WO Adagio ‘Gio’ 18.2hh, 18yrs, gelding: after an extensive international dressage career, Gio has retired at White Oaks with several years of lower-level training still in him. He is a very classy ride, but due to his extensive training, can be quite touchy. He is quite an arrogant horse who has no issue telling you how he feels, and is definitely not for a beginner rider. Is prone to giving way more than you ask for, and can definitely run his rider over both metaphorically and physically, because he doesn’t have the best ground manners. He is a mahogany bay gelding with a blaze and three white stockings, as well as a belly spot.
WO Alfresco ‘Fresca’ 14.0hh, 17yrs, mare: Fresca has done a little bit of everything, but is especially good with pony club and gaming style events. She can be ridden western or english and has done the fundamental, lowest levels of pretty much everything. She can jump up to 2’3 and knows basic dressage. Very little scares this mare, making her an ideal trail or endurance mount as well. She is a liver chestnut with small patches of black on her stomach, legs, and face indicating that she is a chimera, though there is so little black she is hardly the model of one.
WO Ampersand ‘Percy’ 18.0hh, 13yrs, gelding: Percy is a very talented hunter horse who has even shown in international derbies. He has a huge jump, a massive, lofty stride, and is your average textbook hunter. He takes up a lot of leg, but he is a favorite of hunter riders everywhere. He is one of the horses that can take riders up the levels in no time at all, though his massive size makes him a less ideal candidate for the eq ring. He tends to get a bit claustrophobic in tight turns. He is black with the splash white pattern, giving him a huge blaze, four white stockings that go all the way up, and quite a bit of white on his stomach. He is a rider favorite despite his apparent lack of personality.
WO Apparatus ‘AP’ 14.3hh, 16yo, gelding: AP was bred to be a hunter pony, but because of his height has found his home in showjumping and eventing. Because of his quiet, caring nature, he also has a lot of experience with younger and less experienced riders. He has some experience in the western events as well, but his career as a western pony was shortlived due to his fear of cows and pretty much any other living breathing creature. He moves very much like a hunter and has the great jump of one, so he is not the best in speed events despite performing in them most. This is a very go-with-the-flow type mount who favors teaching kids the lower levels of english riding. He has a little bit of talent in everything, though. He is a palomino with a star and two hind white socks.
WO Archipelago ‘Archie’ 17.1hh, 13yrs, gelding: Archie is a long, athletic fleabitten gray gelding who is definitely built for sport. He is very fast and athletic, but also shows a lot of prowess. When he was a young horse he had some medical issues that have left his hind end not as strong as it could be, eliminating the possibility of him competing in the upper levels of any sport. Archie happily shows in the intermediate levels of eventing as well as showjumping. His flatwork isn’t fantastic because of his hind end, making dressage more tedious.
WO Balderdash ‘Dash’ 15.3hh, 15yrs, gelding: Dash is a leggy bay Thoroughbred gelding with a fairly crabby temperament. He showed as a steeplechase horse for many years before retiring to teach jockeys how to ride. Recently he has also discovered a new talent in eventing after his last rider decided to cross train, and he shows a lot of promise of moving up the levels in that. If you can get past his obnoxious, stubborn attitude, Dash is a lovely horse to ride and train on. He has no markings save for a thumbprint star on his forehead.
WO Bedlam ‘Bedlam’ 16.3hh, 18yrs, gelding: Bedlam is a lovely older hunter horse who has retired from the ‘A’ circuit and now enjoys showing in the local shows at the 2’6 and 3’ heights. He is a leg, crop, and spur ride, making him only enjoyable for the riders who are worried about going too fast. That is never a concern with this horse. However, if you push all the right buttons at the right times, he is an incredible schoolmaster who will win every time. It is just rare that he receives a rider that can connect with him. Bedlam is a light palomino with a white stripe and a snip.
WO Berserk ‘Bee’ 15.1hh, 14yrs, mare: Bee is a leggy, athletic mare who has a huge gas pedal and very little brake. She has cruised around the showjumping and eventing rings for quite some time, and is bold and brave as they come on the cross country course. She has very little endurance though, so for as much as she moves, she quickly tires and gives up, refusing to. If you can get her to listen to you and reserve her energy, she has tons of scope and athleticism, willing to jump from any distance and do anything. She has a ton of spunk and has been compared to riding a rollercoaster. She is a dark bay mare with a star and two diagonal white socks.
WO Bungalow ‘Bunny’ 18.2hh, 22yrs, gelding: Bunny is a massive draft gelding who doesn’t do too much anymore in terms of competing. He still teaches basic dressage and basic western riding, but other than that, doesn’t do very much. He is still a barn favorite for his phenomenal personality, though. He is a big bay with traditional Clydesdale markings.
WO In Cahoots ‘Lacey’ 15.3hh, 4yrs, mare: Lacey is an energetic young horse who tries so hard to please that she often misunderstands what she’s being asked entirely. She shows a ton of promise and could really go in any direction. Her jump is very springy, she’s got a natural lead-change, and her gaits are extremely smooth and pleasant. She can get easily distracted, though, and tends to be nervous, so she is best paired with a confident rider that can take a misunderstanding--or several. She is a flaxen chestnut sabino.
WO Calliope ‘Callie’ 15.0hh, 16yrs, mare: don’t let this mare’s size fool you, she is an absolute beast of an eventing mount. She excels in all three events, having the precision, athleticism, and quality of gaits required to be a successful athlete. She is a very small-bodied mare, though, and doesn’t take up a lot of leg. Needs a smaller, lighter rider, so she doesn’t get weighed down. Callie is a shiny, dappled dark bay with no markings.
WO Cantankerous ‘Tank’ 14.2hh, 11yrs, gelding: Tank is another barn favorite, mainly just because he’s a Haflinger. He has a great personality and is generally very loveable with smooth gaits and an interesting jump. He doesn’t have a lead change and isn’t very balanced when he isn’t trained or cross-trained in dressage. He does a lot of IEA and IHSA shows for the local college and high school, despite not being the best hunter mount. He’s done some baby eventing stuff and some lower level dressage as well.
WO Catamaran ‘Catman’ 16.3hh, 9yrs, gelding: Catman is an ideal three-ring mount, excelling in hunters, eq, and showjumping. He can do each with great success, having three gorgeous gaits and a lofty, regal jump. His lead-change is automatic, his only downfall being that he is a very bouncy horse to ride and very few can say they enjoy equitating on him. Catman is a light chestnut with four white socks, a star, and a snip.
WO Colossus ‘Col’ [pron. cole] 18.3hh, 15yrs, gelding: Col is the largest horse in the barn, the monstrosity that he is. He has just finished an extensive three-year recovery from a major injury that many thought he would never recover from, which is how he ended up at White Oaks. Before his injury, Col showed as an eventing horse internationally, his rider even having his sights set on bringing the gelding to the Olympic games. Now that he has recovered, and with a fully clean bill of health, Col is ready to be paired with a rider of the highest caliber to get back to where he was.
WO Contraband ‘Contra’ 16.2hh, 14yrs, mare: Contra is a sporty, athletic mare who has excelled in showjumping for quite some time. She has only really been showed locally, but she has trained up to the 1.30s and 1.40s. She just needs the right rider to take her where she has the potential to go. She has a lot of riding experience but not a lot of showing experience due to her time as a broodmare and a surrogate for foals at the farm. She is a lot more hot-headed off-property, so she will need a rider with a lot of patience and tenacity to get her where she has the ability to be.
Chilly and Clear with Dropping Temps
