Wink is a seasoned, naturally gaited trail horse with many miles of experience in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Tennessee. He rides alone or in groups of any size and is comfortable in the front, middle, or back. He’ll leave the group when asked and rides quietly both away from and back toward the barn.
On the trail, Wink crosses water, logs, mud, ditches, rocky ground, and steep terrain. He has also been ridden around passing vehicles and small farm equipment without reacting. He stands quietly during trail breaks, carries saddlebags, and has been on overnight camping trips.
Wink is a nice 50/50 combination of “whoa and go.” He’ll walk quietly on a loose rein but willingly moves out when asked. He walks, naturally gaits, and canters. His gait is smooth, easy to find, and comfortable to ride. He direct reins better than he neck reins, responds well to leg pressure, and side-passes to an aid for easier mounting.
We consider Wink best suited for a confident beginner through intermediate rider. We don’t describe him as completely “dead quiet” because he may stop and look at something unfamiliar. However, we haven’t had him truly spook, startle, or become upset. A cluck and leg cue are normally all it takes for him to continue.
Wink will leave other horses willingly, but he doesn’t enjoy being left far behind. If the group rides away, he may pull against the bit to catch up. We put him into a few circles, and he settles and returns to the group quietly. He can also be harder to catch when turned out with a large herd, although he’s generally easier to catch with fewer pasture mates or a little feed.
We have never witnessed Wink buck, rear, bolt, kick, bite, or pull back while tied. He stands quietly to saddle, bridle, bathe, tie, mount, and dismount. He stands well for the farrier and loads and unloads from stock, straight-load, slant-load, side-load, rear-load, ramp, and step-up trailers.
Wink gets along well with other horses and falls near the middle of the herd. He can be more assertive when grain is fed in a group but does fine sharing free-choice hay. He’s an easy keeper who currently lives on pasture 24/7 with a small amount of ration balancer. He is keg shod and current on his Coggins, vaccinations, dental care, deworming, and farrier care.
In the interest of complete honesty, Wink has visible scars on both hind pasterns. The scar on the inside of his left hind pastern resulted from a fence-wire accident before he came to us. He was treated by a veterinarian and cleared to return to work, although we weren’t able to obtain the original records. The scar on the outside of his right hind pastern resulted from an unknown pasture injury while in our care. It was treated and healed without any soundness problems. Both scars are shown in his photographs and video. We have not observed either injury affecting his soundness, comfort, gait, or movement.