Eeyore has been a pleasure to get to know so far. He is now out all day with the others and in at night. He is handling the big pasture fairly well though he has yet to figure out his feet when he goes trotting up or down the hill. I know the last place was a flat paddock and who knows what he lived in before but ours is hilly and undulating so he will have to figure it out eventually.
(I still can’t figure out captions on my phone so instead you get this. Eeyore tried to trot around and ends up nearly face planting a lot. I think some trail time is in our future)
He has also stopped being so ADD about all the space. At first he would not stop moving. He would begin to settle but then notice an interesting rock and go investigate. Then notice the arena and check that out. The Old Farts put an end to that real quick as they got over following him on his mini quests and began to ignore his movements. He decided staying with them was more important.
(Waiting for the farrier is boring. Making funny faces helps to pass the time)
His only flaw so far is when the others come in first for dinner. He doesn’t mind coming in when they remain out or staying in when they go out. In fact if he sees me enter the pasture he comes trotting over to say hello every time. But when he is the last one out he freaks and begins cantering around all idiotic like. I could take him in first but he needs to learn to chill about that. Also I give deference to Gem and Pete due to seniority. He can wait and come in for dinner last.
(But this is taking forever! I’m bored.)
He lost a hind shoe almost immediately after being out in the big pasture. I’m sure I’ll find it with the bush hog. Thankfully my farrier is awesome and had already agreed to squeeze me in Wednesday evening at the end of his day. Eeyore was at the end of his shoe life anyway and his foot balance was all sorts of wonky. Low heel left, high heel right and medial to laterally imbalanced as well.
(I heard a bunch of banging and went to see what on earth he was up to. He was playing with his water bucket so hard that water was splashing out between the wood boards. )
He wasn’t that well behaved for the farrier which is always embarrassing to me. Gem and Pete pick their feet up for him and nearly fall asleep during their trims. He can do both horses in about 25 minutes. When we had Nash he reared, struck out, bolted and tried to bite which was another reason he got sold. Eeyore wasn’t that bad but he did continually rip his legs away and that was very frustrating for all involved. I’m going to start doing stretches twice daily when he comes in for feed and see if I can’t get him behaving for the farrier better.
(He also crosses his front legs to scratch. I’ve never seen a horse do this before and didn’t quite catch it in the pic fully but it is so odd)
I did decide to pull his hinds and will see how he handles that. The farrier was complimentary on his feet noting that he has great frogs and nice soles all around. I know the vet wasn’t too thrilled with the idea of him being barefoot but she was a bit weird and I think I may try barefoot all around eventually. I didn’t want to change everything all at once on the guy so he got a nicely balanced trim and front shoes this time and we will see where we go from there.
(Wyatt didn’t like the banging of the anvil and Eeyore kept wuffling his neck to let him know it was ok)
I have one more thing to check of the list of his general care before hopping on up and starting the fun part!
The original plan was the give it about 3 days of passing each other in the barn at feeding time before throwing Eeyore out with the Dynamic Duo. However, one look at the forecast calling for t-storms every day until Sunday and I decided that wasn’t going to work. I don’t want to introduce them in a storm and have poor Eeyore begging to be let under the trees.
Monday morning I put them in separate pastures while I mowed then pulled Eeyore off the grass for the heat of the afternoon. Around 330 he was due to go back out until evening and it seemed like as good a time as any.
Gem and Pete were in their afternoon shade spot in the back corner under the big maple trees when I brought Eeyore in. He stood right by me and looked around at his new pasture. Then he wandered off a ways oblivious to the other two.
The other two were not oblivious to him though and soon called out and started coming down the hill. Eeyore…well he was a bit mystified. He kept looking over the fence back to his old pasture thinking maybe that’s where they were and not realizing he was in the same pasture as them. He didn’t figure it out until they were on top of him.
They all said hello, he trotted around expecting a fight (he is also low man in a herd which now makes for a herd of three wimps) which never came so he settled in to graze. My two make introductions super easy.
I went back to bush hogging the pasture before the week of rain hits and watched them out of the corner of my eye to make sure nothing happened.
Nothing did. Well, except one incident.
Eeyore found the water tub in the pasture and wandered over. It was hot, another day hovering around 90F, and with the impending storms the humidity decided to come for a visit too. When he got to the water tub he was hot and sweaty and like the bigger than life boy he is proving to be, he decided it looked like a good place to play. He promptly shoved his entire head under water and began splashing it back and forth having the time of his life.
