The Paw Print

A continuing series about riders Mai-Lan and Julia and the horses they love at Switch Willo Stables....

About the Riding Teacher
Colleen started as a lesson rider at Switch Willo Stables in 1973, and now runs the Lesson programs. She did not own a horse until the age of 19, by then Colleen was very experienced. Nowadays, Colleen owns a horse, and trains green hunter prospects to sell. If there is ever a question about the lesson program or a horse, Colleen is the person to talk to. She not only runs the program, but instructs many lessons, including Julia’s and mine. Her lessons can range from novice to advanced students. Fine tuning and transitions are focuses in our lessons. Pushing us to our best, Colleen strives to enhance our abilities and adjust to riding many different horses. Assigning different levels of horses helps riders adapt to the horse and not getting too comfortable on one horse.


Horse profiles


 Name (nickname): Rock Star

• Height (hands):

• Temper: lazy, sometimes a grouch, enjoys bucking and kicking

• Coat: light chestnut

• Nick-animals:

• Special trait: super cuteness

• Markings: diamond star perfectly on forehead

• Foot care: bell boots

• Extra gear: martingale, I haven’t used mine in months! Shhh don’t tell anyone

• Gender: gelding
Name (nickname): Dopey Rico

• Height (hands):

• Temper: sweet, not a mean bone in my body

• Coat: light chestnut

• Nick-animals: dog

• Special trait: sticks out tongue on the side

• Markings: Small star on the forehead & tiny snip on the muzzle

• Foot care: splint boots

• Extra gear: N/A

• Gender: gelding
Name (nickname): Skippy

• Height (hands):

• Temper: Sweet, but I’ll buck when you ask for a canter, so be aware

• Coat: light brown

• Special trait: habit of tripping

• Markings: small star on the forehead

• Foot care: Splint boots

• Extra gear: martingale

• Gender: gelding
Rider profile

Name: Mai-Lan

• Age: 13

• Number of years of riding: Less than three

• Did you start as a camper? Yes

• First barn: Switch Willo Stables

• Favorite to ride? Why? Skip, because a ride with him is always fun and interesting.

• Favorite to just to have? Why? I love Rico--he’s too funny. Rico is just like a dog; he

sticks out his tongue on the side and follows me everywhere! And his giant eyes

are too cute!

• Favorite pony? Why? Rocky is one of my favorites ever! He loves attention and has adoring eyes! Being an Arabian makes him extremely cute too!

• Favorite horse? Why? I love Rico, he’s too funny. Rico is just like a dog; he sticks out his tongue on the side and follows me everywhere! And his giant eyes are too cute!

• Favorite guy ‘n girl horse: guy: Rico, Rocky, Skip girl: Honey

• Boot size: 8

• Dislike about showing: Having to wait all day, getting at the show in 6AM, and wearing the show coats in 100 degree Texas weather

• Funniest memory: Skip had tripped over a 2’ 6’’ oxer and I flew forward on to his neck. I was dangling on his neck like a necklace with my left arm and leg. I was so close to falling but I managed to climb back on, when I did I landed on his neck. That’s when Skip thought I was back in the saddle and decided to walk forward. He almost knocked me off again!

• Most falls in a day: 2 or 3 times and it was at a show too!

• Number of falls: Too many to keep up with!

• Ever been bucked off? Who? Yes, on a cold night while riding Sage

• Kicked: Yep, by so many, it’s a daily thing at the barn

• Bitten: Yes, by the evil pony Zippy

• Disastrous in funny situation: That would be my memory of dangling on Skip’s neck

• Stupidest thing done on a horse: I once tried ducking under a branch while I was riding Honey. I ended up smacking my face into the tree branch.

• Discipline: Show hunter

• Style: English

• Do you plan on riding in the future: Yes, I want to continue riding later in life. It’s the best stress reliever ever.

• Do plan for a horsey job later: I do want to have an equestrian related job, but I don’t think my life could revolve around the barn. I want to be an instructor, so I could teach other people the sport I enjoy so much. My dream profession though is to become an veterinary surgeon.

• Jumping height: about 2’ 9”


Horse profiles


Name (nickname): Tasia

• Height (hands):

• Temper: lazy, a grouch, bucks, kicks and bites whenever possible

• Coat: grey and white

• Nick-animals: a mean bull, or an angry cow

• Special Trait: I don’t get mad at Julia, she is the only one I like, and it mystifies everyone else as to why I like her

• Markings: I’m just plain white

• Foot Care: splint boots

• Gender: mare


Name (nickname): Zippy

• Height (hands):

• Temper: almost as mean as fantasia

• Coat: white, like tasia

• Nick-animals: angry puppy

• Special Trait: all bark, and some bite

• Markings:

• Foot Care: splint boots

• Gender: gelding
Name (Nickname): Poomba

• Height (hands):

• Temper: Sweet

• Coat: chestnut

• Nick-animals: big dog

• Foot Care: Splint boots

• Extra Gear: girthcover

• Gender: gelding

Rider profile
Name: Julia
• Age: 13

• Number of years of riding: 9 years

• Did you start as a camper? No

• Frst Barn: a lady who owned horses and knew how to ride

• Fave to ride? Yes? Fantasia, she is a lot like me, stubborn, and very moody: I guess that’s how we get along so well.

• Fave to just to have? Yes? Ppoomba. He is a big fat angel. He doesn’t kick, buck or bite…. too often.

• Fave pony? Y? zippy, he is moody like fantasia, and he is meh baby

• Fave guy n girl horse: guy: Zppy and Poomba
Girl: Fantasia

• Boot size: 9 1/2

• Hate about showing: Having to wait all day, getting at the show in 6AM, and wearing the show coats in 100 degree Texas weather

• Fave memory: When I finished a course and coleen said that it was perfect and that it should have felt like a million bucks.

• Funniest memory: When I was riding a horse named duddly (who is like a three year old; stupid and careless) and we were coming to a jump and he decided to be dumb, and trip over the jump. When I turned him around to see if he had knocked down the jump, and he had snaped the ,5 inch in diameter, pole clean in half. And he wasn’t even hurt!

• Most falls in a day: 5

• Number of falls: 9 or 10

• Ever been bucked off? Who? Yes, a pony named Abu

• Kicked: Not at the barn, but I have been kicked in the eye by my donkey

• Bitten: Yes, by the evil pony, Zippy, but I love him more

• Discipline: Show hunter

• Style: English

• do you plan on riding in the future: Yes. I want to continue riding later in life. It's fun.

• Do you plan for a horsey job later: Yes I do, I plan on being a veterinarian specializing in horses.

• Jumping height: about 2’ 9”