TJ’S POPEYE | 13 YEAR OLD THOROUGHBRED | LOUISVILLE,KY

TJ, TJ’s Popeye, is a 13 year old Thoroughbred Gelding. He is by Wild Rush, out of Rising Sky and bred by Thomas M. McCann of Ohio. Tracing back 5 generations on his sire’s side, you can find Omaha, who is the 3rd horse in history to win the Triple Crown. His great grandsire on his dam’s side is Mr. Prospector.

TJ is owned by Allison, and he lives at Sunny Patch Equine & Canine Center just outside of Louisville,KY. TJ is a very special part of Allison’s life. He knows her inside and out and responds better to her than any other person. TJ is Allison’s one and only. Once Allison was riding another horse while someone was on TJ, while riding this other horse Allison had to lean over and adjust her mount’s bridle, and when she did TJ had a mini meltdown. The woman riding TJ at the time, and a handful of other people all agreed that TJ thought Allison was falling off and he was coming to save her.

“I consider him sweet and silly. He is sweet because he loves affection and loves to give it back. He even hugs me with his neck. When I am working on TJ’s legs or hooves, he likes to bend down and check out what I am doing. Supervises I think!!”

The pair rides both in the arena and on the trail and do english. Allison has some health issues so she is unable to ride as much as she would like, but she knows that when she can ride him, she can trust him to be a good boy no matter how long it has been since their last ride.

“I have loved horses for as long as I can remember. When I was young (12), my Papa Windhorst bought me a Mountain Welsh pony, chestnut with a big white blaze, and one white sock. Fast forward to when I was a bit older (29). It was 2009, and I had lost my horse Bates to colic in March, and then my Papa in June. The loss of both was a hard blow for me. It was around late October of the same year that I that I was ready to look for another equine family member. I had been looking at New Vocations and found a horse that I wanted to meet. I drove up to Marysville, OH to meet this horse, but I just did not feel any connection. Since I had driven 4 hours, I figured I could take the time to meet some of the other horses at the facility. The moment that I walked into TJ’s field, I knew that he was the one. It was TJ that found me though. He walked up to me, and just lowered his head a bit for me to love on him. He had picked me. Chosen me to be his human. I truly believe that my Papa was up in Heaven helping to guide the 2 of us together. On November 13, 2009, my 30th birthday, TJ walked off of the horse trailer into his new home. Come this November 13th, it will be 8 years that we have been together. I feel so blessed that I get to look over him and love him.”

This loyal horse loves hashbrowns.

Allison shares a little more about her past and how she got started with horses, “I was like every other little girl who wanted a pony. Many family members said that I would grow out of it. That it was just a phase. I look back at that and laugh!! LOL!! I had my pony Cinnamon and mare Sugar for about 6 years. Later on, when I became an adult and could afford a horse of my own, I bought Bates. That was in 2007 and I have not looked back since. I know that horses will always be a part of my life. The reason I know this is also my favorite thing about owning, and that is that TJ and horses in general bring me so much joy in life. No matter how bad my day is, my horse can lift my spirits up.”

When I asked Allison about her favorite memory she reiterated that her favorite story was when TJ found her. “I have plenty that pop into my mind, but I will always go to when TJ found me. TJ walking right up to me the moment I walk into his field. Picking me to be his human when it could have been the numerous other people that had visited the New Vocations Ohio facility. I believe our bond started then and there, and has only grown to be stronger.”

Allison shares some of her biggest tips and tricks when it comes to owning horses, and I seriously am going to try some of these, “Baby wipes are great for giving a horse a quick wipe down, especially in the winter when they need a bath and no hot water/warm environment are available. Diaper rash cream works wonders on healing sun burnt noses and protecting from sun burns. Tide pens are GREAT for treating acute thrush, or even just preventing it. The little pen gets right into the small spaces of the hoof. I bath TJ in Dawn dish detergent because it does a good job at getting at ick and grime. It also works well on getting rid of fungus like rain rot. M-T-G is an awesome tick deterrent. Though supplementing with garlic flakes has helped TJ really shut down any tick bites. Fun fact is that I can get that in SmartPaks.”