Well, the no fun police didn’t approve and Gem stomped her way over to tell him a thing or two about being a respectable horse. She stood by him and squealed. He ignored her. She then, I swear to whatever deity you prefer, stomped her front foot at him! It was a total Mom move. Dusty and I just about died laughing.
Eeyore completely ignored her attempts to ruin his fun and just kept on splashing and splashing until he was finished and then he walked away to joint Pete grazing. I wish I had it on camera or video. It was hilarious to not only watch Eeyore play but to have no fun Gem get so angry about it. She doesn’t know what she is in for having a young whipper snapper around.
Eeyore will spend his days out with them and nights back in the barn for a few more days until I’m comfortable having him on grass 24/7. We have been slowly introducing the ration balancer to his diet as well. He may need to be put on the Calm and EZ line of Tribute when in work if he doesn’t keep weight with just the balancer but we will see. He was on a high fat diet before so he may need the extra boost that a true grain gives versus just the balancer.
So far all is good though and everyone is settling in just fine!
He is home!!!! I’m so so so excited to start this new chapter in my riding life. I owe so much to Gem and she has a forever home with me chilling in the pasture, hiding behind trees and/or Pete when the trailer gets hooked up and carrying me down the trail, but it is long past time to start seeing the world between a different set of ears. Um…a rather large set of ears.
(Side note: I’m on vacation all the week and can’t figure out how to add captions on the mobile app so this is what you get 🙂
Eeyore passed his PPE with sound flexions however there were some concerns on his front feet xrays that dashed my hopes for another barefoot wonder horse and may have an impact on his longevity, but weren’t enough to preclude low level eventing and hanging out with me for a good long time.
He was a saint for the very long process of waiting for the vet to show up (nearly two hours late) and all the prodding, trotting and X-ray-ing that followed. His personality is just the best. A nice combination of inquisitive and people oriented without being pushy.
The best part though? Well, obviously besides having an awesome new horse to get to know?
I was due to arrive an hour early so I pulled over in a Walmart parking lot about 15 minutes away and texted KC remembering that she lived up that way. Being the perfect friend any horse loving woman needs in her life, she responded that she was only 25 minutes away and would be right over! The two hours waiting for the vet plus the time with the vet and the stress of deciding what to do with the information I had received was all made much more enjoyable bu her company. Thanks KC for coming out!
When I went to get him Sunday, he loaded right up although I could tell he wasn’t sure about how to use the ramp and unloaded at home a little worried but none the worse for wear. It didn’t help that it was nearing 100F.
I put him out in the back pasture by himself to stretch his legs and get some time on the grass. He was in a dirt paddock at his last place so I want to introduce him slowly to the grass.
Of course I immediately texted Trainer to set up our first lesson together. I’m giving him some days off to get acquainted with his new digs before asking anything of him.
I was a little worried I wouldn’t be able to catch him again, but he put those fears to rest very quickly. As soon as I got near the pasture his ears perked up and he came running to meet me. I put him inside for a few hours to cool off and relax off the grass.
He then got to go back out for a while before coming in for the night. I’m hoping to get him out with Gem and Pete 24/7 by the weekend since then I’ll be back to work and he will either be stalled all day or out all day. I can’t get home to move him.
He continues to be super easy to be around. He is a little mouthy but not in a mean biting sort of way. More in the steal your hat, grab your phone out of your pocket and dump and mouthful of water down your back silly kind of way. Having had aloof Gem and scared Pete for the last near decade, this is all new territory for me. It’s fun! And a bit annoying. But mostly fun!
We will see how he settles in over the next couple of days and then I’ll hop on him in a lesson to see where we are starting from. More on my thoughts about that later.
For now I’m just so excited to be starting this next chapter with a really cool horse !
Ok, so I know I said no TBs or WBs, but….I made the appointment to see this horse prior to coming to that realization and he was only 30 minutes from me. His ad read nicely for 90% of it and then BAM!…at the very end “needs an experienced rider”. Huh. I messaged the owner to see why when the rest of the ad was perfect, ammy friendly blabber. Turned out she put that in there to put off lesson program types. Or so she said.
You get no media of this horse because I wasn’t in the mood.
D is a 16.1H WB/TB cross and is 11 years old. Currently schooling 3′ at home with a nice jumping record. He had been cross country schooling with a can do attitude. Great w/t/c. He was being sold due to her daughter getting out of horses.
