‘There’s a nobility in his eye, a regal serenity about him. Does he not personify all that men try to be and never can be?- Michael Morpurgo – War Horse

Meet Badger, a gorgeous grulla gelding (that’s a mouthful, isn’t it?). I first met Badger and his human, Debbie a couple of years ago when they took their annual trip to Southern Cross Guest Ranch. Debbie and her husband, Tony, visit us every year with their horses to enjoy a few days of trail riding with their favorite boys. 

Watching them interact, it’s quite obvious that they have a deep connection.  Badger gets compliments on almost every ride since he’s an unusual color – but he’s just as beautiful on the inside!

Badger’s sire is the late Molly’s Partner and he has Hancock , Impressive and AQHA hall of Fame inductee, Mr. Bar None in his lines. Knowing he would likely have a good mind about him, Debbiepurchased Badger before he was born from breeder Brenda Johnson, the owner of his Sire. Badger was 5 months old when they bought him home and has been Debbie’s best riding partner since he was about 2 ½.  

The pair love to trail ride around their home in Pierson, Florida just about every weekend, especially on the shady trails of “Shangri-La” in Ocala, FL.  Badger enjoys attending large organized rides too. Badger has such a big heart, he’s gentle as can be and just loves all of the attention he gets everywhere he goes! According to Debbie “Mr Personality” gets recognized more often that she does out on the trails. So much so that she’s convinced he has some kind of secret night time social life she doesn’t know about! 

He has a super laid back personality and he has a very funny sense of humor!  One of his favorite tricks is to join Debbie on her morning jog in the pasture, except he’s not such a good running partner as you might think – he will chase her down and cut her off so he can get a good scratch!   Perhaps Debbie should have named him “Shadow”, since he will also try to follow her into restrooms at some of the parks they go to and is adamant that he can fit into the tack room in their trailer if Debbie is in there!  

When Badger isn’t trail riding or munching on carrots and sugar-cinnamon donuts, he and Debbie are busy working with their trainer Wendy Steele of S & S Stables. Wendy describes Badger as being “like that popular football player in high school that everyone loves.”

It was a pleasure photographing this beautiful boy in his authentic reproduction Civil War tack. We used my favorite trick, the “All Ears” App (the hoofbeat sound was a favorite) to get those cute ears up and gorgeous neck flexes. I’m looking forward to doing another photo session with Debbie, Badger, Tony and his equally beautiful horse, Buck (Badger’s Half-Brother) when they return to the ranch in October!

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