Triple Gait Ranch - Colorful Gaited Horses!

Susan's Story

In July 2000 I was living in Atlanta and coping with a milestone 50th birthday…reflecting on life. Suddenly, I received an email from Ray League. Ray was my high school sweetheart and the first boy that ever kissed me. I had not heard from him or seen him since the late 1960s when he moved to Florida. At that time, I was the consummate city girl and Ray was still the same old cowboy he’d always been. In less than a year, I sold my home, moved to Florida, married him and embraced his dream of raising Tennessee Walking Horses.

We started with 4 horses, one of which was PUSH BUTTON NEL, a gold champagne…only we thought she was a palomino with pink skin. When she produced her second foal, a dark chestnut foal with electric blue eyes, we had no idea exactly what color he really might be. I researched the internet and talked to breeders but no one seemed to be able to help us and then I discovered a discussion group regarding the champagne gene. Buttons and her foal were gold champagnes!

Sadly, when the foal was only 7 weeks old, we lost his dam; Buttons died in surgery for a twisted gut. Her baby, Cotton, was now an orphan and I didn’t know anything about horses. He wouldn’t take milk and became sick; for many months we didn’t know if he would make it. Every day, Cotton slept with his head in my lap while I read everything I could so I could help this little, helpless foal. It’s created a bond between us that I can’t explain and he will always be very special to me.

COTTONS PUSHIN MY BUTTONS was a 16+ hand hunk of glittering gold with an awesome, sweet and funny personality. And, yes, he walked like a walking horse should! Sadly, we lost Cotton in 2006.

In 2005, we also decided to add a beautiful homozygous black/white tobiano stud to the services we could offer. For us, one of the ultimate spotted horses is SPOTTED ALEN AGAIN owned by Sally & Bobby Sigman. They sold us a direct son of his – SPOTTED ALENS FRECKLES and he will be standing at stud with the Sigmans.

We now have 14 horses and Ray’s dream has quickly become my dream also. For all the years I was a city girl, I guess I always “shoulda been a cowgirl”! I’ve found that life is really good…………but it’s even better with horses in it!

Susan League

triplegaitranch@aol.com
352-279-2343