Mango
From AlexBrownRacing
Contents |
Photos of Mango
Mango galloping in the Pecan Park by the Colorado River, May, 2007
That HUGE "Damascus-head" :D 
Flying in the clouds... 
Jump-off
Do jockeys remember their past mounts? ABR...trying to find out about Mango's history - his life on the race track...
Mango turned 19 years old TODAY (March 12, 2008)
Mango's story (short version):
Here's the info on Mango. Well to start, his real name is ALLEGE PROOF. Bred well for racing, by Alleged out of a Damascus mare and with Buckpasser in 3rd generation on dam's side. BUT he didn't make much money on the track, raced for 3 years, 13 starts (1-1-3). He came to me as a 10 year old, after he had been DONATED to a girls Catholic school in Louisiana... There he was considered crazy & dangerous and nobody could even get into his stall to put a halter on him. Before then he had been bounced around from trainer to trainer, and his phobias grew (worse and in numbers) with every place... One person who had him and tried to work on his "issues" was riding him (tried to) in a dressage arena next to the landing strip of an air force base, where the big fighter jets would land (!) No wonder he was terrified of ANYTHING approaching him, for the longest time, while riding...
Trying to keep this "short"... I started working with him as a "project", to see if he was "fixable" and to sell him. Well, he was fixable, with LOTS of carrots and LOTS of time and patience. He had an awesome canter and could jump too. The only problem was that once he started to trust me - he still wouldn't let ANYBODY else on his back... So, needless to say - he wasn't really "sellable", much to my then boss' frustration. So, I had to "rescue" him, by buying him myself :)
People thought I was crazy and said I would never be able to take him to a horse show - well, he proved them WRONG! First horse show was a riot, and we almost got banned from all future horse shows, because he was pretty freaked out...He would run into jumps, other horses and almost run over people on the ground. But little by little he relaxed, became confident and started to enjoy it. I started showing him in the spring (of what year I don't remember), but already in the fall the same year he had improved so much in the lower levels and won everything he could have, so I entered him in his first Grand Prix and he did great! Didn't place, but got around the course (jumps were up to 5'3 !!) with his proud mama :) and the people who had said he would never make it, now showed up on the bleechers as his "fan club" LOL They were so proud and bragged about "this horse we have in the barn is a Grand Prix-horse" etc. Pretty funny! :))
Anyway, these days we are only doing FUN stuff, things that he likes to do, which is mostly GALLOPING!!! Not that he didn't like jumping, he really did (still does), but some times I think he only did well because of his unconditional love for me :) He did more than even I ever thought he would be able to do... He's competitive, smart, somewhat of a borderline freak/genius, still has occational "flash-backs" and is very picky about his riders. I can count on one hand the different people who have been able to ride him over the years... Mango chooses his riders, for sure. He LOVED Grand Prix-time, when there were more people watching, dinner tables set up, all the riders wearing show coats, playing the national anthem and all that - Mango would grow an inch taller and be very proud and excited.
What would have happened to Mango, had I not taken a chance on him, we will never know. But the dealer, who had dropped him off with us in company of a bunch of other "rehab"cases (horses), was ready to come and get him, if we couldn't fix him up... In Mango's case, I think his pedigree kind of saved him, at least it was good enough for the dealer to know that if SOMEONE could make him rideable, he could be worth some money. Many horses with better pedigrees don't seem to get that chance these days, sadly, as we all know...
The Mango Story - LONG VERSION
Feed back on the Mango Story on ABR discussion
Videos
MANGO'S YOUTUBE VIDEO!!! Made by WendyinMI
Mango's very first Grand Prix (2000) On youTube
Mango's second Grand Prix On YouTube
Mango's Life on the Track (a long time ago...)
Recent Photos
Cantering "no hands"...a pretty "crazy" horse, huh... :)
July 27th
The other day, I was jokingly saying that I should "bring Mango out of retirement", because I so wanted to go to MI and ride in the "Horse Shows by the Bay" Grand Prix, after Wendy had posted all of her beautiful and inviting photos from there. Well, today I think Mango tried to tell me that we should seriously consider it! I don't jump him much anymore, and only when the footing is excellent and whatever he seems comfortable with - it is not like there is anything left for him to prove (at age 19)... After the rain we got the other day (Dolly left-overs), I had dragged the arena and the footing was really deep and fluffy and I thought I'd just pop over whatever was out there in the ring. Mango was ALL FOR THAT IDEA and got very excited!! He sure didn't feel like 19 and out of shape, and had I taken him into a Grand Prix ring right then and there - he would have tried his heart out - at least that's how cool he felt! Not that I ever WOULD, he's NOT in that kind of "jumper shape" right now, but maybe something we should consider working towards?? Anyway, it was just really FUN to feel that he is so sound, agile and willing to still jump - and that he really enjoys it. Possibly a little TOO MUCH, I realized that it is time to put that noseband back on his bridle, as the breaks weren't working very well in all of the excitement... :)
Chasing Buster...
Mango & Bosse Nov 2008
Feb. 15, 2009 - one month shy of being 20 years old
Slideshow of Mango jumping 2/15/09
Slideshow of Mango rolling in pasture. February 2009
This wiki page was made by Mango's owner swedishkat
Comments & Questions
What a great story! Mango is definately the Man! Thank you for sharing him with us :) Oh...and thank you for the wonderful comments that you posted to Boy's page BHK
...started reading about you and Mango and actually lost track of time, a beautiful horse, an incredible rider/trainer and a very exciting and heart-warming story! ThoroughbredHunterLady