So shiny. So much attitude.Â
I sent her my usual blast of questions: can he handle a 2 day a week home ride/2 lessons a month/2 shows a year life style? Is he confident over fences? Any major vices? Etc…I’m pretty specific and annoying, but it has weeded out a lot of horses that I would have otherwise wasted my time seeing.
Einstein crawling into the pond. He is special.Â
Everything came back peachy, so I made the appointment to see him. Then it got rained out. And rained out again. Finally last weekend it was sunny and the ground dry enough so Dusty, Wyatt and I made the trip.
As soon as I saw him I knew it was a nope. He was big, he had a worried look in his eye, was petrified of Wyatt being anywhere near him and it turned out her daughter wasn’t getting out of horses but was in fact scared of him. Lovely little lie there in the ad.
The dogs playing in the pond which is currently mildly flooded.Â
Since we made the trip I let her show him off. Only the girl would only flat him. She was too scared to jump him. Red flag!!! No way I was going to if he owner wouldn’t. I also found out from the BM, who was present much to the chagrin of the seller, that he does best in a 5-6 day a week program, tended to bolt between fences and would probably be best in ears plugs.
Wyatt exploring the woods out back. We rarely go back there though I’m not sure why. Laziness probably.Â
Thanks for all the lies lady. I mean, what did she expect? I’d see a horse and buy it anyway just because?? Good thing they were close.
Team Bay. The hunter pace got cancelled due to all the recent rain, but that didn’t stop us from heading out anyway. These three couldn’t be more different from each other, but they go along so well.Â
I did get on and walk/trot but was way too nervous to do anything else and I sure wasn’t gong to jump him. I got off telling her that there was no way I was buying this horse.
Ugh.
But…the nice thing is that it confirmed that I do not want a flashy TB or WB or any variation thereof. I’m sure that horse could clean house at shows with the right rider, but I am not that rider.
Gem: There are many humans. Mine is stupid and gets us lost ALL THE TIME.
I’m continuing to search but honestly I feel a bit deflated. There is just nothing out there that I want. I have time. I keep telling myself to be patient. Its getting old though and I only just began!
As I reached out to yet another seller only to read through the answers with an ever sinking heart knowing with each response that this wasn’t going to be right either, it dawned on me that I haven’t the foggiest idea what I am doing here.
What do I want?
What do I need?
Are they the same?
Mare is looking HOT this spring!! No filters, no tweaking, she is this legit shiny this year. You’d never know she is turning 20 next month.Â
It is complicated by the fact that Gem is difficult. Just how difficult wasn’t even clear to me until after I started riding all these other horses. Even the ones that weren’t a good fit for me were still light years easier to ride. They were, at their core, obedient horses who wanted to do what I asked. Unlike one certain bay mare who basically gives me the middle finger and determines that she knows better all. the. time. About everything.
So the bar is set pretty low and that makes every horse seem sorta like “the one”. I mean, pretty much anything would be better for this sport, right?
Pete is looking mighty fine at 28 as well. Too bad he retired himself last year or I would just use him as my eventing mount. He loved to jump.Â
I reached out to a seller with a horse my Trainer loosely knows from a 2 week stint at her place last year. He is going intermediate. He happens to be at the top, but still in my budget. I asked my basic questions, got some answers I liked and some I didn’t and then sat back and thought “What the hell am I doing? I don’t need nor do I want a horse that is going intermediate. I will never go intermediate.”
What is it that I really want? I mean, if all goes well this horse will take me into my 50s. I better like this next horse.
At the start of all this I knew a few things:
Basically obedient and easy to get along with. No more fights about pace every single stride. No more fast brain going a million miles an hour faster than I can keep up with.
Goes w/t/c easily, no fuss and no issues.
Jumping 2’3″-2’6″ with a love for the job
Has been out on trails and over a cross country course at least once without showing complete disdain for the job
Safe and sane on the ground. Must be trust worthy around my kiddo.
No big vices: must stand for vet and farrier, trailer well, go out in the pasture with a mixed herd, no buck, bolt or rear. That sort of thing.
Having now ridden several very different horses I have added the following to my list:
Nothing over 16.2H and I prefer a compact build. Really prefer around 15.2-16H
Not a kick ride. I don’t want to have to nag my horse to death to get them moving.
