Meet Greetings, a 15-year-old Westphalian bay gelding with a white star on his forehead, and one white sock. This handsome gentleman lives in Austin, TX at Madrone Ranch Stables and is better known as “Batman” around the barn. Greetings is ridden and adored by Priya who trains with Rachel Lindsey. His sire is Lanero NRW and is dam is Lara RS.
Riding in a Derby for anyone can be oh-so nerve-racking. Thankfully when it came to Oriya’s first Derby, Greetings had many Derbies under his belt and was right there for her to act as the steady calm perfect professional she needed. A bit nervous and intimidated by the big arena in Ocala, Priya wasn’t quite feeling like herself, but she knew that she could trust Greetings. She says that from the second they approached the gate, it was like Greetings reached up and grabbed her hand and told her “we’ve got this….I know what to do”. The round was everything Priya had dreamed. Greetings with his steady and sure rhythm helped remind Priya to breathe. The pair’s first derby together easily takes the cake for Priya’s favorite memory with Greetings.
After looking at many horses we got a call from our trainer, Rachel, about a special horse that she had just heard was for sale. Greetings has always been one of Rachel’s favorite hunters in the state. When he became available, she did not hesitate to put Priya on him for trial. We drove to Houston to Irish Day Farm early one Saturday morning to meet him. His owner at the time was loving him in his stall. It was a sweet moment to see how much they loved each other. But when Priya got her chance the first few strides she forgot to breathe, then she settled in, and the jumps….oh the jumps. Priya said it was like flying with Greetings and she was able to jump things she never had attempted before. It was like all the planets perfectly aligned….their trial was pure magic.
Greetings has traffic shyness so when Priya needs to school or warm up, he wears a mask to help him feel like he is the only horse in the arena. It’s a black mask and it’s what has earned him the barn nickname “Batman”. He is very much like a Batman….cool, calm, lots of self-confidence, knows his job and does it, and looks at little brother Tommy like he has a lot to learn!
Greetings’ favorite treats are apples.
Priya was 3 when she noticed horses and tried to crawl over the fence to get to them at her godmother’s ranch. Her mom, Jackie, made a promise that she could take lessons when she was 6, so on her 6th birthday, Priya reminded her mom of the promise and within a few weeks, she was in the saddle. It was an instant obsession that has lasted for the past 9 years. Now 15, Priya still says that horses are her favorite thing to do. They “fill her cup” and give her peace and joy. She shares her favorite thing about owning horses is being able to enjoy the responsibility of caring for them and growing relationships with them.
