While I was at the AQHA World Show my parents called to let me know that Tiger Lee Zan know to most as Manny Moo or just Moo had passed away. I think it was fitting that the horse that let me dream about the AQHA World Show passed while I was there.
Moo was not my first horse but he was the first horse that I got to show on and be competitive. He helped me win my first buckle, my first AQHA point, my first high point, a crown and sash and more then anything he was the first horse that helped me dream big horse show dreams.
He helped fuel my dislike of trail riding. He hated going and would jig the whole time which made it less then fun but did make him look really cool when he was in a parade as a Rodeo Queen Horse.
He taught me to embrace the quirkiness. He did a lot of things great especially city trail, he did not however back out of a trailer. Much to my dads dismay that was something my dad had to let go because while it was annoying and not kosher it was just his thing. He taught us that sometimes you just have to let things go and pick your battles.
He came with Bud and LaVerne who were just his owners who turned into so much more then that. First Owners letting a little girl that needed a step up horse have a chance to ride and show a horse she wouldn’t be able to without their generosity. Then they became coaches and taught me so much more then just riding and showing. Next they became past owners and our biggest cheerleaders, when they let my parents purchase a horse they said they would never sell. (Best birthday present ever!) They then became my adopted grandparents.
He taught me that if I worked really hard we could accomplish a lot. He took the phrase All-Around horse to the full definition. We did everything from Trail, Horsemanship and Hunter Under Saddle to being 3rd in the Nation in the Versatility Ranch Horse. He was pretty hard to get around in the trail and the Ranch Riding. The one class that he wouldn’t do was the jumping, he learned you could knock the poles down first and then go over them a lot easier then jumping them.
While he did win quite a bit at the open horse shows and the AQHA and NVRHA Versatilities I think the biggest thing that he did was give a little girl the confidence to dream, compete, work hard towards goals. He taught me how to sit up and show a horse because I knew that if I had put the work in before we left for the show that he would perform and be competitive. On the flip side, he also taught me that over schooling in the warm up arena was a fools errand and should have been done at home. He wasn’t above bucking right before the class to get this point across.
I am so grateful for the time that I got to have with Moo being his kid. I loved all of his quirks and the lessons that he taught me. While he was the horse that loved going places I hope that he enjoyed his retirement. He got to spend the last chunk of his life at my parents ruling the roost with his best horse buddy Cowboy. He had a long life of 34 years and I feel like the passion that he helped flame in a little girl of showing horses is going to live on.
Here’s to Moo one of the great ones!
Ranch Wife Ramblings 