Tuffy was abandoned at a vet clinic after being left for “hock fusion” surgery.  The owner never paid the bill, so he ended up in the hands of our friend Susan.  We looked at him shortly after, when he was not saddle broke, 5 or six years old, and didn’t buy him. By the following summer he’d had more training and we took another look.  On the test ride he shied when Rosalee’s shirt flapped and she came off, but the good impression had already been made.  Tuffy turned out to be a sensitive, somewhat reactive horse with a basic wish to please and cooperate.

Rosalee worked with Tuffy for quite a few years as a trail horse, and from time to time competing in Competitive Trail shorter distance classes (25 miles.) He mostly did very well for her, but she was unable to do a lot because of back pain issues on longer rides.  This became worse in 2014, and by early summer 2015 she decided not to compete until her back improved.

 

I had retired my previous horse in 2014 and hadn’t replaced him, so we made the decision that I would compete with Tuffy.  I began conditioning him in July 2015, and entered the Wild Timber ride in mid August in the Intermediate class (25 miles at the faster “open” class speed.)  We placed first with an almost perfect score. He was also a great pleasure to ride compared to my two previous (Standardbred and Arab) horses: excited at the start of an event but not unruly, and very well behaved at the surprise vet checks on the trail.  He has a naturally low pulse rate and the ability to calm himself quickly, so his scores were excellent.  He has an excellent smooth gallop to make up time when we needed it (after getting lost, for example…)

 

On the September long weekend we entered a two day competition in the Battle River valley near Ponoka.  This was officially two separate events, and we did Intermediate on both days for a total of 50 miles.  He achieved a first and a second in the two events, and was awarded the prize for the best score in both Heavyweight and Lightweight classes for both days combined.  I considered this a test as to whether we should move to Open class (50 miles at the faster speed) in the future.  The weather was pretty bad for this ride, rainy with lots of muddy sections, which clearly didn’t bother him much!  

 

The final ride for the 2015 season was Writing on Stone, a difficult ride in deep coulees and high prairie near the Montana border.  We enjoyed the river crossings, steep climbs and amazing scenery, and came in with another first place, including high points for the event.  At the awards ceremony it was suggested that we move to Open in 2016 to give someone else a chance!

 

With the excellent (from a riding point of view) spring conditions in 2016, we were able to train in later March and April, and entered an Endurance event near Okotoks in April.  I considered this a training ride and didn’t push to win, and while the first and second place horses were well ahead of us, we managed a third place by pulsing down quickly at the finish line.  

 

Again with a “training ride” in mind, we entered his first 50 mile event in July, the Grandview Cabin event near Innisfail.  The rain had been intense (and was again at times during the ride) so trail conditions were wet and poor, with some very steep and slippery hills.  I decided to work for a completion only, so we were among the slowest horses, and he finished the day in excellent condition.