Also not a hot head, tense mess. I already have that with Gem thank you very much
Not already requiring maintenance. I don’t want a horse who is already undergoing special shoes, pads, injections every month and a host of supplements to get around a 2′ course. That doesn’t bode well for the longevity I am after.
Even with all that listed out, I still felt lost this morning thinking about what I really wanted. Within those guidelines is a lot of wiggle room. Does the horse need to have an eventing record or is schooling enough? Does it need to have an auto lead change? Is a professionally trained horse ok or does it need to have ammy experience as well? What type of rider even am I: beginner, advanced beginner, intermediate? Does the ad have to be for a beginner only or would I be ok on a horse needing and advanced beginner rider?
And all this was wrapped up in the greatest unknown: with a different horse more suited to the sport, would I even like it then? I love jumping and all the nuances it brings, but am I brave enough for the cross country course? Is it even important to get a horse that goes cross country?
Wyatt has been leading Gem in and out for dinner each night. She is such a good girl with him and carefully monitors where he is so she does not step on him. Apparently word got out that if you trample my kid you get sold.
While I sat at the red light heading into work, I thought about all of these things. It finally dawned on me as I pulled into my parking lot. What I really want, deep down when being 100% honest with myself is Gem. Only a well behaved version that actually cares about rider input. More like Pete really.
I don’t want a flashy WB. I don’t want an OTTB or even a non raced TB. I don’t want an import. I don’t want something running prelim even if it is in my budget.
I want a run of the mill, home bred, basic horse. A QH, draft cross, appy, mustang type horse. A minimal maintenance, hardy as all get out, no shoes required, no blankets required, can get cut by razor wire and not flinch (ok maybe not that last one) type horse. I want the same lifestyle I’ve had with Gem and Pete, two very hardy self sufficient horses, only with a better attitude and willingness to do the thing.
It will not stop raining. Wyatt is enjoying the puddles to no end.Â
I like my current horse lifestyle. I like not worrying about blanketing or shoes. I like it taking 2 months to get through a 50lb bag of feed for two horses. Heck, I could pull all grain and still have fat horses except I like the ration balancer to make sure they get all their nutrients. I like them living outside and doing fine. I’m not ready to take on a horse that inherently needs a lot more than that. Not that those horses aren’t amazing athletes. In fact those horses are way better athletes and will have a more accomplished record than I’ll ever have. It’s just so different than what I’m used to and I’m not ready to make that change right now. Low maintenance allows me to continue doing this horse thing without it feeling overwhelming with the rest of my life.
So I’m ignoring all the ads for OTTBs, Unraced TBs, big warmbloods and the like. I’m sure I’m missing dozens of amazing horses and I know not all horses require the same amount even in the same breed but if I’m looking for the exception to a rule I’d rather find the breed that fits my lifestyle better. I need to find a draft cross, QH, mustang or the like that can cart me around and over jumps. I’m not a competitive person at heart and I won’t be able to make it to enough shows to care about points or year ends. What I want is safety, soundness and fun.
What I really, really want happens to be incredibly hard to find around here. I live close enough to Aiken that pretty much every horse I see is OTTB or WB with an eventing record. I refuse to buy a horse untried and can’t make a tour of the US trialing horses that end up being nothing like the ad. I’m really hopeful that the trip to MD will be fruitful as that farm posts a lot of horses I really like that can jump and have been exposed to it, but are more all around type horses that are safe, sound and sane and are mostly QH or draft crosses. So maybe that will be my answer. Yesterday they posted yet another cool looking horse making me wish my appointment was sooner. Hopefully I can meet up with some of you guys while I’m there and we can have a horse testing party. If not, I may have to move to another state until I find a horse as this area is proving expensive and in another class from what I want.
Trainer mentioned during the long, sad drive home Friday that her prelim horse was back home with her and she was meeting up with Bette at a hunter Pace Sunday. She invited me to tag along.
Back in her endurance gear and looking gorgeous
I then spent all of Saturday in a major funk. Losing A was depressing to say the least. Sunday morning I woke up determined to no longer be sad, so I took her up on her invite and loaded my very fat, nearly pregnant looking mare in the trailer to out run my sorrows.
Ignore that she is fat. That is what 2 months off and a ton of grass will get you
The ride didn’t disappoint. The company was fantastic, the horses all paced well together and the trails were gorgeous. Horse therapy wins again.
It was great to not only get Gem back to her roots, but to share that with Trainer and Bette. Trainer has only seen the frustrated side of Gem and it was really nice to show her off in her element. It gave Trainer a whole new opinion of her.
