Okay, so my "big" news might not be quite as big as you'all were expecting...I've received many a e-mail demanding to know if I have finally purchased another horse! The answer to that is a resolute, "No! Dammit".... but it was a near thing....I came very close to purchasing this dear sweet bay gelding, AJ....
Now you may be asking, "How do you.... of all people... come very close to buying?"...
Well as I mentioned I went to see AJ because he was being offered up for free lease by some people I know. After going to work with him for an afternoon I decided that my heart was in danger of falling in love with this sweet boy and I knew that if I spent any amount of time with him I'd be setting myself up for heartbreak when it came time to give him back...
So I politely requested that his owners (very nice people) consider allowing me the option to purchase at the end of the lease....
The following day I received news that they had considered it and though they loved the horse and wanted to keep him, they felt that I would be better able to put his potential to use (as they only trail ride) and so they offered to sell him to me. They also set a very fair price on him.
Now.... anyone that knows me at all will know how much will power it took to decline their kind offer... *sigh* .... more accurately the Herculean effort it took to say "No! Thank you.... (Dammit!")....
That decision did not come without a little help... a gentle push... a friendly reminder... from my darling boyfriend...who so kindly pointed out (when I asked him if I could please ....pretty please...buy AJ...) that....
..... no matter how sweet or quiet AJ is, he is still a young and green horse that has a whole whack load of training left to be done...
And WHAT I NEED (that would be the mantra I've been humming to myself over the past few days....WHAT I NEED....) is a horse that can carry me forward and allow me to progress towards my goals... a horse that can carry ME not visa versa....
He was annoyingly supportive and guilt tripped me into admitting that AJ wasnt the horse I NEEDED....no matter how much I WANTED him.... and all that other hogwash!
So in other words...He forced me to admit that I shouldnt but him...
Did I mention that I was rubbing his feet at the time? ...(I must be loosing my touch!)
So, I will not be buying AJ (*groan*)..... This self discipline crap sucks!
BUT.... the owners were kind enough to invite me to continue to work with AJ over the next month while I am looking at other horses.... It is a win/win because I get to continue to ride and practise some of my training techniques and AJ will get some much needed time spent on him (and a little help with the boarding costs)...
There are some details yet to be hashed out but I was able to go over today and work with him again and well.... I GUESS (she utters bitterly) ....
All is well that ends well.
Now, with that being said.... please.... in the very near future when I come to you'all to complain that I am in love with this horse and I desperately want to buy him....that his big brown eyes own my heart and soul and I will simply DIE if I dont get to keep him forever and ever.....*very bad word*....please do refer me back to this post....
So.... wanna "officially" meet AJ? I am sure you'll be hearing a lot about him over the next month....
(not a great pic but I will get better ones when it is not raining)
But how about some action shots?
Can you see what he is thinking...
(Ohhh....my bum is itchy' man! Gotta scratch it! Just gotta scratch....now if only there were a place round here to roll....)
(*sniff sniff sniff* This spot doesn't look sufficiently muddy enough for my freshly brushed coat! ) 
(*sniff* this spot looks ok....I could try to hit that manure pile there....that'd be sweet! ...but.... *sniff* no... )
(....naw!! Just isnt right... but that itch! Oh that itch needs scratched!!)
(Yo! Yo! This is the spot, man!!! This is the sweet spot right here....)
(Oh yah Baby!! Itchy bum....here I come!!)
(Damn, why do that have to put the ground so bloody far down!...)
(Hardy! Har! Har! Dont laugh!...everyone looks fat from this angle...)
(Oh yah, Baby! That itch is mine!...)
(Sweet mothe-... I'm going to make it! I'm going to make it....Ohhh!!!......)
(Oh yah!! I made it!!)
(*ehem*)
(HOLY COW!!! That felt FREAKIN' AMAZING!!!)
(Someone hand me a cigerette and some munchies...I'm feel goooood!.....)
Let me see..... maybe there is somethin' in this here pink bucket....
Yes, yes...this is most certainly a pink bucket!
Oh man! It's like totally empty!...
And that concludes the Chronicles of AJ...........
Oh man! I like totally need a life!
Oh he is cute! How old is he?
ReplyDeleteCome and visit -- you can ride my Jaz and we'll take those bad Boyz down the road!
ReplyDeleteI like a horse with a nice butt, and he's got a good one, in my book. Very handsome. Good for you in listening to both your head and your heart. Working with him will be good for you,
And your honey is a keeper too!
Hehe, good on ya! =D What a gorgeous boy, and great chronicles LOL!
ReplyDeleteThat must have been a hard thing to do.The not getting him part. Great pics.
ReplyDeleteLet's see what happens after you ride and work with him for a month. You never know you might change your mind about him not being the right horse for you right now. You never know what's going to happen with horses. I've come to the conclusion that you can never say never and mean it.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a bittersweet and wise decision. He is a nice looking boy. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteGive DB a big kiss for me, and tell him "Way to go!!!!" Hey...someone has got to keep your best interests in mind, right???
ReplyDeleteAj is a handsome boy, and you will probably find that you have alot of fun with him until you find "the one." How old is he, by the way???
You never know...he may surprise you and be fantastic even though he is green, or he may do something really stupid that makes you step back and say "I am SO glad that I listened to my DB!!"
PS-I am going to give your mom a little credit here too. She did suggest doing a lease afterall! :)
Very handsome boy! I hope you two do well by eachother over the next little bit and I hope you find the horse that is completaly right for YOU. Happy hunting!
ReplyDeleteThat ever nagging conscious :)) Sometimes it just needs to come from an "un"interested party. Like someone else said, after riding him for awhile, things might just change, you never know what the future holds.
ReplyDeleteAnd how the heck do you get those succession pictures??? I cannot do that. What kind of camera do you have? I'm taking an informal survey. You're pictures were much better than mine even if you claim otherwise!!
Good girl. "Want" and "need" are two very different things, and like my man always tells me, "Want in one hand, shit in the other and see which fills up first." My man is not always the most sensitive person, and sometimes he's downright disgusting, but he's right!
ReplyDeleteAJ is too cute...hard to resist, really. But there are a lot of horses out there. Hold out for the perfect one for YOU!
Being logical sucks. That being said, however, I agree with everybody else that you never know. After riding him for the next month you will definitely know... But he really would be hard to resist.
ReplyDeleteLove the series of photos and the dialogue that you did to go along with the photos.
Helen
Awww-What a handsome boy. Everyone pretty much summed it up on the cunundrum...but at least you will be horseback. That's worth a lot sometimes!!
ReplyDeleteHmmm.... sounds like you made the right decision - hope to hear some stories on how you are working with him. I am interested to know your thoughts and how things go....
ReplyDeleteAnd here I thought you bought a horse! Scrolled through a weeks worth of posts to find out - that you didn't buy him :(