Fuzzy

Some horses spend their lives chasing glory in the show ring.
Others are bred for speed, power, or prestige.

But then there are horses like Fuzzy.

Fuzzy is a 23-year-old Quarter Horse, and his life has been defined by Service.

He began his career as a camp horse, the kind of horse entrusted with the biggest responsibility of all, carrying beginners. Summer after summer, Fuzzy patiently gave children their first taste of horseback riding. He was the steady presence beneath nervous laughter, the calm partner for kids still learning how to hold the reins, still figuring out how to trust an animal so much larger than themselves.

Even then, he had the disposition of a saint.

Camp horses don�t get to choose easy days. They teach countless riders, endure endless mistakes, and offer patience that seems impossible. Fuzzy did it all with quiet grace, never asking for anything except perhaps a soft word or a well earned scratch on the neck or treat.

As the years passed, Fuzzy transitioned from camp horse to lesson horse, continuing his lifelong role as a teacher. Now, instead of summer campers, he carries students week after week, riders learning to post the trot, master their first canter, or simply find confidence in the saddle.

He has been the first horse for so many people. The first ride. The first trot. The first time someone felt brave.

And through every stage of his life, Fuzzy has remained the same:

Steady. Gentle. Forgiving.

He stands quietly while riders fumble with tack. He listens patiently to confusing cues. He never reacts with frustration when someone makes a mistake. Instead, he responds with understanding, as if he knows his job is not just to carry riders, but to take care of them.

In the arena, Fuzzy is more than a school horse.

He is a safe place.

It is easy to overlook lesson horses, especially older ones. But barns are built on horses like Fuzzy, horses who spend their lives creating riders.

A 23-year-old Quarter Horse doesn�t become a saint overnight. Fuzzy has become one through decades of patience, through years of quiet work, through a heart that never seems to tire of teaching.

He is not just a camp horse turned lesson horse.

He is a teacher.
A partner.
A legend in the lives of those he has carried and love him dearly, like this writer.

And in our barn, Fuzzy will always be remembered as something rare:

A horse with the disposition of a saint.