Finally - the search is over!!! :-D

So, I've kind of been holding out on you guys this past week.  I went to see a horse on Monday and I had a hunch he would be the one, but I decided not to say anything in case it didn't work out...

I found this horse online and emailed the owner within minutes of seeing the ad.  I have a list of standard questions I ask, as well as mentioning that I get a bit nervous in certain situations.  Her responses back were all positive and encouraging.  We exchanged a few emails and once I had enough information, I sent a big email with photos and videos to my two pseudo-coaches/advisors.

They liked him and one coach recognized the horse from some shows this summer. She also knew the owner's trainer very well and told me the lady was very well respected.  My coach called the owner's coach and they had a chat about the situation and I was given the green light to go try the horse.

I think I knew the minute I got on him that he was exactly what I was looking for.  Gelding, reg'd AQHA, 11yrs old, lots of western training, show experience, lots of trail experience, etc. etc. and the list keeps going.  He is just shy of 15.1hh and not a wide build. I was able to put my short legs to good use and we rode for about an hour, with some coaching.

I had a big smile on my face and knew this horse would be a good fit.  He was delivered to my house (yes, my house, not a boarding barn!!!!) this morning and I keep looking out the windows to see if it is real!  :-D

Spinner and his old owner at a show...

And here are a few photos from his first hour here. He is calm and just checking out his paddock. He is calling a bit, but he isn't nervous or panicked at all.  I'm not sure about a companion for him yet, I'm going to give it a couple of months and see how he does.  

not my trailer in the bg, sadly...

More posts to follow, as I get to know this new guy!

2012 goals and plans for the rest of the year

I can’t believe we are well into August already! This year is just flying by...probably thanks to all of the stuff I have been busy with this year.

I had a look at the goals for 2012 that I wrote and posted back in January. At first, I had a flash of disappointment, as I realized that very few of those goals were attainable now. That feeling passed quickly as I realized that maybe those goals weren’t what I wanted after all. Usually goals and talk of goals gets me all anxious – I like checking off boxes and “getting things done”, but that hasn’t really been working for me where horses are concerned. Horses and riding just don’t really do well with tight schedules and expectations, it seems. I think this year has taught me to take a step back and enjoy the process a bit more, instead of just panicking or getting depressed when a goal is unattainable. Does that make any sense?
I had big plans to do some endurance rides and volunteer at others, but that isn’t in the cards at all now – and, funny enough – I’m ok with that. I have taken a step back and have had to sort of start over in my horse plans.

My revised and very simple plan for the rest of 2012 is to find a suitable horse for day-to-day riding.

That in itself is a challenge! I was initially looking for the perfect horse – one that could show local club shows and maybe at the bigger QH shows down the road, as well as be the perfect trail horse. I haven’t had much luck finding something that versatile, so I’ve realized that maybe the show horse will have to wait. I also acknowledged that I don’t have the skills and finances right now to head into the show world. And I’m ok with that too. I seem to get caught up in the excitement of what other people are doing with their horses and want to do the same things without thinking about all of the details.

I have two more decent prospects lined up to visit this weekend. Hopefully one of them works out. I’m finding that I’ve lost some of my leg strength, so getting back in the saddle soon is important! If I can’t find a suitable horse, then I might try and lease one from the people down the road or at least take some lessons. I have lots of options and I’ll just go with whatever seems like the best idea at the time.

Officially horseless...and doing ok

So, Dolly sold this past week.  I'm happy about it overall, as the people seem to really like her.   It does feel really weird to not have a horse to take care of, let me tell you!

At first, I was trying to tell myself that maybe I would give up horses completely.  The past year or so has been tough on the ego and on the wallet, so I thought that I now had the chance to do something different.  The first night Dolly was gone, I cleaned my house top to bottom and still had a couple of hours of the evening to kill.

The second day, I cleaned and oiled all of my tack. The third day, I went down the road to the boarding stable to hang out with everyone and talk horses.  By day 4, I knew I couldn't be without a horse in my life in some way, as I just didn't know how to fill the gap that being horse-less had left in my days.

I've been searching horse ads for a few months now, trying to take my time and find something that is a good fit for my needs. I've been to see a few and rejected many more just by their ads and a few emails or phone calls with the owners.  I was all prepared to be patient and let something come along.

I had told myself I could also find a retired horse and take care of it - to have something to see in the pasture when I look out my windows.  That way there would be no pressure of riding/training and dealing with my confidence issues.  I thought it was a good plan and is still my back up if I can't find a suitable horse.  I have my eye on a few Standardbreds that I would like to give a home...

I've also been to two local horse shows with my new acquaintances from the barn down the road.  I enjoy seeing everyone all dressed up in their nice show tack.  My new coach was judging at one local show, so it was fun to talk to him and see what his thinking was for placing certain horses the way he did.

Coach D watches the halter folks get set up...

 We also took a day to drive to Vermont to have a little break. We went to Burlington, which is on Lake Champlain.  It is about a 5 hr drive from our place.

 The next day, on the way home, I went to see two AQHA horses in Quebec.  The bay is an older mare with lots of western pleasure training.  She was nice, but a bit tough to move off the leg.  She is a good prospect though, so I'm thinking about her...

And the second is a 7yr old mare that is broke, but would need a training refresher for the western pleasure type stuff. I really enjoyed this mare - she was sweet and willing to work.  Not too sensitive, but not too dead either.  I may go back and ride her again, just to see if my first instinct was right or not.  

So, I feel good about finding two decent prospects.  I'm hoping to take Coach D out to see the grey mare, but not sure if that will work out or not.  I find it a bit funny that I found two mares that I actually like, since I was dead-set on buying a gelding this time around!  I haven't found any decent geldings for sale - I guess people hold on to the quiet, well-trained ones???  Who knows, maybe by the end of the month I'll have a horse in my barn...!?!