We were looking at her teeth Wednesday night, and we figure she's about 18 years old (hence the dip in her back). She's a registered Thoroughbred, IIRC Bold Ruler and War Admiral breeding - but she was sold as a yearling because even then it was apparent that she could NOT catch cold. Speed is not her thing - but she has lovely conformation, beautiful gaits, and was born to jump. My trainer is big into combined training, but until I went with this trainer about 9-10 years ago all I did was hunter-jumper. So every now and then I braid up Gracie's mane and take her to the local hunter shows, where she cleans up. The last show I took her to (it was a small local and unrated show) she won EVERY class she entered.
My trainer bought her at age 13, unbroken, she had been a broodmare making beautiful Appendix babies with a Quarter Horse stallion (one of her colts was National Halter Champion). We literally threw a saddle on her back and got on, she never objected, her attitude was, "Well, if the humans want me to do it I guess it must be O.K."
I need to get some good action shots of her. I have some old ones but I'm ashamed to look at them, let alone post them. Now that I've lost almost 20 pounds I don't look like such a lump on top of a horse . . . but I need to lose another 15 as I am still not a credit to my mount . . . :-(