HUSH HUSH | 6 YEAR OLD THROUGHBRED MARE | HOUSTON,TX

Victoria, Hush Hush, is a Thoroughbred Mare. Her sire is Valid Expectations who is one of Texas’s All Time Leading Stallions, and a former resident of Lane’s End located in Hempstead,TX.  Her dam is Chatter Patter who is out of Marquetry. This gorgeous gal, goes back to some pretty regal Thoroughbred bloodlines. Victoria currently lives at Silver Leaf Farm in Waller,TX. 

Victoria is owned by one of my amazing former brides, Jennifer. I first met Jennifer & Konrad for coffee to talk about their wedding day and we instantly bonded over our love for horses! We talked for way too long about weddings and horses. I enjoyed photographing her Moffitt Oaks Equestrian Wedding in the stables on the most gorgeous of spring days, oh and her engagement session with her horses was one of my favorites! I remember talking about horse shopping while she was getting her bridal portraits done and hearing how excited she was to be finding herself a new horse! I am so glad that I could include her sweet bay mare Victoria in my 365 Days of Horses project and share their story.

“I found Victoria on a Texas Sporthorse Facebook group. It was about a month before my wedding and I tried to get out to see her before but couldn’t get everyone’s schedules to fit. I told myself if she is still available when I get back from our honeymoon then it is meant to be. Well sure enough I got back and messaged her previous owner and she had a lot of interest but hadn’t sold yet. I immediately scheduled a time to drive up to Denton with my trainer and try her, but as luck would have it a huge storm blew through and she spooked in her stall and cut her leg, so we had to postpone our visit. After what felt like forever we were finally on our way up to North Texas to try her. I fell in love after our first ride. She was willing and super sweet. We couldn’t jump her because the rings were wet and the barn’s indoor wasn’t big enough. We were able to set “lines” with poles and figure out could she figure out the striding on her own and how does her brain work. She picked it up right away. So my trainer and I went back home and made arrangements to come out for a second trial. On the day of the second trial we tried a couple of other horses at another barn, but I kept having this feeling that I had already found my horse. During my second ride on Victoria a huge storm blew through, like tornadoes touching down huge. I had just picked up my canter because we were trying to finish up before it got too bad, and about two strides into my canter a huge gust of wind blew a plastic chair into the arena right in front of us. Of course she spooked (she was a 5 year old TB) but she immediately stopped, looked at it, saw it was a chair and was as calm as can be. That was the moment I said this is my horse. I had to get off and untack, put her in her stall, and my trainer, myself, and her previous owner took cover in the tack room for about 45 minutes. Once the storm had passed we got her back out, tacked her back up, and picked up right where we left off. She was willing and wasn’t spooky or afraid of that part of the arena. After that ride I told my trainer to load her up and we took her home to be vetted. Naturally it stormed the entire way home and we could only crawl down the highway and it took us double the amount of time to get home from Denton. When we did get into town all the roads were closed and we barely made it back to the barn. My husband couldn’t come pick me up because our neighborhood was flooded so I had to stay the night at the barn. I will forever remember the day I got Victoria because it was Memorial Day 2015, the day the entire state was underwater. Even with all the change, horrible weather, and ridiculously long trailer ride she never once acted up.  It will be 2 years together this May.”

Victoria is truly a little peppermint eating “princess” according to Jennifer. She says, “Victoria is your typical mare. She does her job but sometimes she can be rather opinionated about her desire to work. When she feels that she should be done she will throw a little hissy/spook fit for a few minutes then get over it and get back to work. Even with her prissy attitude she is a huge cuddle bug. She loves to snuggle and give kisses and is one of the sweetest mares I’ve met.”

“My favorite thing about riding Victoria is her brain. She is super quick to catch on. We can show her something new and by the third time she’s a pro at it. You can see the wheels in her brain turning while she goes down a line or combination as she figures out where to put her feet. Also, she naturally wants to offer up a lead change because she knows she’s unbalanced.”

Hush Hush, Victoria, finished her first year showing as Reserve Champion in the Green as Grass division for GHHJA with only competing in 5 out of 12 shows. The pair trains at Silverleaf Farm in Waller,TX with Barbara Bryan.

Jennifer has been riding since she was 6. Her mom got her into horses and they took mother/daughter lessons on Friday nights growing up. She got her first horse when she was 13 and still has him, he is now retired and will be 25 in March. He is seriously the most adorable little guy, and loved being a part of their engagement session! Her favorite thing about owning horses is knowing that you always have an outlet for anything that you may be going through. Whether it is riding to escape any stresses in life or being able to bury your face and cry into their necks, nothing beats horse therapy.

Jennifer also shared with me that she loves to use Coconut Oil in her horse’s tail and also diluting it to use it as an all over coat conditioner! Let me tell you, it must work wonders because Victoria has a fabulous tail. She also uses Olive Oil hair spray as a conditioner.

I think all horse wives can admit they have thrown their non-horsey husbands on their horse once upon a time, and Jennifer is no exception to that! I love how she said her favorite memory of Victoria is when her husband “agreed” to get on and walk around on her after only being on a horse twice before, “she took such great care of him. He took her over cavelettis and she went over them being extra careful with her feet, neck stretched down, on the buckle completely relaxed.”

 Karinda K Equine Photography is a Houston equine photographer located in Montgomery, TX. Karinda creates timeless portraits of you with your beloved horses, and other farm animals. Serving locally Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin, Texas communities. KEP also serves Wellington and Ocala, Florida, Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky, Aiken, South Carolina, Tryon, North Carolina, and Norco and Woodside, California and their surrounding communities.