My favorite black tipped ears. Gem was so good for this ride. She led, she followed, she cantered in open fields. She was ready to get back to what she loves.Â
It also showed me just how much Gem loves the trail and how much she hates jumping. We’ve spent the last 14 months working solely on jumping and she still balked at every stick across the trail. Gem doesn’t like this new gig. It isn’t fair for me to keep asking it of her.
Great company. I had major hair envy of Trainer’s gelding’s tail.Â
After I got home with her and saw her happily canter off in the pasture with Pete and roll, I knew I couldn’t ask her to continue to do this. No more lessons. No more cross country schools. No more jumper shows.
Helliot is a gorgeous hunk of a beast. Belgian/TB cross home bred running Prelim. And you can see Bette in the back laughing. You can’t help but smile and laugh when she is around. It was the best way to cure the horse blues.
I’ll continue to ride her at home in the arena just for fun and to keep her in shape and that may include a few small jumps here and there but there won’t be any more jumping exercises or attempts to force her into a role she doesn’t want to fill. More paces are in our future. More time spent back on the trail.
Gem spent a good portion wondering why we weren’t trotting and “winning” this thing. She never got the memo that it wasn’t in fact a race.
I still want to learn to jump. I still want to go cross country. My hunt for a partner that will enjoy these activities continues although I feel a bit jaded. There is a new horse to try this week if the rain stops. He sounds promising and if he doesn’t work, well I’m sure at some point another will pop up. Some day I’ll find my new partner.
In the meantime, my current partner won’t be asked to do work she despises. We will return to our roots and have fun with friends on trail. It would be nice if at 20 years of age she could maybe perhaps start listening to my input especially at the canter instead of going off where ever she pleases. I doubt that will ever happen. She thinks I’m useless. Who needs power steering anyway?
Damn my fit 100 mile horse is FAT! Time for a diet and a lot more trail exercise.
Trainer is seriously the best person I’ve ever met. Just putting that out there.
Friday was an anxious morning as I awaited the time to leave and go see my little A again. Thankfully Trainer was free to come with me which provided much needed company, distraction and grounding throughout. This was my first ever PPE. Neither Gem nor Pete got one when we bought them which ended up working out just fine. However this guy was off the track, young and had a specific purpose ahead of him. I needed to know before I bought him that he would be able to physically do what I was wanting.
First selfie
The vet was well versed in the world of OTTBs and warned me from the start that by purchasing an OTTB I’m already agreeing to some maintenance and wear and tear. The goal of the exam is to make sure there isn’t anything lurking that would be career ending.
I don’t really have the heart to go into all the details. While he was perfectly sound the week prior and in all his sales videos, he lunged off on the RF and LH right out of the barn. Flexions were 3/5 RF with strongly positive heel compression that made the vet concerned for coffin joint or navicular issues. When we went back inside the plan was to start taking X-rays of the RF and if clean move to the LH.
And we stopped at the RF. The navicular showed pretty advanced changes. The vet told me a dozen times that you can’t diagnose navicular from radiographs but that every red flag was being raised and every box was being checked off.
We had a heart to heart. I called Dusty. I told Trainer to give it to me straight. We discussed the fact that he was overdue for new shoes and his feet were not in balance. We discussed the fact that he was sound a week prior.
Then I made the comment “I can’t have a future lame horse at 8 years old.”
And the vet replied “You have a lame horse now at 6 years old. The question is can he be made sound with shoes, os phos etc..”
That hit home.
With tears in my eyes I made the call to say no. Trainer agreed. Sure he was sound last week and he may be sound next week, but do I need a horse right now with all my hopes and dreams laid out on the table that may be sound one day and not the next?
It was heart breaking to drive home with an empty trailer.
It is heart breaking wondering what will happen to this sweet heart of a gelding at 6 years old with 20 years ahead of him and navicular changes in his foot. I know a lot of you have amazing OTTBs and he made me fall in love with the breed but I hate the industry that runs horses too hard too young and destroys them for life. Horses can live into their 30s sound and happy. Look out in my yard and you’ll see a fat, shiny and 100% sound 28 year old Pete and an equally amazing 20 year old Gem.
I’m sad. I loved that little guy. Trainer fell hard for him too. I tried looking at new ads but they all suck and my heart isn’t in it right now. I was so depressed Saturday that I ate ice cream for dinner. Doesn’t sound so odd except I swore off sugar 3 months ago and haven’t touched it since. I was that down.
