Horse of the Week: Espa

One of my favorite lesson horses at the barn is also the oldest. Espa has been at the farm for over fourteen years and will hopefully be here for many more. Thirty if she’s a day, Espa’s gray coat long ago faded to pure white. She has a sway in her back and is starting to get a little ribby. She is one of the two lesson horses that wears shoes and pads on her front feet; according to the farrier she foundered so badly three years ago that everyone thought she would have to be put down. Since I’ve known her, she has never been unsound a day in her life.

The owner of the farm calls her the “Grandmother.” I like to think of her as a baby lamb. Soft, white, a little clumsy on her feet now and then, confused once in a while, but always sweet and gentle with a heart of gold.

Espa is now semi-retired. I only use her for lessons once or twice a week. Her sweet disposition makes her a favorite for birthday parties and little girls love her color; to them she is the epitome of a fairy tale princess horse.

I don’t know much about Espa’s history. She was a rescue when she came to the farm and sometimes the stories blur together. I do know that she wasn’t always a lesson horse. The way her ears perk up whenever she sees a fence (even though she can no longer jump) and the way she snaps her knees in the shows as soon as the loud speaker comes on reveals hints of the grand show horse she once was. She doesn’t canter in her lessons anymore, but in the last dressage show she was grand champion in walk/trot and wore her blue ribbons proudly.

I always wanted a horse like Espa when I was young. A sweet, dependable mare that would teach me how to post and to not pull on the reins. A horse that would stand for hours to be brushed and who would nicker in delight whenever she saw me. Unfortunately, for the most part, my horses weren’t like Espa. In fact, they where the opposite of Espa. But that’s a story for another day. I don’t know how much longer Espa will be with us. With every year that passes she gets a little slower. I think this year will be her last as a lesson horse. Next summer she will be brushed and loved and kissed, but not ridden.

So here’s to Espa and all those other old, wonderful lesson horses around the world. If you have one or know one, consider yourself lucky. Horses like Espa don’t come around every day.