"....its cornbread and chicken... where I come from a lot of front porch sittin'....where I come from trying to make a livin'......workin' hard to get to heaven....where I come from...."
- Alan Jackson
Where I come from, we don't have cornbread or chicken. We have beer! And....
Beer! We eat a little salmon, maybe some BBQ steak.... watch some hockey..... and then drink a little more beer. Kokanee ("Its the beer out here") if you have it. We really are cliche that way!
Where I was born... there are mountains...
Beautiful waterfalls.....
And gorgeous ocean inlets....
Did I mention beer?!
(Poppie, my sister and I in the grater)
And...Logging roads. I spent a lot of time on logging roads in my day. In fact..I learned to drive on one! My Poppie had my sister and I driving stick shift up gravel roads before we hit seventh grade. In fact, so did my Mother...only she was driving in town long before she was of legal age (I might have as well...just a little! Shhh!) but Mom could drive a semi through a drive-thru (and still can.)
(Poppie on the left)
I come from a family of drivers...drivers that love to roam the back roads and take the long way home. Before the age of "carbon footprints" and long before you ever considered the cost of gas, my family thought nothing of getting in the car with no particular destination in mind and just "go for a drive." I miss drivin' round town with my Pops. He would tell the best stories as we passed old landmarks or roads that he helped cut and build. I loved the way he would point and explain anything and everything you ever wanted to know about that particular spot....who had cut it (logged) and when... how much dynamite it took to take down a cliff side or what local haywire so-and-so got drunk one day and did what... he had a story for everything. That town was as much a part of him as he was of it. And that town, nestled in the mountains at the foot of an ocean sound, is and always will be my hometown, ....no matter where I live.
I have not been keeping up on the horse market much this past few weeks (well, "not much" for me might be a little different than not much for you!) I thought I would share with you a few more horses from my favorites. And yes, I am still holding out on you (just a little). My top three horses are staying safely tucked away in my back pocket. I am holding out for the New Year and so far, my plan is working *knock on wood* *fingers crossed* in that none of them have sold (which hopefully means I will be able to get a better deal after Christmas when everyone is feeling the pinch). I told you before, I am evil! Bwahahah!
Also I wanted to share a link to HorseBreakers.com. I have been following Horse Breakers for about four years now. While they do some breeding, for the most part they are a marketing/sale business based out of Arizona. They specialize in well broke, pretty, colored, western stock horses. They offer a few open sales a year (with a focus towards colored horses) like the....
These folks always turn out some outstanding, well bred, good-looking horses but unfortunately (for me not the sellers) they usually go for a premium.
All of the above pics are horses that are have for sale in the up coming auction or on their site.
Another website I check on every now and then isBluequestfarms.com and Fisherequine.com both based out of Montana. They are also marketing/sales ranches that do a nice job but they offer more work-man-like horses. Fisher Equine is a little short right now on their usual stock but they usually have a lot of nice horses.
Bluequest has this gelding for salethat I really like. He is a bay grade and not my "type" at all but if I were looking for a solid trail horse, he is one I'd give a good hard look at. He looks...strong.
Here is a mare that is closer to home that I think is really cute. She is not as refined as my usual type but something about her "look" makes me think that she is a really sweet mare with a good mind. Isnt it funny the way we conjecture like that?
Okay...so the below post was a little unclear.... I thought it would be more fun if one of you were to guess who it was (me) but my post (written in the wee hours in the morning) was a little unclear. I debated long and hard on whether to "come out" (in a totally unfabulous way) to my blogger friends and ditch what remained of my anonymity. Having this blog, and getting to share my life experiences and thoughts with such wonderful people, has enriched my life far beyond what I ever imagined possible when I first started. I want to share more with you and in order to do so, I will need to step out from behind the camera!
I have some very exciting plans for the New Year!! I hope to have a new horse and look forward to chronicling that experience through videos and pictures. So...... SURPRISE!!!!!
