baluchon

photographing thoroughbreds is a lot like photographing small children with their fidgeting and liberal adherence to requests. so it is that the only pictures that i like of our photoshoot with my mom's horse have him cut off at the knee (poor guy) so you don't get to really admire how impossibly long his legs are. but there you are, at least he's finally made it onto this site, and what a dapper guy he is.



he is an Irish Thoroughbred, direct descendent of Man O' War and War Admiral (for those who haven't spent their lives obsessed with these things, those guys are legendary), and in color he's a lovely chestnut. he's carried many riders (most notably me mum) to many blue ribbons by flying over very tall fences and dancing fluidly about a dressage ring, and he's a perfect lap pony as well to hear my mom tell it. his withers (that bump where his neck meets his back) stands at a regal 17 hands high -- which in human terms puts that bony protrusion just over the top of my 5' 7.75" head. and when you're riding him, well. it's a ways down there to the ground.



but he's a perfect gentleman for all his size, and a very hale old man, still jumping at 23 years of age. his registered name is Baluchon (which means 'bundle' in French), but everyone calls him Sean, which harkens back much more strongly to his Irish roots.