I haven’t talked much yet on this blog about the horse featured in the header image and the about page – it’s probably time to rectify that, considering he was an enormous part of my life for almost four years.

Bronx was mine from June of 2020 through January 2024, and was the perfect step up from my very first horse, Cosmo (more about him at some undetermined point in the future.) Early 2020 was a crazy time for me as much as it was the rest of the world. I’d sold Cosmo right around New Year’s and had planned on just taking lessons to save up some money to buy a new horse.

The pandemic shutting down the world – including my barn’s lesson program – helped that money accumulate a little faster.

In May, as things started to thaw out just a little, my trainer took me to see a few local options for sale, then threw a curveball on a random Wednesday evening. “How would you feel about going to Virginia this weekend?” It was less than 48 hours’ notice, but I was game – and a 12 hour drive from Michigan to Virginia Beach put us at the starting point of a really fun weekend. (There are plenty of other stories from that trip that I’d love to write about… ideas for the blogpost stockpile!)

To make a long story short, Bronx was the last horse we tried, and the gleaming standout. Friendly, easygoing, and handsome – not to mention the auto-change that scored him about a million bonus points – we weren’t on the road heading home for more than fifteen minutes when I’d already asked my trainer to set up a vetting.

It was a record turnaround time – I tried him on a Sunday and he was in our barn the following Friday.

On paper, he’s fairly average, nothing special – a 2012 model-year Thoroughbred by Elusive Quality out of a Known Fact mare, 16.1hh and minimally-marked bay – but the brain on this horse is unbeatable. He accomplished approximately diddly-squat on the track despite selling for $200k as a yearling before he came to his previous owner to do eventing. We very quickly realized how sensible and brave he was; the biggest flaw we could ever find was that he got impatient waiting at the in gate at shows (who doesn’t?) and he was an insidious water bucket pooper.

He may never have won the hack or been the fanciest jumper, but goddamn if this horse wasn’t the best confidence-builder I could have asked for.

He taught me the 2’9” and the 3’, gave me the ride of a lifetime in my first field derby (which he placed third in against pros our second and third time around), and banged out three very successful show seasons. He carried a junior half-leaser through her first show season with a hunter classic win and year-end ribbons in the 2’3”. He made me smile.

And now he’s giving confidence to another rider in my own barn – and later this month will take her to her first show doing the tiny jumpers. Already they’re jamming around courses and he’s living his best life.

If Cosmo taught me how to own a horse, then Bronx is the one who taught me how to ride – and enjoy it regardless of ribbons or points.