United States Eventing Association

USEA member Lisa Cook shares the story of a very special pony, Suzi Q, who partnered with her family for a fruitful eventing career. Since Lisa’s son Andy has outgrown Suzi and will be moving onto a taller event horse, Lisa reflects on Suzi’s serendipitous life and all the experiences they’ve shared over the years.

Many years ago, I went on what proved to be an impossible quest...finding an appropriate pony for my son. It took me a year and a half search, and looking at a lot of toads (to put it politely), before finding Suzi Q.

Suzi Q was 6 at the time, and my son was 8 and a timid walk/trot, barely cantering rider. She was a rather unorthodox selection....she came from an Indian Reservation in New Mexico, where she had been used as a pack pony and had only been under saddle for 6 months in her life at that point. But she was a kind soul, and there was something about her....and I bought her.

My son took his pony club D1 rating on her and a few months after we got her, he rode her in his first-ever event ...walk/trot dressage & cross rails for jumps! Suzi Q took Andy on many adventures, including ski joring and Halloween hunter paces and 4th of July parades.

The adventures continued this year with a trip to the American Eventing Championships and his successful C2 Pony Club rating and ended today by riding in a clinic with Denny at Equine Affaire, which was very cool.

Andy is now too big for Suzi, and at 14, he's only going to get taller from here. And, more fun, Suzi is pregnant! She is in foal to ArdCeltic Art and is due at the end of May. So today was Suzi's last hoorah for awhile, too.

But driving home tonight, I was thinking of all the adventures we have had with this wonderful pony, and it really hit home that this was it for Andy and Suzi Q. Andy will be moving on to a horse (most probably MY young horse, who he has already borrowed on occasion!) and Suzi will be moving on to motherhood. I am rather nostalgic tonight as we have closed out the Andy & Suzi Q era.