I actually paid $1000 to have a National Show Horse mare shipped from Arizona to Oregon. Sadly, the owner was dying (a youngish woman) and the breeder was trying to place her. I thought she would be a horse my grandson and I could share. I never even sat on her.
By the way, this has nothing to do with NSH's as a breed. We just know this one crazy mare. She was so awful on trail that the "experts" decided after a couple of outings that it was never going to be her thing. She had one wreck with Gabe so remarkable that riders still label as "that spot where Claudette wrecked". She spooked at a rock, did a remarkable jump that unseated the cowboy Gabe, then did a somersault down into a narrow rocky draw. He was so upset. He thought she was dead. It was bad. We passed her along (with the breeder's understanding) to a girl who uses her for high school equestrian team. Claudete has had several other terrible wreccks, one in the trailer and one where she bumped the arena gait and flipped out and went down into the creek. Fortunately Ashley wasn't on her. They've actually become a nice team, and the mare has since been given to Ashley. She never leaves the arena. Anyway - she was a dressage horse in Arizona and is a saddle seat horse in Oregon, walk, trot, canter. There are quite a few NSH's doing well in endurance and working as sports horses. Nancy
