Mr. Mighty Bandit

Mr. Mighty Bandit
"Chance"
2002 American Quarter Horse

Chance is without a doubt, the most powerful earthly thing in my life.  I bought him as a yearling that no one else wanted because I saw a spark of life in him so utterly breathtaking that I couldn't leave him behind.

I met Chance in May of 2003 just before I got out of the Navy.  I was kind of in the market for a new horse as my EAOS was drawing near and a return home meant a return to the saddle.  What I wanted was a huge baby that would make a Hunter prospect, what I got was a tiny yearling who was nowhere near Hunter potential.  I am not sure what happened, aside from watching the little guy run into the pasture with the other babies and I fell in love immediately.  A few passing jokes later, I rolled off that farm with my fiery red little bay baby.

Chance - May 2003 as a yearling

Though no one else had any enthusiasm for him, I did.  As we began working together during his breaking, he showed me more guts, more bravery, and more try than just about any horse I had ever worked with.  He blew through his training and did so with smarts.

Because I was still stuck on wanting that Hunter, I did break him Hunt Seat.  His girth area was so small, that I had to attach the saddle by buckling the girth to my stirrup leathers.  It was silly to look at, but it worked.  On the very first ride we had together, we spent about a half an hour in the round pen, got bored and went for our first trail ride all by ourselves.  That was the way it started and that's the way it has been for the last 11 years.  That little colt that no one wanted was better than gold.

Several years later, I decided that because Chance had such a great talent for flying lead changes, that we would try training for Pole Bending.  That was also hilarious, but it was fun and he was actually kind of good at it.  I also tried my hand at teaching him a little bit of western pleasure, jousting, hunter on the flat, endurance, cow work, trail, you name it.  He literally is my jack of all trades horse.

Chance's Pedigree

Waiting to go into our Western Pleasure class- 2012

Photograph taken by Jarrett Bradshaw

Trail Ride at Latta Plantation

Chance as a stallion, 2011

This boy always knows how to find a good time in his chores!

Perspective!  Chance is the little one!  HA!

Chance doing what he does best...PATTERN work.  He's a tough critter to beat in Equitation.

And turn right back around in the same day and do Western Pleasure.

Brand new reining saddle, just after I made up my mind to actively pursue reining.

I got serious about my reining in 2013.  In another blog, I will tell you the steps I took to get as far as I did, but in August of that year, I went to my first NRHA show.  Ever since then, I have been on fire for it.  I soak up everything I can and stay committed with the knowledge that every step is a little higher than the one before it.  We are a little better and a little faster every time we go and I know, we are really going to get there and we are really doing this together.