Hello, my name
is Shawn Tucker. Like a lot of girls, I have loved horses for as long as
I can remember. I had the chance to have a few over my years growing
up, but we moved quite a bit, so they were in and out on my life a lot.
When I started college at the University of Kentucky, I decided to take
one "fun" class for myself each semester. So, I enrolled in the
equitation courses they offered there. I really enjoyed learning all
aspects of horsemanship from health, care and anatomy to dressage and
jumping! There was just one little problem. Well, actually it was a BIG
problem. I was terribly allergic to horses. My class mates would all
laugh at me while at the same time feeling sorry for me. Each class I
showed up with all of my pockets stuffed with as many tissues as they
could possibly hold. By the end of each class I was sneezing, nose
running profusely, wheezing with every breath and I could barely
breathe. Our classes were on an every-other-day schedule and by the time
I was feeling better, it was time for my next class. But, I didn't let
that deter me from my love of all things horse!! So, I decided to go
to an allergy doctor to see if there was any help available. This was
one of the most depressing days of my life. As they tested me, I reacted
to various other things as well, but the area where they tested for
horses swelled up like I had an egg under my skin. The doctor's
"bedside" manner left something to be desired, to say the very least. He
just kept going on and on about how he had NEVER seen anyone THAT
allergic to horses! He was astounded and even a little excited, I think,
to have witnessed such a phenomenon! At this time, I was actually
considering a career in the horse industry, but after that day,
decided it was not a good idea. They recommended allergy shots several
times a week, but because I was so allergic, the amount of allergen in
the shots was extremely small and would take MANY years to build up the
doses enough to have any effect on my allergies. I started them, but
quickly gave them up feeling defeated. So, I changed my career goals,
eventually got married and started our life together. We have family and
friends who have horses and I was invited to ride any time I wanted,
but knowing how I would suffer for days for even just a short time with
horses, I usually turned them down. But, I never gave up on my dream to
have horses. I told my husband, Louis, that we would plan to get horses
early in the spring and that I would just pretty much write the year off
until my body learned to deal with it! You see, I had grown up with
cats in the house and sleeping on feather pillows and these were two
other items I also tested positive for during my visit to the allergy
doctor. I knew that repeated exposure over long periods of time would
lessen the effect. That is basically how the allergy shots work as well.
So, life went on and we had our son, Trevor and finally came to the
point in our lives where we were able to acquire a small farm. We began
to think of getting some horses. Then one day, while on a home school
field trip to the Kentucky Horse Park, I heard of a breed of horse I had
never heard of before. We were sitting in the bleachers watching the
"Parade of Breeds" demo when this unusual looking horse went around in
front of us and the announcer described the American Curly Horse, told
of it's mysterious history and the fact that it's curly coat was HYPO-ALLERGENIC
for those who suffered from horses allergies! Well, I nearly jumped
straight off the bleachers right then! I couldn't get to the announcer's
booth quickly enough to get information! I took home a brochure and
started doing my own research on this rare breed of horses. At that
time, the closest CURLY HORSES I could find were in Tennessee. So we
contacted the farm and made plans to go for a visit. When we got to the
field where the horses were, the horses came over to us and from years
of avoiding them, it was hard to drop my guard and touch them. But,
slowly, I gave up my inhibitions and soon found myself petting, stroking
and even nuzzling my nose in their curly coats! And guess what? NO
REACTION!! Wow! I couldn't believe it!! So, we went home and I started
searching for curly horses to bring to our new farm!! In a short time we
had two mares and were expecting a new foal as one of the mares
was expecting a new foal soon. Let me just tell you- when that little
curly bundle of joy was born, there was nothing I could have enjoyed
more than rubbing and petting her all over and especially nuzzling my
nose in the soft, new-born curls!! What a joy and privilege!! Today, we
currently are up to 9 curly horses and have our very first ever offered
for sale. As much as I love them and hate to give them up, I look
forward to the privilege of making someone else's dreams come true by
owning a curly horse!!
Now, I want to share something else with
you. We first came to this breed because of my allergies. BUT, after
having them, I can tell you that even if not for my allergies, they
would be my breed of choice!! Their personalities are even more
exceptional than their wonderful, hypo-allergenic, curly coats! They are
extremely calm, intelligent, friendly and willing partners. Sometimes I
think we forget how truly different they are in this regard because
they are all we have here on our farm and we aren't around any others
very often. Then we hear stories, watch trainers with problem horses on
TV or have visitors here to our farm who are in awe of them. We fell so
head-over-heels for them and having the little ones, we moved to a
bigger farm so we could have more room for more horses! We have some fun
stories to tell about their wonderful personalities- be sure to check
out our "CURLY TALES" page!
Added Note- Unfortunately, the
Kentucky Horse Park does not have a CURLY HORSE at the park at this
time. There have been some on loan to them on occasion over the years,
but currently there is not one there. If you'd like to see one in person
for yourself- give us a call, we are only about 40 minutes from the
horse park!
