Mike was a 13yo Hannoverian gelding that took Phil's place, and we had hoped to move up to the 3 foot Children's Division this year. Unfortunately, Mike suffered complications from a mysterious but serious injury incurred during a career most likely as a jumper, and he was euthanized in mid-May. He was so different from Phil; he could take off like 12 feet away from the jump and make it look only a little long, he had nearly a 16 foot stride, and he had the neck of a giraffe that he liked to chuck at the ground... he probably thought it was amusing that very few people could make him keep it up. He was 17.3hh, rather skinny no matter how much food we kept in him, but he was awesome to ride (kept me in shape a bit ;) ) I'll miss him greatly, but he is truely better now out of his pain.
Here's a rather crappy picture of Mike out in the pasture. He gained weight after this pic was taken, fortunately...
A pic of me and Mike after the 4-H Grooming and Showmanship class. Somehow, out of 10 horses, we placed first. The reason for the idiotic look on my face is I didn't expect to place at all; Mike's underweight, despite eatting literally 4 times what Elmer and most other horses at Carousel get, he couldn't turn on his haunches b/c of his balance issues, and he didn't trot when we were supposed to.
Me n' Mike, Lindsay and her horse Shiraz (aka Sarah), and Erik with his pony Fair Chance (aka Bugs because of his big bug-eyes) in the 4-H county team class. We won... because we were the only entry. ;)
Me and Lindsay (and Mike and Sarah) in the Pleasure pairs class. We won, but it's not saying much when we only beat Erik and his partner Ron, a little 8yo boy on a little POA pony.
Elmer and Mike, the "boys..." the shorter one is actually the tough guy, the big one's the teady bear ;)
