Well guys, Bobby’s new horse Cannavaro has officially landed in Texas! He arrived right on schedule, around 2pm on Tuesday.
Of course, I was at a damn doctor’s appointment right when he was getting there. Luckily Hillary was able to jet over to document the arrival, and Cannavaro and Bobby’s first meeting. She was providing live updates, which seemed very amusing to my doctor when I explained why my phone was going nuts (oh and also could y’all PLEASE HURRY UP I gotta get out of this stupid medical office!).
The rig could not comfortably fit down the driveway and be able to turn around, so they dropped the ramp and unloaded him on the side of the country road, literally into a ditch. The horse gave zero shits, like it was perfectly normal to spend 4 days on a cross-country trailer ride and then unload into a ditch on the side of a road. He very calmly stepped down the ramp, and then off they went walking down the driveway to the barn – passing scary trash cans and all kinds of fun opportunities to spook or be stupid. Cannavaro looked around and took in his surroundings, but he still wasn’t spooky or worried, and didn’t care about any of it. We were actually joking that Bobby was way jumpier and spookier about things than the horse was. How’s that for a first impression?
By the time he was off the trailer I was done at the doctor’s office, so I put the pedal to the metal and drove out to Bobby’s barn to meet the unicorn. In the mean time Bobby put him in the round pen to let him settle. Cannavaro immediately starting drinking, grazing, and got a nice thorough roll in the dirt. He wasn’t wide eyed, he wasn’t wild, he wasn’t upset… he just calmly looked around his new home.
He was as perfectly behaved as a horse can get, much less a coming 5yo OTTB, 3 weeks off the track, who just traveled 1600 miles and hadn’t been turned out in a while. He also seemed to recognize pretty immediately that Bobby was his person, coming up for snuggles and pets and cookies. The bond was immediately evident.
When I got there Cannavaro was just grazing in the round pen, calm as a cucumber. He was eating and drinking like a champ, and he has one of the sweetest, kindest faces I’ve seen in a long time. He’s got these big soft eyes, always interested in what you’re doing, but never wary or worried or upset. First impression? He was freaking perfect. I was so impressed with his temperament. Clearly he’s been well taken care of.
After a few minutes of watching him, we decided to put him out in a bigger turnout. Clearly he wasn’t going to be a nut or a danger to anyone or himself. As soon as Bobby started opening the gate to the round pen, Cannavaro came right up to him (HI DAD!) and we walked him over and stuck him out in the field next to Halo. They sniffed noses a bit, but mostly Cannavaro was interested in eating. Every few minutes he would gallop maybe 10 strides, then stop and eat again. Whoa there wild baby OTTB. Whoa there.
After watching him do basically nothing for a while, we got bored and went to tend to our own horses, leaving Bobby to get acquainted with his new kiddo alone. We got a photo update when the horses came into their stalls for dinner, and Cannavaro got an up close meet and greet with his older brother Halo.
Bobby even got him out, put him in the crossties, and groomed him. We had already warned him that some OTTB’s don’t know about crossties, but LOL. I’m pretty sure you could hogtie Cannavaro upside down to a tree and he’d be like “That’s cool, bro. No problem.” because he’s just that unflappable.
I think it’s safe to say that we’re all in love with him already. You couldn’t ask for a better brain on ANY horse, and he’s just so sweet on top of that. He is EXACTLY what Bobby was looking for. He’s absolutely 100% as advertised, if not even better than Jess made him sound. The messages from Bobby that night were awesome, and they’ve continued to be nothing but positive.
So far we’re off to a fantastic start. Cannavaro is totally a unicorn, and while I really thought he seemed like he would be a good match for Bobby, I think he’s blown everyone’s expectations out of the water. This horse is very easy to love, the kind that everyone wants to own.
Bobby is going to hop on him this weekend and just take him for a walk. Cannavaro (who is currently trying out the barn name Charlie – we’ll see if it sticks!) needs a little bit of rest, and he needs to gain a little weight, but some light hacking will be good for him. I’m beyond excited to see this partnership continue to develop… like for real this feels just as exciting as if I’d gotten a new horse myself.
As for the contest – no one guessed the number exactly, but one person was really close! Bobby used a grand total of 185 exclamation marks in the 24 hour period between when we sent him Cannavaro’s ad and when he was officially purchased, and Renee had the closest guess at 182. Renee you did not leave a last name or email or blog address so I’m not sure how to contact you… please shoot me an email via my contact page with your address and I’ll get your prize package in the mail!
Bobby does read all the comments here and really appreciated all the support and good wishes from the last post. He’s not interested in blogging, but I will include regular updates on Cannavaro here so y’all can see what they’re up to!
Welcome home, Cannavaro. ❤
breedrideevent.com 
He’s so cute!! Can’t wait to see how he does under saddle!
