by Kimberly Ruzich

Created on: September 16, 2008   Last Updated: June 25, 2009

"So Be It A Playboy". The name fits him well. And yes, that is his registered named with the American Paint Horse Association, or APHA for short. Nicknamed "Player", I had no idea when he was born how perfectly I had dubbed him. Nor did I realize just how smart, stubborn and expressive he was going to be.

Born April 18, 2001, Player was a character from the start. I was able to see him the day he was born, and he was full of life and curiosity. He came over to see who this new human was, sniffing and snuffling, with big brown eyes wide as the day is long. He was an apricot colored ball of fur with long toothpick legs and a red tuft of a mane and forelock. Little did I know that darling ball of fur with the red bottle brush tail would grow up to present me with some of my greatest challenges, and my funniest moments.

Player's strong will and stubborness usually get him into trouble. Such is the time when I started to teach him to lead by ponying him off my older horse, Andrew. Andrew is in his twenties, and an old Texas ranch horse. He's used to pulling stubborn cattle around. That capability served us well when teaching Player.

The first time I mounted Andrew after dallying Player's lead rope to the saddle, he immediately went into this four legged brace, all brakes on mode. The look on his face was pure defiance, as if to say "You can't make me do this!"...as Andrew dragged him along, dirt skiing up and down the walkways of the boarding facility. Every once in a while, Player would lose his balance and flip over. We would stop so Player could get up, and Andrew would look back as if to say "You learning anything, kid?"

The second time we did this exercise, I sighed and told Andrew aloud "Give him the 30 second pep talk, would you?" I said this as more of a self bracing gesture to prepare myself for another battle with Player. To my amazement and amusement, Andrew went nose to nose with Player for about 30 seconds. Even more astonishing was the fact that Player was an absolute gem the whole time! He paid attention to every turn and stop we made.

Not long after that, Andrew and Player were moved to my new home, replete with a pasture and three stall barn. Player's exploration of every nook and cranny of the new place was priceless, as he snuffled, sniffed, licked and checked out every square inch of his new home.
Andrew was just flat out content to have his own half acre pasture...even if it meant sharing it with the youngster. To pass the time, I bought two head

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