Beth laughs at that, both at the name -- which will always strike her as funny -- and the idea of Serena trying to get on the horse's good side. It's not an impossible thing, she knows there are plenty of horses with bad attitudes, but she feels like if anyone can do it, it'll be Serena.

"I love Gordon," she says. "Everyone tells me he's gettin' cranky as he gets older, but I think he's a sweetie. He loves bein' brushed and he's never tried that pain in the ass horse thing where they smush you up against the side of their stable."

She'd had that happen a few times back home, horses testing their limits, and she'd always had to give them a good smack.