Perhaps I Have Been Too Subtle

This picture was from a ride yesterday. The rider is seven years old. Manteo, the wild Corollla stallion that she is riding, is much younger than she is. Manteo is barely under 13 hands and a bit over 800 pounds. He carries a 220 pound rider as gracefully as he carries a 67 pound rider.

He was trained solely by my little riders and me. Jordan was the first one to get on him. I do not ever recall him bucking or bolting. He has completed several 50 Mile in A Day rides. He has never coliced. But for the normal stifle slippage often found in Spanish horses, he has not been lame a day since I have had him. His colts carry his same gentle disposition and smooth gaits. He remains in good flesh (actually he has gotten too fat this winter) off of hay and 2-1 Cattle mineral. He has never worn a shoe and the only time that he has ever been in a stable was when he was used in demonstrations at the Delaware Horse Expo. His adoption fee was $700.00.

The picture and paragraph above scream out in a manner that even the deaf can hear why we must prevent the extinction of these horses. If a comparative analysis would be helpful please consider the paragraph set out below concerning a fictional, though perfectly typical modern horse.

"He was trained by a series of professional trainers, all of whom said that he was a good mover, with 'real potential'. He did so well with his last trainer that he offered to drop $500.00 from his fee if he was removed from the trainer's facility immediately. None of his previous owners recall him bucking or bolting, though one of them said that he could not recall anything at all for the ten days after he rode him last. He has completed several 50 Laps Around the Arena in a Week Rides. He has never coliced on February 29. He has never been lame unless someone turned him out in the pasture with the other horses. He comes from the finest of bloodlines, so of course he was gelded as a weanling. His vet, boarding, farrier, and dietary supplement monthly fees are less than my house payment! His board is expensive, but I feel good knowing that he is in a nice warm stable, nearly all day long, while those other horses are out there in the damp weather. Best of all, his price was reduced to only $5.500.00 when I bought him. I hope that I can trade him, plus another $2,000.00, to get an even better horse next spring."