Lucky, My First Horse — A Quarter Horse Descended from Go Man Go

Some horses leave a mark on your heart forever. For me, that horse was Lucky.

Lucky was a very handsome old school red bay Quarter Horse and he had Go Man Go in his bloodline. He had a very similar off centered white blaze.

Twenty years ago when I moved Lucky home I nicknamed my farm Lucky’s Retirement Resort and Spa in his honor.

I met Lucky when I was at Colby-Sawyer College. I bought him after trialing him out on Nantucket Island for the summer. He was the coolest horse.

Shortly after we arrived on the island he somehow managed to get an open wound on his wither that trailed down his back a bit and I couldn’t put a saddle on due to the location of the missing fur but I could put a bare back on and keep from sitting on the sore. We rode like that for a month.

There were trails all over the island to enjoy. If we wanted to go to the ocean then we would have to ride though the neighbors yard and through Bartletts corn fields then we had access to many sandy trails that all intersected and lead to the beach.

I would let Lucky decide the next turns when we came to intersections.

When I stood up in the stirrups I could see above the dunes to the open ocean on one side and glimpses of the farm and houses on the other. It was easy to find home when we were done.

In the beginning of the summer the corn stalks were at my waist and Lucky asked every time we rode though if he could sample and I always said “not today my friend.”

On our last trip to the ocean during that perfect summer of 1990 when he asked for a taste of corn, the stalks were up over my helmet when I stood up in the saddle so I said “no one can see — have as much as you’d like!”

When we wanted a different experience we would cross the street form the little farm we were staying at and these trails were also sandy but more inland as they were lined with island shrubbery and they twisted and turned and again I let him decide which turns to take and we always ended up on some random road that gave me a sense of where we were in relation to the farm and back trough the dirt trails we went and I would pick the path home.

Lucky was a caretaker and a gentleman. He was sure footed and handsome. I loved him and trusted him.

He was my boy until he was 29. I used him for my lesson program and he loved the kids and was so reliable.

Some horses have very special places in your heart and Lucky certainly was that.

My Quarter Horse descended from Go Man Go.

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The Legendary Quarter Horse Go Man Go

Go Man Go was one of the most famous racing Quarter Horses of the 1950s and became an influential sire in Quarter Horse breeding.

If you would like to read more about his racing career, record-setting runs, and impact on Quarter Horse bloodlines, this excellent post from The Western Thoroughbred shares the full history.

👉 Read it here.