Texas Equine Photographer | Royal the Quarter Horse

Royal, Royal Slick, is a bay Quarter Horse gelding. He was originally bred for racing on the track.

Royal, who lives at Firecreek Stables in Waller, Texas, is such a kind horse. He was originally purchased in February of 2016 by his owner Anna. However, quickly after his purchase, he went lame and they spent the next month diagnosing what was wrong. After a long road with many ups and downs they have finally been able to make sure Royal is reliably sound and Anna has started him over fences. The pair trains with Kelli Griffith.

Royal has a big heart and kind soul, Anna shares that it has been so worth the time and patience to make sure he was sound and ready to go back to work.

Anna does Hunters with Royal. They recently attended their first GHHJA show in October. This was a HUGE accomplishment considering everything they have been through the past few months. Royal has gone from a bleak outlook on having any athletic career, to being back in the show ring. Although he is battling a horrible disease called navicular, which may eventually make it impossible to show, he will have a lifetime of happiness with Anna and her husband.

Anna first found Royal on Facebook. She had sold her mare a few years previously, and regularly perused various sites looking at horses with no real intention to buy (her husband called it ‘horse porn’ haha). Anna says, “I came across Royal on a Facebook page called “Horses” for $1,500 or less in Houston. His add and price point seemed too good to be true. A trail safe horse for my husband, and one who had a ‘hunter’ enough look that I could potentially show. The owner was kind enough to haul him to Firecreek for me to try (neither of us had arenas). Royal unloaded and was just so calm. My trainer and I took turns trying him under saddle, and I was hooked. When I asked her what I should do, she responded with “if you don’t buy him, I might”. Sold!”

In one word she would describe Royal as kind. He loves Apple flavored biscuits, and refused to eat fresh carrots or apples.

Royal has an interesting past, from what Anna was told. “We discovered from vet records that he had EPM as a 2 year old. Despite that, he raced in Mexico until he was 5 and then was used as a barrel horse. He then ended up in an ‘less than ideal’ situation where he was not treated well. The person I bought him from rescued him out of that situation and began to rebuild his confidence and trust. She had him for 6 months before deciding it was time for him to move on. Despite his rocky past he came out of it with such a kind soul.”

Anna has been riding since she was 8. She was raised by a single father, so they couldn’t afford a horse when she was young. Instead he dutifully drove her to her riding lesson (almost an hour away) every single week. That hour in the saddle was always Anna’s highlight of her week. Anna attended SFASU for college, and rode on the IHSA team, SFA had just disbanded their NCAA team, and therefore had a barn full of incredible horses and not a lot of people to ride them. Anna was so incredibly lucky because after the head of the department evaluated her ability, she was told she could ride any school owned horse anytime she wanted. “I was in HEAVEN. I rode almost everyday, and spent every weekend at the barn. To avoid overworking the English horses, I even started some of the western horses over fences.” She purchased her first horse in 2010. She was a 3 yr. old Thoroughbred, and once she started working full time she didn’t have time or money for her. She was absolutely heartbroken to sell her. Anna went 2 years without owning a horse, and rode friend’s horses and lesson horses during that time. She bought Royal on February 21, 2016. Anna’s favorite thing about owning horses is the relationship and trust you build with them.

Anna shares her best kept secret when it comes to grooming “I LOVE Cowboy Magic Rosewater conditioner. I discovered it a few months ago, and use it every time I bathe Royal. I water it down a bit and use a rag to spread it over his entire body, and let it set for several minutes. It’s made a huge difference in his coat.”

I absolutely love this story about what Anna did with Royal when she was unable to ride him. “While he was lame before I got a handle on his navicular, I began target training him. I was a zoo keeper for 2 years, and had done this training with anything from Ankole cattle to Rhinos, so I figured why not try it with a horse? I brought out my training pouch and clicker. Instead of making a target stick, I used a pointer (the kind with a little hand on the end) from my classroom. I think the people at the barn probably thought I was nuts. But Royal went right along with it, and was targeting like a pro after a few days! It helped us bond, and gave me something to do even though he wasn’t sound to ride.”

Ok, but the real question that everyone wants to know is, what is it like to be a zoo keeper!?

Karinda K Equine Photography is a Texas 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.