Colleen Rutledge’s famous Shiraz makes faces at anyone who comes near his stall without food. A Walt Disney quote hangs on the opinionated chestnut’s halter hook: “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

Shiraz, an off-the-track Thoroughbred (Gallipiat—Bold Blossom, Fountain Of Gold), is Rutledge’s most successful mount. The petite 15.3-hand gelding is a poster child for a successful second career, having taken Rutledge around the world completing and jumping clear cross-country rounds at five of the world's six four-star events.