01.23.08

A horse named Q

Posted in Horses for the horse crazy at 4:58 pm by Q L Caballo

A new horse friend for the Herd, meet Q and his human Sophiea!
Also see Interview with Q, barn fire survivor

Sophiea says about her horse:
Q is my accidental horse. After 26 years of not riding or owning my car broke down (overheated). I walked through a barn to ask for water and he pulled me into his stall. All I saw was an ill-kept horse who needed extreme grooming which said rogue to me (I was wrong- just mistreated-) he just put his head down on my arm and grumbled. After crawling out of the stall I continued to the barn office and signed up for riding lessons not knowing that on Halloween I would end up owning Q. Ironically, Halloween is the feast day of St. Quintin the patron saint of the obstinate and stubborn and also the healer of the blind. He was ill mannered and a mess but there was something in his manner that showed me he was a good horse.

I was trying to find a home or new barn for me to keep him when in March of 2004 there was the Revere Saugus fire. The horses that died were in the stalls adjoining his. When Jose came running through the barn he opened Q’s stall and Q ran outside to the end of the riding rink. He waited and was found there by the animal control officer.

Janna Flynn of Lanes End came in the middle of the chaos of fire, explosions, firemen, police, riders, TV reporters and owners. She got everything under control, she was there to help the horses not anything else. She arranged for the horses to be taken to her barn. We stayed on after the others left. There he healed mentally, emotionally and physically he was able to gain almost 300 lbs. He worked as one of her school horses. I got my hooves back under me and re-acclimated (almost) to the insanity of horse ownership. This past fall we moved north to a barn Owned by Sara Contois where he could be turned out all the time.

Q has his own site QuintindeVerneuilBWP on youtube which has some video of him but also the narrated Christmas stories of the Quintin Chronicles. Two of the stories have been published locally Whispers Christmas Gift and the Horses Special Christmas in the Danvers Herald.

This is a youtube video of him. I’m sure there is more they haven’t told me about.

I thought I would be saving him but he has actually saved me- reminding me, teaching me my strengths and weaknesses.

I am trying to learn to ride again and someday will. I have riders that exercise him and keep him amused - he has this innate ability to find your worse weakness and push your buttons until you overcome it. You should never get a horse with a sense of humour unless you intend to get one for yourself. I have included an interview he did of himself. He’d like to set up a blog someday interviewing other horses and a Q&A as to how horses can handle owner problems and problem owners.

Q is a bit of a character and Q suits him being a letter with so many variations. The markings on his face could be a seen as a tornado spinning in his head and the results of investigating a newly painted fence. By the BWP his name is Quintin de Verneuil but most days it doesn’t suit him.

He’s very expressive. These are some pictures I have at work. Some of the photos are ok I’m not a photographer and rely on luck. They were taken over the last 2 years and include a few of his moods.

I moved him to West Newbury, MA a couple of months ago and into entirely new environment. It has been fun watching his responses and observations.

THANKS SO MUCH Sophiea for the moving story and lovely pix of Q!!!

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