Time has been kind to me since I stopped leasing Capone, I won’t lie. After him, I rode more horses working for Chaparral than I had in my lifetime, and it all came down to what I learned and revisited on Capone. I felt very bitter about the whole situation, but enough time has passed and the future is bright in the horse department so I figured out it was time for today’s post.

I really wanted to take time to thank Capone for what he had to teach me. He was my first lease, and the opportunity was something that truly inspired me to keep chasing my horse girl dreams on my own. He showed me how much work it took to keep a horse happy, comfortable and healthy. Through practice over time he was the reason my cleaning habits were established after learning them at the family barn in Arizona. He was the first test run at constant organization of a tackroom too. He taught me confidence around people who rode so much better than me at our first barn. But we made some great memories there, from arena fun, to portrait days to trails around the property.

He was the first horse that moved somewhere, and I got to help with that after a long trip to Japan. There is so much that goes into moving a horse, especially in the Bay Area and I was able to absorb stuff from that. In the new place we worked bareback and saddled; we did arena work, trails and just had fun some days. I gained much support and confidence on my own at that backyard barn, and I’ll never forget that place.

It was the first place I ever taught someone. It was the first canter I had on my own since I was in lessons or riding with my mom. It was the most whimsical place in the spring with all the flowers and birdsongs. The pond was a beautiful stop post ride, the chickens were cute, the cowboy mural is unforgettable and the cats were always lurking waiting for a treat. It had great access to trails, and the Stevens Creek Resevoir, and it wasn’t that far from Woodside Horse Park. The older horse ladies that boarded there also were just the sweetest, especially when I finally got the courage to talk to them towards the end of our time together.

Between the safe space, and a good horse there wasn’t a better combination to set me up for my equestrian journey without Capone in it. Of course I cried about it, and it stung for a while, but I know now that the lessons he taught me are still with me. I’m a better rider, a better horsewoman, and a greater horse advocate because of my years with Capone.

My stall cleaning is still the same, my grooming and tacking routine is much the same as well, but I care more about Cayenne’s wellbeing than growing as an individual these days. I realized time is so short after a series of losses, and nothing will make up for that lost time. Days spent moseying along the canal, sniffing all the smells of the orange and lemon groves, and making sure his allergies, gut and mind are all at 100% is all that matters. So what if our canter transitions are a struggle, we are still better and healthier than we were last month. Of course, the technical side of things still matters to me, I’ve just accepted that it comes at a slower rate than I was expecting. Which is totally okay, slow and steady wins the race after all.

So with that, thank you Capone, you’ve given me more than you know. I can’t wait to make you proud from afar with Cayenne.