A palomino colt named Injun Joe started life in a New Mexico village where he had to forage for food to survive. As a three-year-old he was broken and trained as a cutting horse. An ex-cavalry officer bought him when he saw the horse's potential as a jumper. Injun Joe was then sold to a fox hunter in Virginia. During his East Coast adventures, he was Renamed Nautical, he proved to be an important member of the team and won a match.