Home    About John    About Carrick    About Sloopy    About Sweepea    About Finnegan    Tax Free Donations

SLOOPY - 18 year old Thoroughbred gelding 2009 - 2010 Sloopy finished up his 2009 season with a big win at Intermediate with Young Rider Lizzie Snow. It was Lizzie's first Intermediate, and they both looked great! They also had several blue ribbons at Preliminary, which helped Lizzie secure the USEA Junior Preliminary Rider of the Year Award. Here's an interesting article about Lizzie and Sloopy. Sloopy is now enjoying a semi-retirement as Lizzie finishes up school. He is getting enormously fat on the summer grass, and tries to hide behind pine trees when he thinks someone might be approaching with a saddle. Sloopy's Background The story of Sloopy coming to live with us was a sad one, as he was replacing a horse named Barnum who died suddenly. Our friends Bob Boeckman and Mary Delton had owned Barnum with us, and wanted to help us find another horse as promising as he had been. Sloopy was seven years old and had been racing for four years when we met him. He had just moved to the barn of Jan Bynny and Craig Thompson who were teaching him his "walk-trot-canter". He was scared of his own shadow (and still is!) and leaping four feet over a cross rail as if it would bite him (still does!), but John looked in his big brown eyes and had to have him. Sloopy has always lived in Carrick's shadow. When Carrick went overseas to big events, Sloopy often got left home and his training would be sidelined. Nevertheless, he quietly has kept doing his job and doing it very well.         His first 3-Day was the 2-Star at Camino Real in Texas, which he handily won. He earned high ribbons at Advanced Horse Trials and was in the Top Ten at three different 3-Star events. He completed the 4-Star at Rolex in 2004 and finished in 10th place there in 2006. Both times (2004 and 2005) that Sloopy competed at the Burghley (England) 4-Star, he finished in the top 20 and he has always had a clean cross country round. Without fanfare, Sloopy has become one of the most successful and consistent horses in the country. When Carrick was injured, Sloopy stepped up to the plate and shone. His dressage has improved immensely, as evidenced by his 10th place finish at the Rolex 4-Star in 2006. CLICK HERE to see photos of Rolex . Sloopy and John were selected for the 2007 USET winter training clinics but because of John't busy course designing and clinic schedule, they were unable to attend. In 2008, Sloopy had surgery to remove bone chips in his knee so he spent the better part of the year recouperating. Copyright © BP Equine Ltd., All Rights Reserved