EDIT 8/3/26: I am selling Spartacus as a project, as he needs a restart under saddle, and have reduced the price accordingly.
Spartacus is a sound, blocky, easy keeper. Great on the trail, likes to be the leader. Willing to please. He has great ground manners: easy to catch, tack-up, ties, excellent for the farrier, clips, loads, and bathes, and getting better with fly spray. Currently barefoot. No registration papers. Spartacus is sound and does not require any maintenance. He does have a scar on his left hock, looks like an old rope burn, it does not cause him any problems.
In mid-October '25 we had an "accident", entirely my fault. I was in a hurry to get out on the trail, I trapped him next to the mounting block, and when he went rushing out to the trail, I tried to disengage his hindquarters when the saddle slipped to one side, I fell off the other. To his credit, Spartacus did not run off. I managed to calm him down, fixed the saddle, and took him out to the arena to properly mount at the block while we both took a breath. I don't have the facilities or physicality, and quite frankly the nerve, to take Spartacus back to work and out on the trails, where he truly shines. Can be spooky, but I think it is mostly me, because since my fall I am too tense at every little thing. At the very least he needs a tune-up with an experienced rider, and he needs a job. He's too much horse for me to ride, and it makes me sad to have him sparkling out in the pasture without a purpose. I have continued to work with him on the ground, and he is so good at that, he loves to go sideways over the ground poles, and to park-out when asked. Not very polished but working on it!
Spartacus can be quite skeptical and sensitive with newcomers and takes a while to get acquainted but is still obedient when asked. The Parelli horse personality definition of an unconfident/introvert fits him perfectly; he has to build trust in you first. Responds to treats but doesn't get greedy, is very curious and always wants to please. Teeth were floated last August, and he is up to date on vaccinations and deworming. He really walks out on the trail, tends to be pacey but can go into a foxtrot. Will not stand consistently at the mounting block, and I can't mount from the ground like I did in my youth, so that's a big issue for me. Not fearful of flags or the lunging whip but does not like a crop. I don't know much about his history but suspect he might have been handled rough at some point. Spartacus is the top dog in my little herd of three. I'm not keen on selling Spartacus, but he is so beautiful, and has so much talent, that I just had to make this decision.
I have attached a rather long YouTube video, just to show that he is rideable, and his pacey foxtrot, but it doesn't show the part where it took me 15 minutes to get him to stand for me to mount!