At the end of the riding school we, of course, have to assign the new guys horses. We have three categories of horses based on their ride ability. Category 1 horses can be ridden by anyone and these horses are used in the riding school. This category also includes what we call "Cat 1 plus" meaning they are easy to ride but very fast. Category 2 horses are those that require an advanced rider because they can get away from an inexperienced rider or require special handling. My beloved Wonder Horse is a Cat 2 horse. Category 3 horses are dangerous for anyone to ride and require professional training to be made safe. We do not have any Cat 3 horses at the moment and hopefully never will. I have eliminated all of the Cat 3 horses over the years and am careful not to acquire any more.
After a trooper has ridden with us for a year, we usually reassign him a new horse with a little more spirit. Their horses, in turn, go to the new guys. We try to only assign the Cat 2 horses to troopers who have been with us for at least three years but sometimes you have to make exceptions. We currently have two Cat 1 horses on long-term injured status so now we have to temporarily assign Cat 2 horses to people who don't have the three years of experience. It's not the ideal situation as I like to bring new riders up slowly. However, these are brave men and women and wouldn't be in the Troop if they weren't able to handle the challenge.
At least, that's what I keep telling myself.
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