I just always figured Wrigley was the Cabernet Sauvignon of the horse world.
Like Cab Sauv, she’s big bodied, especially in the booty area.
She’s also bold. In the video below it’s hard to tell how steep this was. It was terrifying. I rode her up to the edge of that dune and looked at it for about a second — too long and I’d have chickened out — and asked her to step off the edge. She never hesitated.
Also, did you know that the Cabernet Sauvignon grape is a cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc? Yup, a red and a white. Wrigley is a “Red dun” which means she’s a “red” horse with a dilution gene that makes her lighter in places. So, kind of like a cross between a red and a white.
Dun horses always have a dark, well-defined stripe down their back called a “dorsal stripe”. That stripe will be the true color of the horse, the color it would be if it didn’t have that dilution gene.
You can see her dorsal stripe in this photo.
Duns also have other coloring that is interesting — barring or what looks like zebra or tiger stripes on their legs, or a dark patch on their shoulders. Their manes and tails will be darker than their body.
Axel – a “red” or sorrel or chestnut colored horse. Wrigley is behind him. She’d be the same color as him if she didn’t have the dilution gene. Nice that you can see the difference it makes.
Kinda like buying wine for the label, I bought Wrigley for her color. Yup, worst way to buy a horse ever. But man, I hit the jackpot with her. She’s sure been a great horse.
