, I hope he doesn't mind that I'm using it here. I don't think so. Anyway. My own comments are in brackets.)
I laughed pretty hard when I read this email, in the art studio as either paint or a photo was drying (I can't remember which). I give my mother a LOT of credit for riding Toler for me this last winter. I had kind of figured that she would never actually ride him--he *IS* a big horse (6 feet, or 18 hands, at the shoulder) and while he's well trained, he's not a beginner's horse. He's well trained for *me,* in other words. Anyway, whenever I come home Toler is always really excited for me to ride because it means he can do extended trot and canter--two things that my mother can't quite handle yet. (I personally think she would be just fine with his canter--it's his smoothest stride and he's very intuitive about it, but extended trot is another issue. It's a lot of movement, a lot of muscle to keep up with.) So, the image of her being shot around the arena by Toler as he's extending (he LOVES it) is really, really quite entertaining for me. Props to her for not falling off. A disappointed, motherly finger-wag at Toler for not being his usual considerate self. (Followed, of course, by a carrot because he's too damn cute to be mad at.)Last weekend was unusual. It was warm. Not as some would like to call warm, but as we in Wisconsin would call the end of January warm. It was 22 degrees. The sun was shinning and it was warm.
Your mother decided it would be a good day to ride Toler. So, off to the barn we went. Toler was in his stall munching hay. He looked up with disinterest and mild irritation. She pulled him into the aisle and the process started. With coat brushed, hooves picked, leg wraps applied, saddle and bridle fitted, it was off to the arena.
Abby [a boarder at the stable] had just finished lunging her mare. As we came in, she went down to saddle up. Your mother mounted Toler, but Toler did not wish to move. Finally, I walked past him and he took the idea and soon passed me by. Around the arena they went. Your mother tried to get Toler to trot, but not always successfully.
Abby returned to the arena with her horse, and started to work on walk/trot transitions in the middle. Meanwhile your mother had gotten Toler to trot. As usual Toler would pick his own time to break from a trot to a walk. All I could hear was your mother calling out "Trot..........Trot, Toler, Trot..........Trot". Sometime, at his decision, Toler would indeed trot. Soon I could hear Abby saying "Trot," and her horse would transition from a walk into a trot. After a couple of circles, Abby would say "Walk" and her horse would transition from a trot into a walk. As Abby's commands continued it became apparent that Toler would ignore the trot commands, but if he was trotting would follow her walk commands and transition into a walk, even if your mother had just started him to trot.
Suddenly Toler took some ones command to trot, and off he went. It was an extended trot. His head was in the perfect position. His feet were extended and he was really moving. His feet were touching the ground, but there was no bounce to his body. It was as if he was truly flying. I could almost read his mind, it was as if he was thinking, "This is what I was born to do." What a beautiful thing to watch. It was after the end and on the straight-away that I became aware of your mother. Her commands were constant and spaced about the same as they had always been, but something was different. Instead of the once "Trot..........Trot, Toler, Trot..........Trot". It had now been replaced with "Whoa..........Whoa, Toler, Whoa..........Whoa". As they hit the straight-away there was a deepening urgency to her voice.
Even Abby looked up at this. I watched as Abby took in the situation. I saw her mouth open as if to say "Wow". Then she too noticed your mother holding on to the strap you made calling out "Whoa, Toler, Whoa." I heard Abby giggle. That is when I almost fell off the mounting block where I was sitting.
