We do have one horse who isn't a Morgan. This page is for Rusty, AKA
Chazz's Matador, a AQHA-registered gelding who has been with us since 2007.
Rusty came to us from Hemphill's via Photo Finish Stables. He's an 18-year-old, 14-hand Quarter Horse
gelding cross-registered with both the AQHA and the AQPA. I think officially he's 1/4 inch shy of 14 hands, which makes him
eligible to be considered a pony, but to my eyes he looks like anything BUT a pony. When we first saw him at Photo Finish,
he had a few problems--lame in his off hind leg, a big knot on his near foreleg at the knee, and a strange sadness in his
eyes that we later decided was due to sleep deprivation. We liked him because despite his obvious stiffness, he refused to
quit working--he was obedient, patient, and quite clearly willing to do what was asked of him. We put Nate on him and it was
love at first ride; we brought him home to see if he could room with Stevie and it was... well, not QUITE love at first sight,
there was a certain amount of squealing and kicking at first, but they came to an accommodation once Stevie realized Rusty
wasn't the mare in heat that he knew was around somewhere (Bessie was the culprit). And once we put our farrier on the case
and found out what ailed this boy (see September 30 2007 blog entry) and how to fix it, well... one day of treatment followed
by a good night's sleep in the barn, and Rusty perked right up. He will likely be the main source of riding education for
both our younger boys, and possibly some of the older members of the clan as well. He's a good boy, for sure.