I still have my scheduled appointment in MD May 11th/12th. That gives me some hope. There will be another horse. Maybe even better than A. I hope he gets a soft landing. I’d give him a forever home as a pasture pet here if they gave him to me. He was that awesome.
Onward I suppose. The Universe can sure suck at times.
That white blaze a few stalls down from B ended up belonging to a 15.3H 6 year old OTTB who was built more like a QH and had an overall zen type feel about him.
He sauntered past crazy eyes without missing a beat or taking much notice and stood in the cross ties like an old man. His kind eye and old man soul really captured my heart from the get go. He was pleasant to be around, neither pushy nor scary. I’m not really an “in your pocket” type horse owner. That drives me crazy. He was soft and quietly enjoyed attention without balking or begging.
Wyatt introduced him to the barn kitten. He didn’t bat an eye at the fluff ball shoved up his nose by the kiddo. Earning brownie points galore.Â
Of course, stand in had no information on him but I was easily able to find his online sales ad. No use trying out a horse double my budget!
The ad pulled up easily enough and I introduced myself to A. According to that, he was a professional eventer’s horse and was currently running novice. He had no vices, was described as being “honest but not dumb brave”, and had a “catty feel in stadium without being hot” Interesting. I’m not exactly sure what that last part meant, but he was so gentle and kind looking that I had to give him a go.
I walked all around him poking, prodding and picking up his feet. At one point I looked over and found Wyatt wrapping his arms around him in a huge hug. A just stood there with a soft look in his eye and took the hug like a champ. Brownie points achieved.
The arena was a 10 minute hike through deep sand to the back of the property and I headed off as soon as he was tacked up to get a head start as well as to secretly spy on his progress. He stood still to be mounted at the mounting block and walked casually off when asked.
The stand in girl was a prelim level rider, so it wasn’t a true test of how he would do with a newbie like me but it would be interesting since she had never ridden him before so at least it wasn’t someone who knew all his buttons like the back of their hand. She also used her own tack which was a high end CWD saddle which was dangerous. I forgot how good a high end saddle could feel.
The arena ended up being a large open field with a small dressage court marked out on one end and jumps strewn about the other. She started to fiddle with her stirrups and he ambled around. That raised a red flag for me as I wondered if he didn’t have any brakes, but it turned out that she just didn’t care because as soon as she asked him to halt he did.
She then proceeded with the now familiar show of the horse: w/t/c both directions and then several jumps taken from the trot and canter. Her biggest comment was that he liked a lot of contact to go in the lovely frame she had him in but other than that she said nothing stuck out at her during her first ever ride on the little guy.
It was then my turn and all my new horse nerves kicked into high gear. I was fully prepared to not like him. He looked like he was a lot more forward than all the others I had tried and I climbed aboard with a knot in my stomach.
As soon as I got him going though it disappeared. He felt like coming home. After riding all those long, lanky horses A felt so much like my Gem in his forward and shorter strides and more compact way of going. Yet he listened and had brakes.
I got him to collect into his nice frame for short periods but I wasn’t able to get him to hold it like she did. I’ve never ridden a horse that required so much contact, but when I rode him correctly it felt really good.
He was sensitive to my leg in that he required a light aide to respond, but he was nowhere near as hypersensitive as Gemmie. It was a good feeling to have him respond without the need for me to constantly nag yet allow my leg to remain on without becoming hollow and tense. He was the way I wished Gem was.
I also liked that he put up with my incredibly rigid grade C riding that was occurring. I was starting to fade in the heat and with all the nervous energy I had carried all day. My rigid elbows and tense hips would have given him every reason to act out and yet he didn’t. He simply went around dealing with me the best he could and trying to give me what I was asking for. Even when I was asking for two different things at the same time.
While the flat work was fun, what really lit me up was his jumping. When he rode with the girl, he looked like a sports car out there eating up the inside turns. I approached the jump from an insanely slow and tense trot and he followed suit jumping over without hesitation and coming back to a trot on the backside. The second approach I eased up a bit and he stayed with me. He looked for the jumps and I knew he would go over anything I pointed him at.
