Amateur Thad O’Boyle fondly remembers his family’s multiple Congress Champion, You Shock Me, who was recently euthanized at the age of 13.
You Shock Me, also known as Little Foot, was a 2002 sorrel gelding by Zippos After Shock and out of Just Promoted, who we showed for 11 years. As a family, we had a discussion last fall as how to deal with Little Foot’s serious lameness issues, and the decision was made to put him down when he was no longer able to be himself; happy, crabby, loving and cantankerous. So, on January 30th, we had the vet take all of his pain away. He is now in heaven doing all the things he loves which probably involves going to a horse show.
Of course, we will never forget the amazing effort and rewards that were taken from the 2013 American Quarter Horse Congress; winning three different Congress titles with three different family members and many other top tens at that show. Through the years, the memories have added up.
We purchased Little Foot as a two year-old at MSU Merrilat Farm located in Adrian, Michigan. While driving to the farm, my two girls were watching the movie, “Land Before Time” and they decided that all of our animals should be named after a movie character. As we came home with a new two year-old, the girls decide to name him, “Little Foot” (after an orphaned brontosaurus in the movie). We put his first AQHA points on him in the two year old western pleasure classes and showing at the Congress that fall.
As we started into his three year-old year, we moved him right into the all around events with horsemanship, showmanship and halter. He has a very extensive show record earning more than 3,000 AQHA points with five different family members. Our daughter, Kodi, had shown him from 2006 thru 2013 taking him to the Youth World Show every year since 2008, showing him to a top ten in performance halter as she was just nine years-old. At the Youth World in 2009, she made the trail finals with a score in the prelims of a 229.5 and in 2013, she placed 6th in the trail.
As for me, showing and training him through his career was always a joy and a challenge. In his earlier years, he could make trouble and the longe line and Little Foot were good friends on a few occasions. There were too many times to count when I had to fit my long legs (34″ inseam) into Kodi’s short little stirrups. Talk about leg cramps.
He was a joy to show and he knew what was coming at all times which would be his demise. I really had to ride one step ahead of him–that’s how great he was, coaching Kim and Kodi through a trail course. I would tell them to look where they were going, count and stay out of his way. He sure could put shivers down your spine while watching or showing him during his many great goes in trail. The 2012 Amateur Trail win at the Congress was flawless, not one tick on any pole and just an amazing ride for me.
He was that way in the showmanship as well, just stay out of his way, do your part and you would have a great run. One of his great moves in showmanship, was his ability to set up. He was usually set before you had turned to ask him, but if he was not quite square, all you had to do was a simple cluck and he set up.
Our other daughter, Taylor, is special needs. We were showing in Gordyville a few years ago, and she decided that she was showing too. At that show they offered NSBA EWD classes, so we entered her and Little Foot in the EWD western pleasure. Taylor loves to entertain people and most everyone just loves her dearly, so she went around the whole show making sure everyone was going to watch her show. Sure enough, most were watching and she was entertaining waving and talking to all her spectators as she was showing. Little Foot decided he had enough, reversed and started going the other direction. That was the announcer’s cue for the class to reverse.
A few of the not so wonderful memories happened during a weekend camping trip. He sure didn’t care much for the great outdoors. Usually very well mannered, he was tied to the trailer while I was putting fly spray on the horses. Suddenly, Little Foot reared back and lunged ahead three or four times putting his head through the trailer window, not the smartest thing to do. I ended up calling the vet to get stitches on a Sunday afternoon–I was not amused.
He was big on his yearly ritual where he would escape from his stall and have to run around the farm for an hour and a half. Of course, it happened when we were in a hurry to be somewhere, and the only person who could catch him was Taylor which was always a fun game.
The last four years of his show career, Little Foot battled with lameness issues. Doing all we could to keep him going, there were times that he needed to be on stall rest for a few months at a time, so we were selective as to which shows he would attend. If we were to leave him behind and we got the others ready to go show, it was so upsetting to him that we had to do all the clipping and getting him ready as well to make him feel like he was going. He loved to show. He was an amazing horse. A once-in-a-lifetime animal and he will be greatly missed by all of us.
