IN THE ROUGH | 15 YEAR OLD PAINT GELDING | REDWOOD CITY, CA

In The Rough, Ruffie, is a paint gelding. His sire is Like a Diamond and his dam is Sugs Amber Cat. He was bred by Astrid Sinclair Wollenberg.

It was love at first sight when Nicole McDevitt met Ruffie at her friends barn.  She invited Nicole to come ride the incredibly loving 15hh Paint and they got along so well. Nicole has always been horse crazy and first started her horse career in the Dressage ring. She also rode hunter/jumpers for 30 years in the 3’6″ division and had many great horses. But when she met Ruffie, it rocked her world and she never looked back. “I love the Reiners!” She exclaims.

Ruffie has personality plus! “He see’s my car from far away and begins to whinny until I get to his stall to say hello. Ruffie is like a dog, he will lean into you to get his neck and withers scratched.  If you stop, he’ll lean in more, especially if you are hiding a carrot.”

Ruffie now resides at the Horse Park of Woodside and trains with Eric LaPorte. Nicole is the only one that rides Ruffie in the Reining Divisions. She explains he’s especially fun to ride because he’s so well trained.  He can even do upper level dressage movements. We all have heard that reining is like “Western Dressage” and it seems that these two have proven just that.

You also have to know that Nicole owns a beautiful and classic tack shop in Woodside, CA called Carousel Saddlery, selling everything from horse supplies to English apparel and tack. She even has customization available for many items such as stall drapes, saddle pads, tack trunks and more. Happily she shares with us her favorite grooming secret, but wants you to tell others as she sells it at Carousel Saddlery and it never goes out of stock! A favorite grooming product of hers is the 5 Star Detangler for long manes and tails as it keeps the hair easy to comb and helps it grow.

“My favorite memory was the time when I finally learned to ride and show him. Ruffie is not an easy horse to ride,  He is reactive, sensitive and VERY hard to show.  When I finally had a good run in the show pen it was the best feeling of accomplishment.”-Nicole