Riddle

Riddle came to us in the beginning of the summer 2024 emaciated and on the verge of death. He had no muscle mass and could hardly stand by himself. He was covered in rain rot and wounds and required daily medicated baths. He stood so well for all his care and treatments, and we knew that if Riddle came out of his rehabilitation alive, he would be a little diamond in the rough.

It took a lot of work and strict diets, but eventually, Riddle started to gain weight. His wounds began to heal and before we knew it, he could stand by himself! After a few months of love, care, and lots of good food, our Riddle made it out of the quarantine barns and was ready for his next chapter at Longmeadow!

Upon evaluation, our trainer found that Riddle was likely briefly started before coming to us. He had good ground manners and stood tied for grooming and tacking up. His education under saddle seemed elementary, but he was kind and willing to please. After his arrival, Riddle spent several months being ponied on trail rides while carrying a light pack to improve his strength and fitness. He then was restarted under saddle by our trainers. 

Now, Riddle is riding at the walk and trot in the arena. He has a solid working walk (big stride for a little guy!), and a ground covering trot. He has dabbled into cantering and while he’s not a pro at it yet, he is good natured about it all.

Riddle really did get a second chance at life, and he is living every day like he knows it. He gets along well with other horses but does prefer to be a more dominant herd member. He LOVES attention from people, almost as much as he loves bath time. Last winter, he learned how to pull our trainers in a tube in the snow and he loved every moment! He has done pole work under saddle and could be a great liberty partner on the ground. This boy is intelligent, silly, and all-around the full package. He will need a strong intermediate rider with green horse experience or an intermediate rider working with a professional trainer to continue to make Riddle the best he could be. 

Riddle has come such a far way from the emaciated horse we saw when he arrived, and we are so proud of him and his recovery! We can’t wait to see where his second chance at life leads him!

*please note that Riddle's growth was most likely stunted from his previous malnourishment and neglect so his carrying weight is lower than that of an average Quarter Horse*

Maximum Carrying Weight (includes tack and rider): 150lbs