Welcome our Fan of the Month, Cindy, of Guthrie, Oklahoma and her stallion, Bravo Canyon. Continue reading to read about this unique pair.
Cindy Sorensen of Guthrie, Oklahoma, will be turning 40 later this year, but as she puts it, “Thanks in large part to my horse Bravo, I feel 16 again!”
Cindy works for a large public school district in Oklahoma City, and she has been involved with horses since she was 8 years old. Learn more about Cindy and Bravo in this series of August’s Fan of the Month blogs.
What is the your horse’s registered name and bloodlines?
Bravo Canyon is a ranch-bred Kiger Mustang–his grandsire is Steens Kiger who also sired Donner, the horse DreamWorks used for the animation of Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.
What is his barn name, and how did he get it?
I typically just call him Bravo or SuggaBoo, but he is also known as “Stud Puppy.” He is required to wear a yellow stud ribbon during our competitive trail challenges, and I wanted people to know that they didn’t need to stay back from him–he’s a stud, but he’s got a puppy dog personality, so I wrote Stud Puppy on his ribbon. He’s got impeccable manners and loves other horses; you’d never know he was a stud by his temperament.
How old is he?
He’s 9 yrs old.
How did you come to own Bravo?
Kiger Mustangs are pretty rare–I think there are less than 2,000 of them in the world–and I have a couple Kiger Mustang mares and am fairly active in the online Kiger community. I was taking my mares to lots of breed expos and shows here in the central states to let folks get to meet and greet with them, and I posted about our adventures.
Bravo’s previous owner, who lives in Washington, felt like he was too great of a horse to be standing in a pasture and contacted me to see if I’d be interested in buying him and getting him out in the world. I was blown away and couldn’t believe my luck! I pretty much held my breath until he got off the trailer in Oklahoma; I was sure I’d been dreaming the whole thing.
What are your goals for yourself and your horse?
Considering that just one short year ago I was scared to even canter (thanks to several major knee surgeries and a few scary riding situations), it seems pretty crazy that my goal of entering an Extreme Cowboy Race with Bravo is close to being reached. All of the obstacle work has been new for both Bravo and me, but he’s amazing. He picks up things so fast, and he is so solid under me that I just don’t get nervous about trying new things. He’s up for anything.
What do you and your horse do for fun?
We both really enjoy sorting cows and trail riding with friends.
Stay tuned for more information and photos of Cindy and Bravo Canyon! Until then, check out a video slide show of the pair!