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| Little Rhett! |
Also, thank you all for your kind comments, here and in person, and support. I am so grateful to hear from you -- it helps to know other people have been there and understand.
So The Sprinkler Bandit (and maybe Ellie, and we're planning to meet Vera's Person and Pia's Person and someone who doesn't have a blog) and I are heading west and north on Friday. :) There are three candidates for the position of My New Horse so far that make the cut between "interesting ad" and "I must try this one!" In order of when we'll see them, here they are (and I'm trusting that nobody is going to snap them up before I see them this weekend!!):
Miko, a 14.2, 13 year old Haflinger gelding that has started eventing and appears to really like it. He's unspeakably adorable, as Haffies tend to be. Pros: Good size, good age, good breed, likely to be sound, has some experience in eventing and plenty of experience in the hunter/jumper ring. Cons: Might not dressage as well as some, might not be able to afford him, could be a little too drafty-type of a Haffie. TW says "Interesting! Worth a look." I'm really excited to ride him and see how he goes. His DreamHorse ad is here.
Gator, a 15.3ish, maybe?, 12ish maybe? Thoroughbred gelding that has been eventing with TSB's teacher and her clients for a good while and is now at a hunter/jumper barn to be sold. Handsome fellow for sure and has gone Training. Pros: Known quantity -- owned and ridden and trained by friends and even tried by another friend when she was looking for something to buy, proven ability/track record, almost certainly affordable, supposed to be utterly calm and unflappable, nice forward. Cons: Friend who tried him thought he was kind of spooky/looky in the xc field, hasn't sold in a year or more of being for sale, might be too tall for me, might need careful maintenance to keep weight on, current trainer said something about him being sore in the back, might be too quick for me, TSB's trainer says he moves a little like a sewing machine. I'm definitely interested in riding him and seeing if we click. I would love to come out saying OMG I LOVE HIM! but I am not counting on it either. TW has heard less promising things, but I'm keeping an open mind.
Mambo, a 15.3, 16 year old Standardbred/Paint gelding that's been a dressage horse for the last few years but evented successfully up to Training (recognized) and maybe Prelim (unrecognized) several years ago. I am actually most excited about this one. I am trying very very hard to not get my hopes up. I'm actually a little worried to even post about it, in case I jinx something! (No, self, jinxes do not exist, if it's meant to be it will be, don't get any preformed notions.) Anyway, his video and pictures are very very promising. MT and TW agree that he's cute and I should try him. Pros: Proven experience, is absolutely capable of doing what I want to do eventing-wise, can rock the hell out of the dressage, likely to be sound, kept in consistent work and maintenance, well trained, not likely to be the sort to bolt around, almost certainly affordable. Cons: A little older and might need maintenance (almost certainly needs hocks injected), might be a little tall, might be rusty as far as jumping goes, especially xc, but when I suggested that horses don't really forget going Prelim MT looked at me over the top of his glasses and said firmly "NO. They don't. I mean, would you?" Overall, this looks like it could work, if I like riding him and he vets acceptable. His DreamHorse ad is here.
And what's more, TSB is going to let me ride her mean-ass bastard horse this week too!! Heehehehe. I can't wait -- I must experience the most amazing horse she has ever ridden. :) Plus, she's so right in her reasoning for letting me ride him: he's a different ride from anything I've ridden in umpty years, and it'll be good for me to hop on a TB and know what to expect before we go shopping. And since he's ENORMOUS, and I'm used to much smaller horses, it'll be a good experience for me to be way up there. Nothing I'll see this weekend will seem big compared to Cuna.
I swear. I have awesome friends. :)
Good luck on your search this weekend! That Mambo is mighty cute! This is sillyredmare from the AFGAFH forum, thought I would introduce myself! :)
ReplyDeleteYay!! Hi there! I wouldn't have known, so I'm glad you introduced yourself. :) Adding you to my reading list!
DeleteAnd I will do the same! :)
DeleteGood luck! Mambo looks lovely but the Haffie is super adorable too! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm excited; it'll be really fun and interesting to ride such different horses.
DeleteCan't wait for the weekend! Omg!
ReplyDeletePS I'm pulling for Gator. We'll see how it goes. Who wants to start a pool???
