The quintessential Quarter Horse! We are celebrating these horses as our October Breed of the Month on YourDressage!
Did you know that dressage riders who choose an American Quarter Horse as their dressage mount are eligible for special awards through the Adequan®/USDF All-Breeds Awards program, as the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) is a participating organization?
Here, a rider from Region 1 shares how she first met a troubled off-track Quarter Horse, and how they rebuilt both of their confidences into a flourishing partnership.
By Lindsay Jensen
My journey with Sully all started with answering a random Facebook post. I had recently started riding again after a 10-year hiatus, during which I had gotten divorced, moved from Maryland to Charlotte, North Carolina, was traveling full time for work, and lost my heart horse to colic in 2019. Prior to moving to Charlotte, I had ridden since I was four years old (I’m in my 40s now) and showed through Second Level dressage as a young rider and adult amateur. Horses had always been a big part of my life, but sadly, they had to take a backseat for a while.
After COVID forced me to work from home, I started scanning the internet for a nearby trainer with school horses available. At that point, I had the time, as I was no longer traveling and needed something to get me out of the house after the lockdowns were lifted. I started taking one lesson a week in the winter of 2020, but being a lifelong horse girl, I was dying for more saddle time. I scoured Facebook looking for someone who may have a horse that simply needed a rider. That’s when I found Sully.
I met Sully (registered name: Godzilla Nightmare) about three years ago, in the fall of 2021. His owner, Lacy, had purchased him from a sale barn, and he’d been through several owners before landing with her. He had trained for the track and ran one career race, as a two-year-old in Louisiana (I have his race video, and it’s adorable). He was a little bay horse with a kind eye and a curious demeanor.
I had never met an Off-Track Quarter Horse (OTQH) and didn’t have much experience with Quarter Horses in general, but I was open minded, and appreciated the opportunity to ride him. When I answered his ad, I did not have “ownership” in mind. I truly did not think I would ever own a horse again and was just happy to have extra time in the saddle.
Sully tried to dump me my first time riding him. He wasn’t super confident in what I was asking him to do (which was simply to go forward), probably from having so many different homes and riders in his short life. Lacy was surprised I even came back to ride him again, but I was determined to see what this boy had in him. And I really just wanted to ride… even if it meant a few unplanned dismounts.
I took it slow, and we focused on small wins – a solid, forward trot one time around the ring or a nice, forward free walk without bucking. Over the next year, that was all we did, and slowly but surely, it paid off. Lacy was always encouraging and just as patient as I was, which was a godsend. So often, owners want immediate results regardless of what the horse may be telling you or may be capable of. Sully needed time more than anything and we were both willing to give him grace.
In May 2022, I took him to a small schooling show. We had only walked and trotted at that point, so Introductory Level was calling our name. This was also our first time off the farm, so I had no expectations and just wanted it to be a positive experience. Sully acted like a total pro. We ended up with a blue and red ribbon with scores over 68%. I was so proud of him.
With our first show under our belts, it was time to step it up a bit – which meant cantering. And oh my, that was a challenge. To say I was terrified was an understatement. Sully is not the most naturally balanced horse, and he had absolutely no clue how to canter. It’s not an exaggeration when they say that Quarter Horses are the fastest horse on the quarter mile!
The first time we cantered, he dropped onto the forehand so much so that I could barely see his head and he just went. We did a 20-meter circle(?!), and I had to gather myself for a bit before we tried the opposite direction (which was equally as terrifying). But, we had ripped off the band-aid and continued our journey.
In the summer of 2022, Sully moved to my trainer’s farm so I could take lessons more regularly and get some much-needed assistance. My trainer, Regina Mück, was super encouraging, and we started making a lot of progress. Between Regina, myself, and a brave teen rider, Alyssa, at the farm, the canter began to show progress. I accepted the opportunity to purchase Sully from Lacy in the summer of 2023 and then almost immediately began to question my decision.
Sully was opinionated and would always let me know when he wasn’t sure, happy, or was simply done. However, those opinions became much louder and less manageable as we trained into the fall and over the winter. After several nasty falls, I reached out to Lacy (who I have always stayed close with) to see if she had any suggestions. At this point, my confidence was shot, and I was actually having small panic attacks when riding. I’m no spring chicken and don’t “bounce” like I used to as a fearless teen, so I needed help.
After sparing no expense and ruling out pain, ulcers, etc., Lacy had an idea; her friend, Elizabeth, was a seasoned cowgirl and was happy to help. Elizabeth had ridden Sully a few times when he was still with Lacy, so she had some knowledge of his opinions. Elizabeth was amazing and just what Sully (and I) needed. She was fair but firm, and we all agreed that Sully’s confidence had taken a bit of a dive. He was again confused and frustrated. Horses have no timelines, and while we all knew our boy had great potential, he couldn’t have cared less. So, with Elizabeth in the saddle and me on the ground, we simply started over.
Prior to Sully’s outbursts, I had ironically signed up for a groundwork clinic at the end of 2023, and I took away so much from that clinic. The clinician declared that Sully really wanted to be my “partner” and I think about that every time I get in the saddle. We are partners; while I may be there to guide him, I am also always there to listen to him and incorporate his ideas into our work.
I finally started riding and lessoning on Sully again in the spring of 2024. Regina was so patient, as she knew both Sully and I needed to take our time. My confidence was stretched very thin, so we worked on small wins and made sure to always end on a good note (even if it meant the lesson was only 20 minutes long). Slowly but surely, we got back to where we left off and then some.
Today, I can truly say that Sully truly enjoys our training sessions. He exudes pride, and I cannot help but praise him constantly. I will always focus on the small victories and never push him beyond his capacity on any given day. If he’s feeling good, we go for it. If not, we do something simple and then just hang out.
Regina’s patience has been instrumental in me gaining my confidence back, from staying on a small circle, to cantering the entire arena, to working on laterals, simple changes, and half steps. Additionally, Lacy’s encouragement and patience from day one were instrumental in me knowing I was doing right by the horse. I can never thank her enough for the opportunity she gave me.
Sully is my buddy, best friend, the horse I didn’t know I needed; I have questioned our journey so many times, but no matter what, the answer was that he was my buddy. If we were only a walk/trot pair, then we’d be the best walk/trot pair ever. I decided that if he didn’t want to be a riding horse, I would just learn how to work a horse at liberty. If he wanted to just be a pet, then so be it.
While my personal goal would be to get Sully to at least Third Level, I would also simply love to show the dressage world that Quarter Horses are way more capable than people think, and can be just as fancy as the warmbloods, so much so that you might not even be able to tell the difference. While it may take a little more time and patience, it is 100% worth the effort. You will have a partner and best friend for life, which should always be the ultimate goal.
