My horse search - part the first

So, looking for a new horse when you have had a bad experience the last time is quite daunting.

When I bought my horse last year, I was all excited and overconfident in my abilities. I had ridden alot as a teenager and knew nothing of the creature called "fear". I could ride English or Western no problem. Sure, I was now 15 years older and many pounds heavier, but I could do it all. I knew how to work with horses -right? Sure! You bet!

Boy, did I overestimate everything - my confidence, my riding ability, the way I looked in breeches (yikes!)... So, here we are are, 1 yr later - my ego and my confidence cracked and shaken.

My horse search this time around took a very different tone. I had learned alot in the past year, both about my abilities and what I needed to look for in a horse. My barn owner is a total gem and with her guidance, I learned alot of questions to ask and red flags to watch out for.

I started searching the local online horse ads back in March. I was looking for an older horse - over 1o, under 15.2hh (I'm really short), under a certain price range and lots of mileage - both in the ring and on the trails. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find something like that? I would say that over 90% of the horses listed for sale in this region are under 8 years old and green broke or need an experienced rider! The odds weren't looking good.

In the past year, I've met a few local barn owners and trainers. I sent out a few emails asking for horses that met my criteria. The responses were interesting and somewhat discouraging. Most people are working/training/selling youngsters - not what I was looking for. I guess all of the older, sane horses are hidden away somewhere. :-)

To be continued...