Somewhere...somewhere in time's own space
There must be some sweet pastured place
Where creeks sing on and tall trees grow
Some Paradise where horses go
For by the love that guides my pen
I know great horses live again.
~ Stanley Harrison ~
Our Story
I live in Victoria, VA,
which is a small town about 65 miles SSW of Richmond. Codeman was my guy
I lost due to colic that advanced to the tragic stages and took him
from me so early in our time together. He was a 16.3h TB cross out
of WapSpotted, an awesome ApHA stallion. I named
him WapSecret, but somehow he was known at the barn as Codeman. His
mother is a beautiful thoroughbred mare saved from the rigors of the
race track at the tender age of 4 and bred to this awesome stallion
by the owner to promote this fine steed. I bought her in 1990 while
I was 9 months pregnant with my second child. I had not owned a horse
for nearly 15 years and thought somehow this was the way to get back into
it again. After ten months I pulled him from his mom with the
expectation of having this colorful creature only to find I now had a
big-boned, black stud colt with no characteristics of his now famous
father. I never gave it much thought about his breeding until several years
later when WapSpotted became more and more known for the athletic abilities
of his offspring and their much sought-after temperament.
As a two year old he developed a cough that took the vet and myself
8 months to conquer. It was also at that time that his stallion antics were
becoming less and less tolerant and he was decidedly a cryptorchid. It was
then necessary to ship him to VA.( I was currently living in
Pennsylvania) to be gelded on the table and also to realize that my
once free horse was no longer a cheapie. I had decided to wait for him to
finish maturing before asking him to support my bulk. I moved to the mid-west
and then back east with my Codeman in tow. I gave his Mother to a dear
friend for taking care of my guys while I was in a transitional time of
moving across the country. Little did I know he would be 8 years
old till I was settled and I found someone with the patience
to start him under saddle for me. By this time he had already done everything
except bear the weight. He was also labeled lazy. After just 3 months under
saddle, I put him in a show held at the farm where he stayed. No ribbons,
but a lot of recognition for such a greenie. I schooled my boy over
the next few years, not with any intention to show, but just for the
pleasure of having a well-taught mount. It paid off and he became the focus
of a lot of attention wherever we went. I can truly say that
I will never have another horse with his presence. I'm an unaccomplished
rider that possessed a high caliber horse with talent and soul. Even
at being started at such a late age, it was as though he had
been doing it all his life.
He and I were just beginning our own phase of dressage training this
past summer (2003). We dibbled a little in jumping but I decided I was too
old to start again and he was too stubborn. He definitely liked all four
feet planted on the ground. He would throw temper tantrums that only I would
understand, and I guess he knew that, because he saved them all for me. As
I was teaching him the fine art of head setting with sidereins, he would
walk around the roundpen and then stop, gaze out into the distance,
and then blow up and act like he'd like to have run me over. It only took
a 20 minute session for him to realize that this was what he would have to
do and then would prance around with his chin tucked and his back rounded
like he was someone else. I would thank him with a massage and hot toweling
and a bute to keep the soreness at bay. It was seldom that he didn't
throw one of those temper tantrums whenever we rode. But it was
a part of him that I kind of enjoyed.
Many people didn't care for him because he had "too much personality". If
he knew you were one of those people, he would line you up every chance and
made sure he got the last chuckle in. On the other side, I could put young
children on him and they would trot, jog, and canter around the ring
as if they were in a rated show, never missing a beat. Then they would exit
the ring and canter out to the field. Code knew who was on his back at all
times and behaved accordingly.He was such a bastard! He would know just how
to put me on the ground without missing a beat. And I actually got good at
landing there, too. There were many more times that we spent on trails,
just the two of us, with such solitude, as if we were the
only two in the world. Other times we rode in such a synchronized
fashion and envied by all who watched. I passed up thousands of dollars,
offered by those who witnessed our partnership.
The bond that we shared could easily be seen in the picture that
accompanies this writing. His playfulness was something that few had
the chance to experience, or would understand. The picture is of he
and I on a riding vacation in August (my birthday) 2002, taken by my childhood
friend. I could write a book on this fella and his uniqueness. My only
real regret is that I never took him to the point of expertise he was so
capable of. But then, he would have probably blew me off in front of a crowd
and then chuckle out loud.
What a guy! I can't seem to say enough about him. Even when he was still
with me, I was like an old lady wanting to brag about her grandchildren.
God, I luv him! Thanks for listening...
Cathy Teal
Rest in peace my dear,
sweet friend. I'll meet you at the other end.
~ Mom ~
Codeman 
