Moneigh Moproblems was that one horse of a lifetime…

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When Ms. Jean had her business located at a 4200 acre ranch, she also happened to have a herd of horses that were primarily used for her public trail outfit.  Mo-Mo was lucky enough to live in this mixed herd, where he was taken in, taught his manners by the mares, enjoyed being naughty with other young geldings, was appropriately "schooled" by the seniors in his herd, and eventually figured out where he belonged as a contributing family member.   

Like all of her horses, Mo-Mo was trained under western saddle initially, which allowed Ms. Jean the ability to put miles on him in unforgiving terrain.  Mo-Mo spent hundreds of hours out on the trails after he completed his foundation training of 13 ground work exercises and 14 under-saddle exercises in the arena.  He learned to lead trail rides, follow and eventually, was confident going out on trails on his own.  Trail riding was challenging in the Virginia mountains, as the dense under-brush hid wild turkey and deer, causing the biggest challenges. 

Even though Mo-Mo was accepted into the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover, due to Covid, we were lucky enough to have an extra 8 months to prep for what would become the Mega-Makeover, when 2 years, the 2020 and the 2021  competitors totaling over 400 horses, would all meet and compete at the Kentucky Horse park in Lexington, KY.  

Mo-Mo competed in the CDCTA dressage series in 2021 and successfully completed all of his introductory level tests, and training level tests, scoring in the mid to upper 60's.  When Mo-Mo made it to the Rolex Arena at the KY Horse Park for his dressage debut at the Thoroughbred Makeover, he was unfortunately suffering from an ulcer flare-up, causing an abnormal gait in his hind end.  He performed his tests but did not score, understandably.  However, I was incredibly proud of how brave and level headed he was in such a huge environment.  He gave me everything he had that day.  

This was a day I will never forget.  On March 13, 2021, Mo-Mo and I had signed up for an Introductory ranch roping class in Reva, VA.  So we loaded up, threw the ranch roping saddle on and worked cattle from 9am-12pm.  That same day, we signed up for the CDCTA Dressage Schooling Show in The Plains at Meadowlark Farm. Mo-Mo and I swapped out our clothing and tack, switched to our Dressage brains, and got to the schooling show just an hour before our time.  When it was time for us to go do our Intro C test, I was really tired.  All the preparation to get to the first part of the day completely drained me.  And I could tell Mo-Mo was pooped too.  So we went out there, did our test, and I walked out questioning whether I even remembered the pattern.  Feeling pure exhaustion, I loaded my trusty steed in the trailer, and walked back to pick up my test, feeling defeated because I didn’t feel we performed well.  I looked at the scores and picked up my test.  Having very poor eyesight, I blinked and scratched my eyes, in disbelief.  The score was a 74% and we were in 1st place in our class.  As I looked at the steward, I literally said, “Um…is this correct?” She looked at me and smiled and said, ”Yes it is! Congratulations on getting the high score of the entire day too!”  I was so perplexed.  I replied, “That’s a thing??” She giggled and said don’t forget your Gift Certificate.  I get home and stand with arms over the fence, watching Mo-Mo take a well-deserved roll, and receive a text from the organizer of the dressage schooling show, informing me our final score ended up being a 77%.  All I could think was “…wow, what a horse…” as I watched Mo-Mo head back to his herd to graze. 

Ms. Jean and Mo-Mo performed a 5 minute routine to the music from the movie "A Knight's Tale."  Mo-Mo learned to carry Ms. Jean in a full suit of armor, performed movement on cue to music and learned to joust (with fake lances) to finish the performance.  Mo-Mo placed 6th in the nation in his 2020 class of Freestyle at the Thoroughbred Makeover.  

Mo-Mo was the son of the great Uncle Mo, a thoroughbred stallion that was producing offspring contenders in the Triple Crown.  What comes with that bloodline, is athleticism, intelligence and beauty.  From our experiences, this bloodline also created a horse very prone to ulcers, in both the stomach and the hindgut.  Ms. Jean lost Mo-Mo in 2024 to what we thought was a torsion colic, but cannot be 100% positive.  Mo-Mo's father, Uncle Mo, was pulled from racing due to his ulcers and another serious medical condition that required extensive treatment.  Was it genetic?  Who knows.

Ms. Jean was blessed to have Mo-Mo in her life for 6 years.  He gave her everything.  Love, understanding, patience, guidance, and every adventure was memorable.  It is Ms. Jean's goal in life to encourage new riders and equestrians to follow their gut when they find that special horse.  He or she just might turn out to be the horse of a lifetime.