ROCKET

Born May 11, 2012
 
Rocket is a powerful horse who is a joy to ride.  He had a really good trainer in northern Alberta before he joined us.  With this trainer he was considered a strong prospect as a cutting horse.  The trainer tried for quite a while to see if she could be successful on him, but eventually she gave him to a couple near Priddis to sell as she felt he wasn’t going to win a lot of money cutting.  

His current rider, Ellwood Sawby, says, “everything is good about him.” He is incredibly responsive to the cues of his rider and is a real athlete with a beautiful jog and lope.  He would also note, however, that Rocket is scared of a lot of things and he needs another one of our horses, Rix, to lead the way when he gets spooked.  Amy and Ellwood purchased Rix and Rocket within two weeks of each other and they were quick “best buds” almost as though they had known each other previously. They share a corral and have become quite connected. Rocket assumes the role of “head boss” with Rix. For example, he doesn’t let his buddy eat beside him around the manger.  As soon as Rix saunters up Rocket lays his ears back and pushes him away sometimes with a bit of a nip. Although this might feel aggressive to someone outside the horse world, this is very common behaviour for horses. There isn’t much to be concerned about as Rix responds easily to Rocket and moves away without being in any danger especially in the round corral. It seems that Rocket enjoys this feeling of power.  At the same time, when Rocket perceives any danger, he looks to Rix to take the lead to face the unknown.   Often it feels like Rocket exhibits strong almost “over the top” leadership but looks to others when his insecurities prevent him from feeling solid in the face of real danger.  Finally, he is a nibbler and it is always a good idea to watch where his friendly welcoming “muzzles” might lead.
 
Rocket Stories: Coming soon!