This is Sage—aka one of the best additions to our barn. She came to Carlisle last spring, and now that more “people” members have had a chance to ride her, she has become the new favorite. I say people because the horses we ride are members of our team too. Sometimes we forget this, which seems silly right? Without them, who would we practice on? Who would help make us better riders? And who would teach us responsibility?
Now, don’t get me wrong. We love all of the fabulous horses that we ride, but it’s hard not to develop one or two favorites over time. Sage is on the larger side, upwards of 16 hands (hands is the unit we measure horses in). To give you non-horse people out there a sense, one hand is about four inches. She’s a bay, meaning she’s dark brown with a black mane and tail—my personal favorite. Aside from being absolutely beautiful, she is a dream to ride.
The moment you get on you can just tell you are going to have an absolute blast. She’ll pretty much do anything you ask her to. Her forte is definitely jumping. Her body is long, so she effortlessly soars through the air without hesitation. She does all of her lead changes, which might be a little complicated to explain, but I’ll just say this is a definite plus. She gives you that “this is why I love to ride” feeling. Some horses just have that effect on people.
Aside from this post being a tribute to Sage, it’s a post that recognizes the part of the team that we don’t always mention in conversation. Yes, we are an equestrian team, so it goes without saying that we ride horses. But, a lot of the time we get caught up in the competition and forget to take a step back and appreciate the animals that make our sport possible. So, to make a long story short, I’d like to give a huge shout out to the horses that put up with all of our crazy, but loving, “people” members.
