The Road to the Tevis Cup, Post #3: When I met Fantazia

I met Fantazia in fall, 2012. I was living in Arcata, CA., and had recently obtained my Master’s in Psychology from Humboldt State University. Just up the coast from Arcata is McKinleyville. Fantazia’s breeder had around 60 horses on a beautiful horse farm just north of McKinleyville, within riding distance of the beach and many redwoods. I don’t remember how I first heard about Paragon Arabians, but I know why: I was looking for horses to ride.

See the previous post: The Road to the Tevis Cup, Post #2: Fantazia’s first three weeks

At some point in September, I contacted the owner, Rosalie Stephens. I don’t remember when, but I’ve got pictures of my sons riding her horses from late September. A between-the-ears picture posted on Facebook tells me I was riding my main training project there, a pretty black mare called Savannah, at that time. My earliest pictures of Fantazia are from October.

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The very beginning of when I met Fantazia

Fantazia was just green-broke, but she was fun to ride. Very willing and forward and, yes, hot. I loved her snorting and tail-flagging. It never stopped her from going exactly where I pointed her, through puddles, down the lanes of the farm, past deer and barking dogs. She was great.

Most weeks, I rode at Paragon Arabians Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Those were the days that Rosalie and others were sure to be there. When I had time, I’d go other days as well. I rode from September 2012 until I moved to Oklahoma at the end of July, 2013. Because Fantazia was so good, I rode her less than the horses I was starting or “fixing.” I’d ride her last, for however long I had left. Sometimes I couldn’t get to her.

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In order to give her more attention, in spring I started using Fantazia as a lesson horse to teach my sons. But then she got a sole abscess–probably too much cantering joyfully through puddles! They had hidden stones. She had about five weeks off, but when I rode her again, she was perfect. Rosalie and I made the video below on that first day I rode her post-lay-up.

Saying good-bye

By the time we left Humboldt County, my sons and I were all very fond of Fantazia. I thought she would sell quickly, but it was more than a year before Jenna Towner found her. Needless to say, if I had had the money, I would have bought her (along with her half-brother Artizan, who I trained to saddle!) I was happy to hear that Jenna had her. Because I had her full sister, Jenna and I have kept in touch ever since she bought Fantazia… and that’s how I’ve ended up with her after all these years!

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Next up:

The Road to the Tevis Cup, Post #4: How to calculate the grade of hills

Previous posts:

The Road to the Tevis Cup, Post #1: Introducing Fantazia

The Road to the Tevis Cup, Post #2: Fantazia’s first three weeks