Texas — sold!
Phillips Texas Gold – ten year old, 13.0 1/2 hand (unofficial measurement) palomino Welsh Pony gelding
Texas is a pony who’s gotten a bit big for his britches. He spent his first several years mostly hanging out and didn’t start his jumping training until age nine but boy can he ever jump. He has free-jumped to 3′9″ boldly and with great style. He is currently jumping around at 2′6″-2′9″ with a talented 11-year-old. He did a 2′3″ jumper division with a petite adult rider at Lake Oswego last summer and was division champion.
With Texas’s short back and powerful hindquarters you can see he was born to turn and jump. He’s bold cross-country and will jump banks both up and down hill (including in to water). He has been to the beach and will push through brush on the trails. He’s a crazy-athletic do-anything pony and I’d love to see him try combined driving (he is trained to drive as well) or eventing.
Really the deal with Texas is that he wants to take it slowly with a new rider/owner now that he has gotten to know me so well. (He’s rather attached.) He doesn’t want to marry you after your first ride — he wants to be courted a little before he listens nicely to your half-halts or jumps straight or even stands still while you put the clippers in his ears. I would love to see him go somewhere that will help him be the pony superstar he wants to be. He lacks respect for all but bold and handy children so he is definitely not a first or beginner pony.
You can see loads more photos of him in his Picasa album and a quick informal jumping video here.