Just hit 6 mos together -- transformation Tuesday!

My 3 y/o boy, Zodiac, after 6 months together. Feeding him up (love Triple Crown Senior!) and mostly trail riding and hill conditioning. Off to our first hunter pace this month, but we’ll stay flat and take it slow :blush: Excited… with a bit of nerves since I took him to a show last month and he was a fire-breathing dragon lol :wink:

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Gorgeous !!! Job well done. Tell us more about your stunning horse !

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:star_struck:
Nice job!
I’m a TC Sr fan.
Keeps weight off my mini & on my 21yo TWH :+1:

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Aww thanks!! He’s a son of Warrior’s Reward and grandson of Broken Vow who had fast breeze times but always pulled up before the finish line on race day. Owner suspected stubborn, smart, and/or lazy and was considering a jockey change after 6 failed races (despite a handsome sale price as a yearling) but opted to move him on while he was 100% sound. I was the lucky buyer to meet him first, for his 2nd off-track ride :blush:

Zodi is a sweetie and very sensible. Our barn has rescue goats, pigs, steers, and alpacas… so many new things that terrified him but he never bolted or balked when I’d ride him around the property. I could feel his heart racing and his respirations increase, but he’s super trusting and has always followed my lead. He’s not that motivated in the ring and is generally behind my leg, so we’re hacking through the woods and through creeks because he enjoys it more and it’s also the perfect thing to get him stronger. I’ve introduced him to some light jumping and he seems to enjoy that, too. He did have some ground manners we worked through and now he’s just a puppy who loves grooming… especially hot oil rub downs, a new trend I saw on social media and jumped on lol.

In short, I’m obsessed with him :wink:

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What a glow up! Y’all look great together. Very nice horse, love his chrome.

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What a beautiful boy!! :heart_eyes: You’ve done great with him. Please keep us updated on his progress.

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Wow! Look at the difference in his neck! Also the look on his face in the first pic vs. now. He looked concerned and now he looks like a very relaxed happy boy. The two of you could be the cover of a good book or a movie poster.

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don’t get tempted to do too much. He might be an ‘old’ racehorse,but he is still a babe!
He has a lot of growing yet to do! Personally I’d postpone jumping safe for the odd tree on the trail until later next year!
Glam up is right! Horsy hit the jackpot!

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What a difference! He looks amazing!

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For sure, thanks so much. When I say light jumping, I mean LIGHT… like popping him over a small cross rail at a trot and telling him what a good boy he is :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: I ride 3 or 4x a wk for 30 mins and mostly walk/trot.

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What a great transformation! I can’t wait to see him in another 6 months.

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I love seeing these horses get the care they need and blossom with it. He looks terrific, and it sounds like he’s going to be a wonderful partner.

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Gorgeous pictures, and love the update!

What hunter pace are you taking him to? There is a COTH group that usually goes to Myopia if that is in your area. :wink:

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Thanks! We’re in NE Pennsylvania. Heading to one in NJ.

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He looks great! Well done!

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HUBBA HUBBA Zodi looks great! Great job on getting him filled out.

He just gained a ton of Aunties! Keep us in the loop on how the hunter pace goes.

Are you close enough to go to the Bucks County Horse Park? I used to love going there to do their hunt paces and trail ride.

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Bucks is a great place to ride and show. That is our local show ground (DH is also a RN) and we’re from NW NJ. Highly recommend.

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The frontal shot photo :rofl: you two look like doppelgangers!!

Your boy has got some growing to finish. Every minute of enjoyment for both of you!!

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Haha aww thanks! We’re about 2 hrs from there – definitely on my radar but we’re a long way from there in terms of readiness. His seller, whom I keep in touch with, recently labeled him a playday horse and I laughed but thought it was pretty on-the-nose :wink:

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Oh cool! Joining Lord Stirling Stable’s pace on Oct 13 – come!!

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