Wine, art, some cheese, and friendships. What do they have in common? They all get better with time – just like the Senior Superstars we’re celebrating on YourDressage throughout the month of March!
Here, an adult amateur from Region 2 shares how her gelding, Tucker, has taught her that the best things in life occur with love, patience, and hard work!
By Sue Segerman
My name is Sue Segerman, and I am a physical therapist in Ohio. I started to ride at age 7, but did not own my own horse until I was 32.
In the fall of 2010, I lost my sixteen-year-old Off-Track Thoroughbred (OTTB) to a devastating illness. After leasing a dear friend’s mare for a year, I was finally ready to go pony shopping again! I had set a pretty low bar – I wanted a horse that would walk, trot, and canter without trying to kill me, and I hoped to one day be able to show First Level at a schooling show.
I first met Tucker (registered name “Moonshine OAM”) on a windy day just after Thanksgiving in 2011. He was for sale because his Pony Clubber owner wanted to jump, and he “wasn’t good at it.” His ad showed him in a Training Level dressage test, and a little research online clued me in that he had at least schooled First Level at one point.
When we met in person, my first thought was that the reason he wasn’t good at jumping was likely because he was as big as a house! He had been kept in a huge green grassy field, and was barely able to move his hind legs forward due to his rotund shape. However, I could see he was safe, as his 13-year-old owner rode him bareback, and the whipping winds did not faze him. I had to borrow the seller’s tiny saddle to try him, as mine was nowhere near wide enough. He tried hard to do what I asked and, in fact, could walk, trot, and canter a little without me feeling that I was in danger. The owners agreed that I could take him for a month’s trial, and a few days later, he came to my boarding barn.
Tucker was nine years old, 14.1 hands high, and weighed 1300 lbs, so I had an extensive pre-purchase exam (PPE) done. My vet was astonished that he hadn’t foundered, as he was a nine on the equine body condition scale! He tired after 15 minutes of walking and trotting, but was essentially sound. I agreed to purchase him, and by mid-December, he was officially mine! The next several months were what I refer to as Tucker’s “Biggest Loser” phase, where he gradually increased work, followed a strict diet, and eventually lost 300 pounds! By April, he looked like a different pony!
After that first year, it was a matter of slow and steady work toward getting him fit. Over the years, and as he developed further, we went through about nine saddles! I took lessons from a close friend who saw us through schooling shows at Training Level, and started to teach us some First Level work. She eventually retired from teaching, and that is when I started to work with Angela Carter of Dark Horse Dressage. She honed our training, and in 2016, despite my diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer, we finally met my goal of showing at First Level in a series of local schooling shows. We won a slew of Year-End Awards for our efforts.
Angela helped me to realize that Tucker had even more potential, so over the next few seasons, we progressed through both Second and Third Level tests in our local schooling circuit, collecting many awards along the way. We went for occasional trail rides with friends, and Tucker eventually became part of Angela’s lesson program.
In the Fall of 2019, after doing very well at a schooling show, Angela suggested that I try some USDF-recognized shows, and earn my USDF Bronze Medal. The thought that I could accomplish that on my cute, fuzzy pony had never crossed my mind, but we had been doing so well that I decided to go for it. Unfortunately, in March 2020, just as we were planning our show season, Tucker suffered a splint bone fracture, resulting in surgery and time off. His rehab was slow, but we finally made it down centerline at First Level in 2021, and collected our first scores for our Bronze.
In 2022, we attempted to earn our Second Level scores, but Tucker seemed to be struggling a bit, tiring easily, and we only got one qualifying score. In 2023, we tried again, but he still seemed to struggle. We came close, including some nice performances at the National Dressage Pony Cup, but did not get the scores we needed. In the fall of that year, he started to huff and puff after barely any work.
After many vet visits and tests later, as well as a painful spasmodic colic, we finally figured out that he had PSSM-1 (polysaccharide storage myopathy type 1). I learned a lot about this condition from some fabulous Facebook groups, other riders’ success stories, and a lot of input from my team of veterinarians. I am also fortunate that my boarding stable has dry lots – both for rehab limitations and to avoid the grass!
After a total revamp of his diet and exercise routine, Tucker finally started to increase his stamina and felt like his old self. We entered a show in the spring of 2024 and finally achieved our second qualifying score at Second Level. At this point, we were also back to schooling our flying changes, and I was sure it was finally our year to secure our medal. Once again, it was not to be. After grazing in a different field for a few hours before leaving for a show, Tucker tied up and colicked overnight at the show grounds. We had to scratch and have three emergency vet visits; needless to say, we could not compete.
We once again regrouped and came within half of a point from our goal in August at the same venue, but he suddenly missed a canter transition and was diagnosed with a suspensory injury a few days later. He was treated with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, a stem cell-type treatment, and cold laser therapy. Currently, we are slowly rehabbing and, at the time of this going to print, are about to begin our return to cantering.
Tucker is now 23, and I am 53. I am encouraged that when I do get to show, there are lots of riders older than myself and some horses older than Tucker. I am also blessed to have my close-knit friend group – my “horse girls.” We take turns building each other up, cushioning life’s blows, and sharing helpful information amongst ourselves on a weekly basis.
I do not know what the future will hold for Tucker and me until I see how far he is able to come back from this injury. I would love to finally get my Bronze Medal on him, but if it is not meant to be, I will try something easier for him, perhaps a musical freestyle at a lower level – something else I have always wanted to do. Time will tell – maybe he will return to being a lesson horse, or do a partial lease with a young rider. He still has a lot to offer, and his happy demeanor and sense of humor are intact. He will never be sold, and will live out all of his golden years with me. He is absolutely my heart horse and has taught me so much over the years.
Someday, I still hope to climb further up the levels (I have a shadbelly I am dying to wear!), but Tucker has taught me that the best things in life occur with love, patience, and hard work, so there is no rush!
What a lovely pony. Go Tucker