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Congratulations Bobby! There’s nothing like buying an OTTB site unseen. I’m almost two years into my partnership and it’s the best thing ever! When are you going to take over the $900 FB Pony blog again?
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I am so excited about him – this was SO out of my comfort zone but best decision ever. He’s literally everything I wanted and more! I am sure Amanda will let me hijack her blog from time to time for Cannavaro/Halo updates. I am just not very verbose, but I think I can be about about this one! lol
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Well. My heart already melted out of my chest. I’m gonna spend the remainder of the day trying to mop it up. I am so happy for them both!
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I’m not crying…you’re crying
congrats to Bobby! you guys look adorbs together
cherrrrleeeee!!
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OMG! Cherrrrleeeeeerrr! HAHA!! I think that just cemented his name as Charlie.
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I won a thing? I never win a thing! I put my email in the Email box, but that apparently didn’t show up on your end like I was hoping it would. I’ll shoot you an email.
Congratulations Bobby! Look forward to hearing all of your adventures together!
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Congrats on the good guess! You get my drama! HAHA!
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I would say 185 exclamation points is the minimum for such a handsome and sweet boy! He looks like such a love
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Awwwww that is so wonderful! Such a sweet looking horse. Congrats, Bobby!
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What does Halo think of the new horse? Buddy? Interloper?
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Halo thinks everyone is his best friend EXCEPT when they try to get near his 27 year old pasture mate, then he goes a little nuts…. He currently just views him as an interruption to the constant flow of cookies he normally receives when I am out.
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Couldn’t have turned out better! So excited for Bobby!!
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Loving this update! I’m just about as excited as if I got a new Unicorn. What a wonderful story! Can’t wait to watch their progress.
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Awe…perfect match from the start
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Congrats Bobby! He seems like a wonderful boy, can’t wait to read about all of your adventures together! I vote for barn name Vinnie, off the -varo part of his name. Sweet and warm, like he is.
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Congratulations, Bobby! I can’t wait to hear about your adventures. He definitely seems like a keeper.
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I recently commented that I’ve missed seeing Bobby on this blog, soooo this is just kind of perfect. Congrats on your new adventure partner, Bobby! I can’t wait for more updates on the big sweetie.
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💗💟💕💖💘
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That pic of Bobby with the giant smile on his face pretty much says it all! So happy for them both!
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Congratulations to Bobby! Looking forward to hearing more about your new partnership!
On a totally different note, isn’t today “The” day where Presto parts ways with his baby balls? Fingers crossed that proceedure is smooth sailing.
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All the heart eyes!
Cannavaro is such a precious guy. He has such kind, big eyes.
Congrats on your new heart horse, Bobby! Here’s to a great, fun future!!
I am very glad to hear that we’ll get updates on the two of you from Amanda.
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I lost my heart horse of 10 years in 2017 and found my gate-licker (a coming 4-year-old QH) 7 days later. Cannavaro’s personality seems to be identical to my new horse, and his name is Charlie! My Charlie is also the biggest doll and sweetest baby horse ever. He turns 6 in March and is wise beyond his years, just like Cannavaro. The new name gets my vote! I have to say the story brought tears to my eyes, such a reminder of the blessing my Charlie is to my life. He is my (second) heart horse I never thought I would be blessed with. We bonded the first time we met, I knew I he was mine within 10 minutes of meeting him. Thank you for sharing.
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Gate lickers for the win!! I’m so glad he’s proving to be a total rockstar baby horse. 🙂
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This is so exciting!!! I’m so happy for Bobby that Charlie (potentially) is turning out to be exactly what he hoped for!
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I love when a horse and rider just click so quickly. It’s magic. And when you have helped create a new team, it’s such a strange sense of pride (I helped a friends mom find her new unicorn, and it’s LOVE)….I wish that it paid well to be a “professional horse shopper”. It’s more fun spending someone else’s money!!!
Congratulations Bobbie and Charlie!!!!
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So exciting! He is so handsome and looks to have a matching personality. Super excited to see updates on the new partnership (plus, I’ve missed Bobby updates so it’s been fun seeing them more recently).
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This is just wonderful and I’m thrilled for you, Bobby! Please do drop in here and/or make sure Amanda gets a constant flow of info. We will all be waiting with bated breath to hear how your first little hack goes, and all the rest! Charlie (?) looks like an absolute doll and I’m so glad you made the leap, sight unseen.
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Couldn’t love this more! Cannavaro sounds like a Best.Horse. Yay! Congrats Bobby!
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And he looks GREAT in the photo that shows a bit of his conformation … just the lines and angles I like, and he stands in such a self-possessed, confident way.
The Look of Eagles.
[heart melts]
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