Description

A young lass from the Pacific Northwest loved spending time with her familys horses. The most memorable of these horses, Whiplash, was spirited, stubborn and fiercely independent; like no other horse the family had ever seen.He was a rare, striking blend of Appaloosa and Arabian, with the raw attributes of a champion. Whiplash frequently left riders on the ground, living up to the unflattering name given him as a gangly foal. The family all but gave up on breaking the standoffish, rebellious horse, yet something compelled the girl to take on the challenge of Whiplash.She soon learned the willful stallion did not respond to traditional training techniques or conventional rewards. Only when she approached him without a bridle or sweet bribes would Whiplash, with his aloof trot, draw near.Through a summer of bonding and gentling on his own terms, Whiplashs wild spirit began to mature into refined exuberance. The lass then realized bringing out the best in another meant giving something significant of ones self. Its a lesson that continues to resonate today with Reatas founder.A statue of Whiplash stands prominently in front of Reata in the Napa Valley to celebrate the truly incomparable character of Whiplash.