Tattoo is an Appaloosa horse, but he isn’t your typical “painted horse” of his breed. He has a distinct coat pattern that resembles leopard patches.
Tattoo’s owner, Branigan, recalls meeting him for the first time in an interview with I Love Horses.
She claims to have been a sophomore in college interning at a breeder barn. She was given the opportunity to care for mares that were going to give birth there. “Tattoo was born on May 18, and his mother gave birth to him early in the morning,” she recalls. “I met Tattoo when he was just an hour old, drenched and learning to stand.”
The wobbly-legged foal was as one-of-a-kind as they come, and the young intern was quickly enamored.
“Tattoo” is a word that signifies “rhythmic tapping or drumming.” Her mother picked the name because “the sight of him actually puts my heart into a pounding, ever since I met him,” according to Branigan.
Branigan got the opportunity to assist Tattoo in acclimating to humans as part of her internship. Her parents came to see him the day he was born, and she claims they all realized she was immediately in love with the colt. “I was bawling my eyes out in the cubicle, clutching Tattoo on my lap,” Branigan recalls. “It was love at first sight for me.”
‘Oh, no…’ they both said. We all knew that rearing and training my own horse was a goal of mine, but this colt was not mine, but I felt in my heart that he should be.”
They had quickly become inseparable.
“At three weeks old, he let me snuggle him while he rested and even let me halter him.” “His mother and baby Tattoo both trusted me completely,” Branigan recalls.
However, it seems that it was not meant to endure. Branigan received sad news six months later.
Her trainers informed her that Tattoo had been sold and that she should prepare herself and him to say goodbye. She went on to say that it was “the worst two months of my life.” Branigan, on the other hand, knew she had to say goodbye, so she braced herself for the day he had to depart.
She had no idea she’d get the surprise of her life three months later on Christmas morning.
“I sat around the tree with my family, and the last box was delivered to me,” Branigan recounts. “It said ‘all of them,’ and when I opened it, it was a picture of Tattoo, a miniature model horse with spots.” I gri.ev.ed so hard since I knew I had said my goodbyes and that I would remember him.”
Her parents, however, advised her to examine the bottom of the page, where the words “transfer ownership” were written in large letters.
Tattoo had been acquired by her parents six months prior. “I had no idea,” admits Branigan. “I was crying for weeks!”
It was a dream come true for the aspiring horse trainer, who claims she and Tattoo shared several “firsts” in horse exhibitions and contests.
Tattoo now enjoys getting into mischief, chasing Branigan, and meeting tiny horses and donkeys.
The “calm, silly, and naughty” horse, according to Branigan, is “one of the coolest horses” to ride.
The eye-catching horse now has a social media following, with over 19,000 followers on Instagram.
Branigan’s words, as well as her countless images and videos of Tattoo, make it evident that the couple will adore each other for the rest of their lives.
