In Memory of Diablo

Diablo was discovered by Brenda in Fall of 2004, and purchased soon thereafter. One year after he came into our lives, he has left us. On November 27th, 2005, Diablo passed away. He will be missed by all.

This page is dedicated to the memory of Diablo. The members of Paragon Jousting have taken the time to share stories of this great and gentle horse who would never show the devilish signs of his nickname.

Diablo was 16.1 hands high registered Quarter Horse from Texas. Before coming to Paragon Jousting, he worked as a Barrel Racer and a Rodeo horse, showing under the name "Exclusive Triple Dee". His work as a teaser horse, used to draw the bulls away from downed riders at rodeo shows, left him well prepared for the rigors and excitement of jousting. His barrel racing history taught him how to pivot in very tight spaces and launch powerfully in any direction.

When Brenda found him, he had been travelling on the auction circuit for nearly two years, and seemed to really want to have a home and a job again. He found both with Paragon, and vastly exceeded all of our expectations, learning his new job in just a couple of months. Diablo took to jousting with real enthusiasm and surprising talent. Diablo would do anything asked of him, including having his mane in what looked like knots as he performed as "Stinky the Hay Cart Horse".

Diablo made his debut with Paragon Jousting at the 2005 St Patrick's Day Parade in New Haven, CT. Nothing bothered this fantastic horse as he made his first appearance with Brenda riding like a proud mother. He made his jousting debut at the 2005 Adirondack Girl Scout Camporee in Greenwich, NY. Again showing us what a great horse he was.

Diablo was in our lives for a short time, most of us knew him for less than a year, Brenda and Scott being the notable exceptions. But he touched our lives in ways we never thought a horse could. He was a horse who was always listening, learning, protecting and teaching. It is not the loss of a pet as much as it is the loss of a close and dear friend and fellow performer. Exclusive Triple Dee, Diablo to his friends.

When we first met Diablo, he didn't have the "look" of a joust horse. He was rather chubby and out of shape, and he had a bit of an unkempt look about him.

The first thing that struck me was how quietly he stood. He was under a wooden porch, standing on concrete between picnic tables, just waiting patiently. His lead line hung limply to the ground.

When he was led out from under the porch to wait outside, there were a few children playing near him. They were striking crushed soda cans with sticks, sending them skittering around and between his feet. He stood stock still, never seeming to care or to mind.

When I first rode him, I could tell he was intelligent. We took turns testing each other, and once he figured out I was onto his game, he was eager to please.

The first time cantering on him was...rough...to say the least. But he had 3 decent gears, a nice neck-rein, and a beautiful pivot. And he wasn't afraid of anything. Despite his sometimes Eeor-like countenance, I sensed something very special about him. We had found our joust horse.

Comparing the first photos of Diablo to his recent ones, you can see he was a changed horse. We worked very hard on muscling him up and teaching him how to drive from his hind end. While he was with us, Diablo was healthy, lively, had a very shiny golden coat. Wherever we went, people often remarked about how pretty he was.

Diablo and I were partners in the closest sense. He taught me that clarity combined with gentleness could bring amazing results. He was the best listener I had ever met. He always had one ear trained on the rider, and he was very sensitive to the lightest signals. Free-lunging him was a joy, such was his responsiveness. We were such a team that riding him often felt effortless, and he made riding the gaming joust easy and fun.

He was the gentle horse that would put up with anything, his only sign of "impatience" being the occasional deep sigh. He loved to run, and always worked as long and as hard as we asked him to, without complaint.

He was a wonderful companion, always gentle, very friendly, but always very respectful of a human's space. Whenever I was lonely or stressed, grooming him or picking the paddocks in his quiet presence soothed me.

He was my first horse, will always be my best horse, and he will be greatly missed.

-- Brenda

Diablo

He loved his job, he had no fear. He was also very gentle.

At VTRF a performer brought a woman up to the Ox barn where we kept the horses. The woman was shaking and obviously frightened. After talking to her I found out she was VERY afraid of horses.

I brought Diablo out so she could see him. Over the course of 30 minutes his gentle demeanor charmed this frightened woman to take her first touch of his soft nose. She broke into tears as she touched him. Diablo simply stepped forward with his head up and ears forward looking at this woman almost as if to see what was wrong.

Within an hour this woman was petting Diablo on the neck, side and cheeks; she was still crying and a little frightened but she was well on her way to losing that fear.

Diablo was a gentle horse.

-- Beorn

While Diablo was learning his job as a jouster, he was also teaching me as a rider. I learned how to trust horses. How to see a horse as more than just a creature, but as an identity.

Diablo had a personality few saw. You could sense when he was sad or happy or content. I had the pleasure of helping to care for him for a weekend while Scott and Brenda were away and really just enjoyed being around him. He would follow without a lead. He had a joy when he ran and he made me feel safe. He was the kind of calm horse that could make a nervous rider feel at ease.

He was Brenda's horse and she took care of him. But at the same time, we were Diablo's humans, and he took care of us.

There were many times I wished he were my horse and I looked forward to someday jousting not so much on Diablo, but with him, as a team. Rider and horse. A jousting team.

I am happy that I got to ride him one last time only a week before his passing. I was, once again, learning something new. One rein stops. He already knew them. Now I have learned another new lesson, how much the passing of this fantastic creature can effect so many.

-- Seth

Almost a year has passed since Diablo left us. 2006 has been a fantastic year for Paragon, with many new shows, new horses and new humans. Still, I keenly feel Diablo's absence every time we go on the road. He was quiet, reliable, and comforting. Like a trusted old cowboy. Probably because that's what he was. A solid, veteran western ranch and rodeo horse. He had seen everything, and done just about everything before he came to us. He learned his new job without comment, and carried us all through 2005 the same way. Utterly dependable, quietly confident. He gave everything asked and asked nothing in return. He was Brenda's friend, and he was my right arm. On the road, I knew I could count on him to deliver every time. At home, he was a good companion. He knew when the humans needed his attention, and he knew when they just wanted quiet company.

Diablo arrived in the fall of 2004, when we really needed such a horse. He departed in the fall of 2005, perhaps sensing that his job was done, and we would be alright without him. As time has proven, he was right. Paragon's herd has expanded, but Diablo has not been replaced. Such a thing would be impossible. He arrived when we needed him, and departed when that need was past. Though his name was Diablo, he was more Angel than Devil.

-- Scott