Heee. I think that would be great if it works out. But ... who knows? I might not find anything on this trip; we might go 0 for 3. I am not getting my hopes up. Not too high, anyway. ;)
Delete(Not, uh, that I have a list of potential names for Gator or Mambo or anything. Miko would get to keep his name and use it for show too. But I am not getting attached. *grin*)
Goodluck Lindsay, i may say ive heard not so good things about gator... but worth a shot a guess... may I say though the haflinger is most definetly my favorite, and seems like a great size:)
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested to hear what you've heard - barn tonight or this week? And I love the Haffie too. :) we'll see what happens!
DeleteYou can sleep well. Revvie (as I've decided to call her...I don't like Gypsy) is at my house for some EhCapa bootcamp before her first performance. I rode her last night, right around the time you posted! I spent 10 minutes on her and she had learned to stop and back with the tackrein (ie without any pressure on her front end, just a deep seat, breath out, and whoa!).
ReplyDeleteWhile this adjustment will be tough, you can know that Aubry is head over heels for Revvie. I have never seen her so happy and giggly. Thank you for making a little girl's life so much better!
I am SO glad!! I was surprise when Aubry came out - I didn't fin her reserved at all. She was funny and talkative after the first ten minutes or so. Very nice family!! Anyway, I am absolutely delighted that Aubry is so happy with her. :) It's what they both deserve!
DeleteI will adjust fine, and knowing she's so happy and learning fast is a huge bonus. Give her a pat for me, and tell Aubry I can't wait to see her perform one of these days. :) I am so proud of them both!
Absolutely. And I will send/post pics of Revvie when she gets to perform. I rode her at practice tonight and she did super well. She is still trying to figure things out but is very accepting. Except for trailering...very fussy and resistant. Haven't figured that one out yet.
DeleteAnyway, on Thursday we are having a friends and family performance. Revvie won't be ready yet but you are welcome to come by and see what she will be doing for the foreseeable future!
Hooray! :) I won't be able to make it on Thursday, but definitely let me know when the next one is! I'm so glad she's doing well. :) This makes me SO happy ... I was thinking about it, and it might be that EhCapa is what she was meant to do, that Aubry is the rider she was born for. :) I sure hope so.
DeleteOooh, I can help with the trailering bit, I think! You might be doing all this already, since you know what you're doing, but here's what I did: Take her by the lead fairly close under her chin and very firmly lead her onto the trailer. When she's on, give her cookies. :) And having hay in the trailer helps a lot. What never worked for me was letting the lead go long and expecting her to load herself -- she's not a self-loader yet. I bet you can train her to, but getting her on the trailer is step one. :) If you insist that she goes with you wherever, on the trailer is just another wherever.
If she balks, turn her away and make her move her feet -- don't let her pull back. The one who moves her feet loses, so make sure it's Rev. The trick for me was never turning around to face her, never letting the lead get too long, and never questioning whether she'd get on. Just ... go on, firmly, and she'll come. If you need to, grab a dressage whip or a longe whip or something, show it to her, then repeat the firm loading.
That should do it. In a straight load, it helped if I loaded her on the side with the escape door (if only one has one), walked onto the trailer myself, and scooted out the escape door as she loaded. It's definitely easier in a slant load with her, but she'll load in both.
It honestly sounds like she's being a horse about it -- being contrary to see what buttons she can push. :)
She is just being a horse. No doubt. I do take a firm lead getting in but when she balked, I made her back farther than she did on her own. Once I used the lead rope to flick behind me into her shoulder, she gave up and got in. I will try your methods tomorrow and see if she is more responsive. Thanks for the ideas. Good luck with your horse hunt and if I hear of anything, I'll let you know!
DeleteUpdate: Revvie has figured out how to load our way. I rode her successfully through her first loping practice in just the tackrein tonight and she was a lady. She is still figuring out how to slow herself down without the support of reins but she seems to be loving the plunky trot she gets to do. I am loving her more and more and have been extremely impressed by how she has handled Aubry in lessons. Aubry is a very anxious rider and often forgets her cues when scared. Revvie totes her around and minds her manners even when Aubry is totally off track! This Thursday will be Revvie's first performance in Logan, UT. I think she will be great and I hope to transition her to Aubry soon, maybe even this weekend in Logan. I will do my best to get pics to send you. In the mean time it sounds like you have a good new prospect for yourself! Very cool.
ReplyDelete