Cob Jockey

Just because Connor and I are exploring sports other than Dressage and eventing doesn't mean I don't have big plans and dreams for those sports in my head. For this reason:

All photos from his lessee

There was a time when I wasn't sure Disco was growing up into what I want, and I wasn't sure if I was going to sell him to his lessee or not. But as he's grown up, his most concerning conformation faults have softened significantly, and some time spent with Encore have convinced me that yes, I am keeping Disco.

Owning a baby for the first time is hard. I never know what is going to stick around permanently and what is "just a phase", both from a temperament and a conformation perspective. But finally I can say, at the age of 2 years and 6 months, that this is a horse I can see going far in something with.

A little "growthy" here, which is why she has chosen not to show him at the Canadian Royal Winter Fair this year. Thankfully he is doing most of his growing out and not up these days.

Is he a warmblood-style 10 mover destined for the Olympics? Of course not, but I can take this kind of movement pretty far:

And this is still an awkward two year old! Can't wait to see what he looks like in four years.

He has a lot more foreleg reach than Connor and knows how to sit and push from behind - especially in the canter, which I have no good media of but have seen glimpses of from behind his broodmare harem while cantering together.

Praise be, the potato might eventually sprout a wither.

Disco also has retained his incredible brain. His lessee can't gush enough to me about how easy he is to handle, even when she's taken him to a show or during breeding season. She's sent me videos of a ten year old boy trotting him in hand, of her one year old sitting in a stroller next to him while he hand grazes with mares in their field behind him, of him being ponied off a gelding in a rope halter, of him being bellied off the mounting block and of wearing a harness for the first time.

None of it surprises me, every stallion I've known of Lisa's has always been kind and easy to handle, but it's still wonderful confirmation that he's going to be a good citizen for our co-op when he comes back.

Best of all, in every photo and video she's ever sent me, I've never seen a single image of him with a worried look in his eye. The world is a wonderful and interesting and not threatening place to Disco, and I'm so here for that attitude.

So, it will be another year before I see him again (assuming he shows at the 2024 Royal, I'm planning on making the trip) and another eighteen months before he's back in the States, and possibly even longer before he's back in my barn because I plan on sending him out for training immediately when he returns, but the wait is worth it. This is my horse for the future.