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At 27, Designed to Dazzle, a Palomino gelding, still dazzles in appearance and action. His owner, Kathie Rindge, describes the double registered Quarter Horse/Palomino as the color of butterscotch. “He’s just beautiful all the way around,” she says.
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Tammy notes that Angel is perfect for local events because she is good with kids. “She’s not an ‘in your pocket’ kind of horse, but rather is a bit more standoffish. Some of the horses in our group tend to push themselves right into people’s faces for attention, which can scare people. Angel just stands back and waits until they approach her.”
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“At age 32, Brighton Heartbreak Run, a Welsh/Thoroughbred pony owned by the Holik family, loves her life of leisure in Aiken. Katie Cardalico Bailey, who cares for the pony at her farm, Silver Bluff Equestrian, has known “Louise” since she was a youngster just starting a show career.
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“We love having him here. Shammy is just the most polite horse,” Gretchen says. “A lot of really great horses are quirky, but not him. He stands in the crossties, is easy to clip, and just has perfect manners.” He prefers to be turned out alone and loves just hanging out in the paddock. But Gretchen smiles as she notes that he hates to get wet and pouts if made to come
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“Graham did everything with Raven. He evented, did dressage and hunted with Aiken Hounds,” she says, adding, “She especially loved the children’s drag hunt because she got to be out in front.” In the mid-1990s, Graham rode Raven to the Children’s Championship at the Aiken Horse Show.
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“What was so funny about Bernie is that at home he was so slow and quiet, he looked like he could have shown in Western pleasure, but when you took him someplace, he’d light up like a Christmas tree. The horse you had at home was not the horse you were going to ride at the show or hunt,”
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“She’s just the world’s best pony!” Ida Sankey says of 27-year-old Gracie, a registered Welsh Pony. “All three of my kids started on her and have just grown up with Gracie. They have done about everything there is to do with her.”
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Tonya Amato has some very nice horses in her barn in Aiken, but none is more special to her than Bear Necessity, a 25-year-old mare that meanders around the farm. Tonya smiles as she recounts their history together.
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It is something of a rarity for anyone to know a horse from the day it is born through maturity and into its senior years. That is the case with Hannah and Bijou, although there are some missing pieces in their history. Bijou is now living in retirement at Hannah’s farm in Aiken, but it took some detective work to get her there.
Curry – The Mayor By Lindsey Ryon Every barn has a horse that is – or thinks he is – the dictator, the boss of the pasture, the supervisor of the steeds. They have made it official at Pamela O’Neil’s Two Magnolia Farms in Aiken. Curry, owned by Amy Hebert, is also known as the…
