Rescue Me

Looking into a rehoming/rescue horse. Don't have much time to write about it now but working on having him for a trial period to see if we "click" and he may come to be with me. He's a nine year old 16.3 hands tall chestnut thoroughbred.

Next step?

I went to see the horse that I hoped would be "the one". Piled the whole family in the Explorer, took the almost 3 hr. drive to get there and met the owner. She was very nice and we got right to business. She answered my questions about the horse as she tacked up and brought her in the indoor. Then she rode her for me first.

This mare is cute in a super-chunky kind of way. She looks like she could be Rugby's littler big sister. She has the same big, nice bare feet, same thick jowls and chubby mouth. She's almost all black except for a big white blaze, two white socks and a white splash on her belly. However, she's much closer coupled, 4 inches shorter and has more work put into her.

After the owner walk, trot cantered her for a few minutes, I mounted up. Her walk and trot work is really nice, she likes a steady firm leg and a good rein contact. She actually seems to prefer you ride on contact instead of with a loop to the rein. Her canter is not as nice as her trot. For a close-coupled horse, she can really move! Her stride is huge. She's not strong and responds well to the bit but she is very forward. She's not as connected through the canter and I had to sit deep and ask through the seat and leg to keep to a canter without breaking. Her left lead is better than her right. Her owner said she's better cantering in a larger arena and the canter is where she needs more balance. I thought it odd such a lovely trot and walk didn't flow into a great canter. She willingly trotted ground poles but I didn't take her over any jumps.

I did like the horse. The owner said she has a few more people lined up to look at her. I told her I wouldn't buy the horse without a vet check. She agreed but if I plan to do it she would like it scheduled sometime this week to get a "yes" or "no" from me in case she gets another firm offer. I have a friend getting me the number of a vet from the same area in NJ to call.

But part of me is leery. And I'm not sure if I'm just gun-shy or really unsure. I can see this horse being a good hunter pace, field hunter, trail and fun kind of horse. Isn't that what I want? But that less than relaxing canter had me kind of worried. Can I "fix" it? Or is that just her? Will she be a freight train galloping in the field? And I wish I could ride her again before I decide but she's not close by.

And to top it off, I leave again at the end of this week for my second business trip, this time to Houston so the pressure is on. No time to focus on anything. In addition, I have a broken tooth that hit critical mass just before I left for Las Vegas and it is KILLING me. My dentist gave me 800mg ibuprofin but it's not helping. Tomorrow I go in to start the root canal that will hopefully relieve some of the pain and start me on the way to a post and crown. Great. I'm not fortunate to have dental insurance, so this tooth will cost me about half of my horse budget.

Maybe I should give it up. I just don't think I'm going to find another good horse.

Ten together - Two apart

Ever in my heart, always on my mind. Two years ago today, Monty crossed the Rainbow Bridge. In memory, here are some pictures of my sweet boy and I in some of our happiest moments that I haven't shared before. Above is us at our first horse show in May of 1999.


This is in the Adult Amateur Hunters flat class at that show. All I did that day was the one flat class, LOL!


And the results were great, we won that flat class, out of about 8 or so horses.


This is just a sweet picture of us taken back in 2001. Notice the little pink diamond on his nose? I called it his "kissy spot" because it was the perfect place to plant a smooch.

And the horse I mentioned in my previous post, the one I hoped would still be for sale after I returned from my trip? The snow has kept the other prospective buyer away and I have an appointment to see her tomorrow. Wish me a little luck!

That time again

January is not my favorite month. Mostly because I have a lot of travel for business in this month and it makes everything feel rushed and hectic and I don't like leaving my family. But also because there's an anniversary in the middle of the month that is especially hard to deal with. Two years ago I was in Las Vegas for business when I got that phone call that Monty was not doing well. And two days later I came home to find him existing on pain medication and mushy food with his tumors compromising his normal bodily functions.

The next morning, I said goodbye and the vet euthanized my sweet boy.

I miss him so much.

My trip to Vegas is once again fast approaching and this year, there is no horse of my own waiting for me to love through the pain of my remembrance.

But there is a tiny hope.

My horsey blog friend "On The Bit" gave me a lead to a horse she found out of the blue. I have contacted the owner and this lovely horse has my heart in knots. Everything about her seems tailor made to a perfect fit for me. She's not too far away. She has no vices. She has a loving owner and has been properly cared for and is up to date on all her vet work. She's nicely broke to ride and looks like a comfortable horse to work with. She's in my budget and she's the right size.

I want to see her NOW. But I can't because of this business trip. There is another person scheduled to look at the horse next week and because of my trip I can't get there first. I've seen pictures and video and have this feeling in my heart that she is the one. It will kill me if I come back and find she's been sold and I lost my chance because I had to be away.

Please, send a wish my way that this horse is still available when I get back. I just want my luck to change.

Happy New Year - whatever.

2009 sucked. 2010 sucked some more. Just praying I don't pull a hat trick of suckiness.

