Jim Theurer and Kid Hasan (PA)
Team #892: Jim Theurer and Kid Hasan
From: Halifax, Pennsylvania
Ages: 73 & 27
Combined Age: 100
Test: Introductory Level Test B
Horses have been a big part of my life for most of the years I have been alive. My love for horses began 61 years ago when I was 12 years old, and my father bought my brother and I our first horse. She was actually a large pony and in foal (unknown to us at the time). She came from the New Holland, PA horse sale. Through my teenage years, several other horses came into my life. I had some major medical issues as a teen and my horses helped me survive those years. Later I gained lots of horse experience by attending farrier’s school, working at a Thoroughbred racetrack for five years and an equine practitioner for three years. I introduced my wife to horses when we were dating, and she became an avid rider too. Our kids grew up on horses and when they were old enough participated in 4-H. I became the leader of a 4-H horse club and have been volunteering for 34 years. I had also served as president of several local riding clubs and on the board of directors for the Eastern Competitive Trail Ride Association. I have also volunteered at several therapeutic riding associations.
Thirty some years ago I bought an Arabian brood mare, Hasan Nastasia to breed to a paint stallion, Black Kid in an attempt to find my dream horse, a half Arabian Pinto. After 3 attempts with no white, I told my wife I was keeping this foal no matter the color. Kid was born during the night, but his mother had decided she had enough of being a mother. She had him at the top of her field and left him there. When I found him, I carried him back to the barn and put him down in her stall. She grabbed him by the withers and threw him into the wall. I put him in the stall beside her hoping the hormones would kick in and she would accept him, but they never did. We held her every 6 hours or so he could nurse. But she really did not want to be a mother, her milk dried up within two weeks. We raised him on goat’s milk. Our kids were still in 4-H at the time and Kid soon started traveling to petting zoos with us. Kid was probably the easiest horse I ever trained to ride and drive. Even though he only had the white on his face he soon became my dream horse. I loved him on the trails, and he did well in the show ring. In 2008 he was named Horse of the Year by the Twin Brooks Horse Show Association. He earned all his points in gymkhana and driving events. We also did a few dressage classes at another local show, where he was reserve champion in dressage in their show series one summer. Then we found a new sport we soon grew to love, long-distance riding. We started participating in competitive trail and endurance rides. Eventually we finished several 50-mile endurance rides and even finished a 3 day 100-mile competitive trail ride. A neighbor boy met Kid at a ride my family put on and just loved that Kid tried to bite his father. He soon started riding Kid. He showed him in 4-H where he and Kid qualified through to state competition every year for five years in at least one gaming class and driving. He also started competing on Kid in competitive trail and endurance. I bought a pinto mare that I rode with them. Eventually Kid received an award from the Eastern Competitive Trail Ride Association for completing 1000 miles. For fun one time we took Kid to a cattle cutting event. By his second calf Kid knew what was expected of him, but it was just for fun and not something we planned on pursuing. He was great with kids, and he taught his fair share of kids to ride and took them to a few 4-H fairs. He has been semi-retired the last couple of years. In our old age he has been my mister dependable when I’ve wanted to go out on a trail and had no one to go with. When I saw a post about the Century Club, I figured our ages and decided to go for it. It was so much fun to do and maybe Kid’s last event, although our granddaughter has been learning to ride on him. Kid has earned the right to live out his life in my pasture and I plan on riding as long as I’m still able. I have a gorgeous medicine hat half Arabian Pinto gelding that I raised to take over for Kid although he will never be able to take Kid’s place.