I finished wishing I had ridden better but I was hot, tired and not on my A game at all. I walked back to the barn with him and the wheels were turning in my head. I liked him. I really liked him. He was kind and patient. He was much more the type of horse I thought I’d end up with versus the huge beasts I had been trying. Would he be a good match for me? Could I get over all the lessons Gem taught me and learn to relax on him? I wasn’t as insta-relaxed as I had been on the mare F, but I also had a lot more fun riding him with his more effortless and forward stride versus the constant nagging of all my leg aides to get the mare going.
But he was only 6 and had been a pro ride for the last two years. Would he be able to handle my mistakes and mixed signals and PTSD? Would he backslide in his training when he realized we wouldn’t be going novice like ever?
As we left I sent Trainer all 20 videos from both N and A and hunkered down to await her reply. I wanted A. I could picture the next 20 years with him. He was the only horse I had tried to date that I could picture excitedly pulling from the pasture and riding. I knew he would test me more than the other lesson type horses, but I also knew he had the most potential to unlock things for me and push me to trust and enjoy this sport.
I wanted A.
I made Dusty’s ears bleed the entire 2 hour drive home. Was I making a bad decision? What did he think? He has known me through all of my time with Gem. He knew me before her as we travelled through France together horseback. He knows me better than anyone. His opinion? Buy A. He thought he would be good for me. Fun, trust worthy and would force me to continue to learn and grow instead of becoming a passenger. He knew I could ride him better once I let go of my issues and trusted him. He could picture Wyatt on him in the not so distant future.
I also texted Emma and probably made her eyes bleed. I sent her his JC name which I had already looked up (18 starts, 1 win, $9800 earnings) and then when I got his USEA/USEF name I sent that to her as well. We found his record. We found some pictures from his recognized shows which were all up in her neck of the woods and found out that he had been through the YEH program. We also found a picture of his one RF on record where he crashed in front of the fence. I’m not sure I recommend finding those. She brought up good questions which I later brought up to Trainer.
Was I out horsing myself? Would he do well outside of his professional program? Was his record at novice strong enough to make him educated enough for me? Would I bring him home and crash and burn?
Or would I learn to ride him better over time and put away my doubts? Would he open new doors and teach me how to trust? Would he take me across the next cross country course calmly and with bravery? Would his past training with the pro shine through?
All the while I was convinced Trainer would laugh at me and tell me hell no. He was only 6! And not a lesson horse! And so very different than all the others!
When she called me that night and told me she loved him I was ecstatic. She wasn’t worried about his age and she loved his easy going nature. She answered all my questions and responded to my doubts. She loved him and told me she was excited to begin lessons for us.
The two people I trust the most both told me to buy the horse.
I slept on it that night and annoyed both Trainer and Hubby again the next morning. I still wanted A. Badly. I asked Trainer for the dozenth time if she would be ok with me purchasing him. After all she would be dealing with us for years to come.
After they both repeated that they were on board with this decision, I messaged the seller and put my deposit down. Then on Monday I scheduled the PPE, a whole journey of its own. It is scheduled for tomorrow and if all goes well he gets to come home with me right after.
I’m excited!
And nervous.
This is a whole new world for me. A well trained horse. An off the track thoroughbred. A 6 year old. It will mean learning to trust and let go. I can’t wait to begin this new journey of opening up new doors and learning new skills on a partner who is equally interested in the adventure. Gem took me places I never dreamed of going and taught me so many things I never would have learned without her. Hopefully A can do the same in a much more forgiving manner which can then allow me to also ride Gem but with more skill and knowledge.
The next farm was only 15 minutes away and was down an old dirt road. It was an interesting layout with multiple smaller facilities sharing this road and connecting into a POA, similar to an HOA but with property. There was a shared grass arena at the very back.
I was a bit put off when I arrived to find a stand in for the seller who knew absolutely nothing about the horse I was slated to see. I gave them the benefit of the doubt though since I tacked them on last minute and she wasn’t even in town having traveled with several show horses somewhere up north. Still, you would think she would have educated the stand in about the horse.
B is a 16H OTTB. I can’t recall his age, somewhere between 6-8 I believe. He was going novice and described in his ad as amateur friendly with a non traditional jumping style that was easy to ride. He had no vices under saddle and no known soundness issues.
The one warning I got from the seller was that he did not do well in a stall. He “stall walked” as she put it, but did great outside and was good to be groomed and bathed.
He seemed like a well put together fellow but he was a psycho and there was no way I was getting on him. He looked scared to death in the cross ties and on the verge of rearing.
I told them to put him outside. I wouldn’t be testing him after all.
