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<\/a><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/a>According to the article below, Hickstead was sweet, gentle, sensitive, and spooky.\u00a0 What an incredible horse.<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.thestar.com\/news\/insight\/2011\/11\/13\/the_secret_life_of_hickstead.html<\/a><\/p>\n TRAVELLER<\/p>\n General Lee’s famous horse was also an atypical mount.<\/p>\n He was known to be excitable, hot and unruly.\u00a0 He was spooky despite the fact that he went regularly into battle.\u00a0 Traveller reared, would never settle and insisted on being in front of the other horses.\u00a0 The general was often unable to get the horse to walk, and he would jig constantly. On one occasion the general’s son rode Traveller for 30 miles and the horse kept up an uncomfortable, choppy jog-trot for the entire journey.<\/p>\n Whenever he was mounted, the horse wanted to keep up a fast pace and often required being held in check by the reins, hence the name Traveller.\u00a0 Owned by a true horseman, Traveller was beloved by his owner, who thought he was the best horse in the world.\u00a0 Most other people didn’t care to ride him.<\/p>\n From the book “Traveller” by Richard Adams:<\/p>\n “Now, you know, Tom, it’s not everyone likes riding me, as I’ve come to larn over the years.\u00a0 It takes a durned good man to ride me, and I’ve no use for any other sort.\u00a0 I’ve got a lot of go in me, and I jest can’t abide hanging around.\u00a0 I will<\/em> walk, mind you, if a man really wants it and insists, but I always keep it fast and springy.\u00a0 What I really like, though, is a sort of a short, high trot–what they call a buck-trot–and that always seems to go hard on a rider unless he’s got a real good seat.\u00a0 Why, I’ve kept up that kind of a trot for thirty mile or more before now, and jest refused<\/em> to walk.\u00a0 I’ve always reckoned a good horse has to put a proper value on hisself, or no one else will.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" HICKSTEAD Hickstead (RIP) was definitely one of the “other” horses.\u00a0 When I saw him compete at the World Equestrian Games in 2010, it was easy to recognize that even among the top athletes and world class equestrians, he was a … Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n