But there was a bright spot yesterday. Both of my boys jumped a cross rail for the first time in their riding lessons yesterday. I will never forget the look of surprise on their faces the first time the pony hopped over the cross rail, then the huge grin of sheer joy when they realized that they finally got their wish and actually JUMPED over a fence! Two years of lessons and they were finally getting air time!

The second time over they tried harder to keep their heels down and hold mane when they released. By the 3rd and 4th times they were tight and smiling the whole time.

Christmas is over, a new year looms

Another Christmas is over. Hope yours was a merry one. Yesterday I turned to my husband and sighed that I just realized it was the first Christmas in 35 years that I didn't have a horse to call my own. I didn't ask for or want any stable or riding gear. No need. Felt weird. Hope it doesn't become "the new normal".

So we've been gifted with a generous dumping of snow. The kids are psyched about that. Better gift than the Nerf guns they got from Santa. It's weird not to have a horse to worry about and go to check up on when the weather is bad. But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't slightly a relief, too. See, the "new normal".

I can say that as much as I thought 2009 sucked, 2010 really surprised me by sucking as much or more. Will 2011 bring something good? I have no resolutions and no goals for this new year. No dreams means no let-downs.

At least half boarding Ruby has been a brighter spot than I imagined. His owner is a sweet, easy lady to deal with and Ruby is one of those horses it's just a pleasure to ride and work with every time. He has eased my bitterness somewhat but makes me wish for a horse of my own even more.

Riddle me this

RANT WARNING: This is not a "sunshine and butterflies" post.

How do you find a horse when your budget is minimal? (and by minimal, I mean 5k or less)

I've been looking and trying horses. All I hear is, "in this economy there are lots of horses needing homes" and "you can find a decent horse for a low price" and "Thoroughbreds are a dime a dozen these days".

Really?

Really?

Oh yes, there are lots of horses needing homes. The same kind of horses that needed homes before. Old ones. Lame ones. Sick ones. Unbroke ones. Backyard foals. Horses with training/mental issues. And as much as I want a horse of my own, I actually want to ride it. And not just at the walk.

Then, when you find an ad for one that seems within your budget that's pictured with a rider on it's back and hopefully sound and you go to check it out, this is what you get:

- the horse is listed as being 16.2 hands tall when it barely is 16 hands tall and built downhill. Well sorry that just sucks for me because when I say I need a horse 16.2 and up I'm not stroking my ego, I really DO need that tall horse because I'm 5'9" tall and not exactly a small boned gal.

- The horse needs a GPS to get around the arena. That's not just "green" that's WTF is this thing in my mouth and why is this person sitting on me "green".

- the horse isn't up to date with its shots or coggins or hasn't seen a vet in who knows how long. So, how am I supposed to bring it into my barn even if I decide to buy it? I don't think the other boarders are going to be all warm and fuzzy with a case of strangles or God knows what else if my luck keeps it's recent course.

- sometimes I check out horses slightly above my budget and I'm baffled that they are even worse than the ones listed BELOW my price range!

- I find horses in my budget that seem like a good prospect but they are out of state. That will require me taking time off from work, finding a babysitter and spending money to travel to look at them. So unless I am so frickin' sure this horse is going to rock my world I have to scratch them off my list.

- I tried one horse who had gaits so rough that my lower back was hurting by the time I got to the canter. Sorry. No. Whatever years I have left in the saddle, I don't need to live on Advil and wear a back brace to try and ride.

- horse is not traveling right behind and he's only 6 years old. I'm told he is a little stiff today and needs to warm up. At 6 years old? No - how about - his hocks are shot already and you'll be paying for injections until he's burned out in a few more years.

- horse is obviously somewhat underweight when you go to try him and you're told he's been sitting around doing no work because of any number of reasons so he isn't muscled up. You ride the horse and he's kind of quiet if you have REALLY soft hands but gets forward to the jumps. And you think to yourself, as soon as the weight is put on and you add proper muscling I'm going to need a gag to take him for a walk.

- You see the horse is wearing a huge, ugly cribbing collar when they bring him out to be tacked up. Just NO. Monty turned out to be a cribber after I bought him and I HATE cribbing collars and having to deal with that but thankfully Monty was so damn cute and wonderful that I didn't care and he gave up cribbing when I moved into the vet's barn. So, if the horse is wearing a cribbing collar he'd better be a stunner to look at and blow me away with his manners and skills before I'll go there.

- I live in fear of finding one I really like, then having it vetted and paying a bunch of money to find out it is a mess and then I'm a little more broke and still horseless.

See, I have a problem. I know too much. Monty set a bar so high for me to know what a good horse should be that you can't sell me on promises. I wanted to believe in potential when I took on Rugby but after what happened to me with him I'm just bitter on top of everything else. Yeah, I understand no horse is perfect, but I am very aware of what imperfections can be dealt with and which are just NO.

My frustration grows each time I look at a horse and my time is wasted. And it isn't going to get better in my budget.

Am I whining? Maybe, and I don't give a fat rat's ass. This all just sucks. I hate what's happened to me. I didn't deserve it, I can't fix it and unless I win a lottery I won't be able to change it.