A very nice looking, if half crazed gelding in the cross ties. Hmmm…what is that face in the background….Â
Which was a shame because to date he was the best looking horse I had seen. His condition was perfect and his coat shiny and healthy compared to all the others that looked like they needed a whole lot of groceries and some conditioning rides. Truth be told I was a bit hesitant to check out this place, even though it came highly recommended by KC of Pilgrim fame, because I had never been to a barn that focused on sales before and I worried the horses wouldn’t be as well taken care of. I was very wrong and every horse I saw on the property was in a great weight with good muscle and a shiny coat.
I can’t have a half crazed horse around my 5 year old son though and this poor guy would not have fit in well at our house.
As I was turning to walk away and head back home I spotted this cute little head in the stall down the aisle and inquired about him….
After riding the first two, I got a bug up my butt about getting a new horse. It was so eye opening for me and honestly my motivation to keep pushing forward with what I have is quickly waning.
As Dusty pointed out, how do I progress in my own riding when I’m constantly in self preservation mode?
So I caved and put out a way too specific and probably off putting ISO ad to local Facebook groups. Which landed me a response for a barrel horse. Odd.
Anyway….
It also landed me N who was 2 hours away. He sounded really cool, so I also booked another out that way that looked promising. More on that one later though.
N is a 16.3H, 16 year old Irish Sport horse. He has gone through novice and is currently a lesson horse for rank beginners through advanced. The owner sent me a video of him taking a petrified looking tiny girl xc for the first time and he looked like a calm cucumber. Definitely worth the drive to check him out.
There are worse ways to spend an 80 degree Saturday than horse shopping in the eventing capitol. I’m just saying.
So N….
I arrived before the seller and hung out by his pasture. He was huge. I think he is bigger than 16.3H but not important. He was super sweet though and came over to say hello to me right off the bat. I really liked that and the calm look in his eyes.
His condition was a bit off putting. Pete, at 28, is in way better condition than he is at 16. He looked every bit 10 years older but was a sweet heart on the ground and didn’t care about the no less than 10 rowdy dogs chasing, fighting and playing all around him.
As I was waiting for the seller to arrive, I took a look around the property and saw this adorable little chestnut gelding with some chrome in a neighboring pasture. He was a lot smaller and more compact and I thought to myself “Why can’t I find a horse like that. That is what I want, not a big school bus of a horse.” Unfortunately, he wasn’t for sale so it was on to trying out N.
It was a bit of a hike down to the arena which was good for me to see as it was a tiny trail ride type environment. The seller rode him first and he looked very amenable to all the things.
When I got on him, I felt ok. Not scared at his size but not yet comfortable enough to ask much. He liked to curl his head to evade real work and that is not something I’ve ever experienced. Typically I deal with the opposite: giraffe high head and hollow back.
His movement was also big. How could it not be? It took a while to get used to the feeling and to be honest I never fully did.
His canter was nice though. The downward back to trot was awkward but that was a reflection on me throwing him away and not him. His hind end seemed to need some building too and I think after conditioning he would be stronger and better able to use himself.
After that we left the lower ring and headed to the jump ring up the hill. I had her lower a jump to baby cross rail height and came around to go over.
And he did once he stopped curling his head in and took notice. It was funny. The seller remarked “I can tell you ride a horse who doesn’t always jump. You don’t need to use such a driving seat and leg to get him to jump”
And she was right. He made jumping insanely easy. Wyatt could jump this horse. I felt so comfortable that I asked her to make it a vertical. He was that easy and had there been xc jumps present I would have happily done them too.
In the end though two things turned me off. His age wasn’t an issue but his condition was. He looked sad and older than he was. The bigger deal though was a certain spark that I’m after. It’s nice that he did the job but he wasn’t looking for the jumps. He wasn’t seeking them or asking to jump. He did it because he is too well trained and inherently obedient not to. I want a horse who loves to jump. A horse who seeks them out and enjoys the game.
I was very intrigued by the future he could provide for me, but in the end I passed. While I want an easier horse than I currently have, I also want to grow as a rider and having a horse that does everything himself regardless of the monkey on his back would be easy but not productive. I want a horse trained above my level, but that will hold me accountable for riding well.
When I sent the videos above (plus another 10) to Trainer she agreed 100% with me and told me to pass. I was a bit surprised. I was thinking she wanted this level of horse for me but apparently not. It was refreshing to see that we were on the same page as I trust her and will walk away if she says to.
The Roaming Rider 