Its confession time again over here at Adventures of a Horse Crazed Mind. In truth, I already told you all about it in my Six things- a meme (which, btw, I later learned means, " is unit or element of cultural ideas, symbols or practices that transmit from one mind to another through speech, gestures, rituals, or other imitable phenomenon." Got it? Good!) Where was I? Oh yes! A confession. DB is not going to be happy with me, at all! I might have to make Lasagna for dinner tonight... *sigh* but I have to get this out there....
I have a crush.
His name is one that has been splashed around the new media for the past month as thousands, if not millions, of teenage girls scream his name. They camp out on sidewalks for days just to catch a fleeting glimpse of his flawless face, and when they do, they cry out loud and squeal, the Beetles didn't have anything on this kid. So who is he?
Robert Pattinson.
Who? You might have asked (if you are over the age of 16!)
Now you know why this is a "confession". It is highly embarrassing. The kid is 22, (4 years younger than myself) and is a teenage heartthrob, for goodness sakes! He stars at Edward Cullen in the coming of age, soon-to-be cult classic, the Twilight movie. He has some funky hair and some even funkier ideas of what the facial expressions of a vampire should look like... He is goofy and boyish in his mannerisms and utterly adorable in interviews....They are pegging him as the "new Jude Law" for his ambrosial English accent. *sigh*
Only, its not like that between Robert and I. Robert and I, we're like this *fingers crossed*..... only not really. I have forbidden myself to camp out on sidewalks.... though I wont deny that I may have squealed a time or two.... not really either....but close....it was iffy a few times..... I felt that little hitch in my throat.... it was coming, but I contained it. I might have giggled. (Just a little.)
Its not my fault! He is positively charming. It is not the movie star, Edward/Robert that has me giddy. (I didn't just admit to being giddy) It is his voice. His crooning, raspy, kinda-like-Elvis style, melodies that have me swooning in my seat (I didn't just admit to swooning).
So there it is...a confession. And DB: He is slowly, but surely coming to terms with the new man in my life. Not really. He hates it. I have to sneak away and watch YouTube videos of him in the wee hours of the morning, with the volume turned down low and my finger poised on the mouse...just in case. Not really. But close. Check it....
I have been asked by a few people now, "What is reining and how is scored?" I thought I would attempt to provide you with as short of a summery as I can manage...though I doubt there will be anything short about today's post (well, besides me...and I am 5'5" so not short at all!) Please let me know if there is anything that you think I presented incorrectly or if any clarification is needed.
The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) describes reining as, "A judged event designed to show the athletic ability of a ranch horse within the confines of an arena....Each pattern includes small slow circles, large fast circles, flying lead changes, roll backs, 360 degree spins done in place and exciting sliding stops that are the hallmark of a reining horse."
The key principle of reining is defined in the NRHA handbook and should always be at the forefront of a reiner's mind....
"To rein a horse is not only to guide him, but also to control his every movement.
The best reined horse should be willing guided or controlled with little or no apparent resistance and dictated to completely.
Any movement of his own must be considered a lack of control. All deviations from the exact written pattern must be considered a lack of or temporary loss of control and therefor a fault that must be marked down according to severity of deviation."
I have posted a video (Thank you Stephanie!) that I think is a great example of what a reining run should look like. Everything is very smooth, very controlled, and very fast. At no time do you see this horse look frazzled, nor does he appear to make a single move without first waiting for the guidance of his rider.
Lets break down that ride.
See how relaxed and confident Tinsel Jac looks as he walks into the arena? Notice how calm and still he is before, between and at the end of each maneuver? (maneuvers are when he spins, or stops, runs a circle, does a lead changed etc.. but also includes the transition from one to the other.) If he were to dance around or move his feet too much, it would lead to severe penalties or even a score of 0. He doesn't appear stressed or frazzled. He looks like he is looking to his rider for the next cue. Watch how smoothly Adrea picks up on him, how supple the cue is. That is what you want to see!
He starts with a turn around, (360 degree spins on the hindquarter that require a horse to pivot on his inside hind foot. The hindquarter should remain relatively stationary, while the front end travels smoothly around, with the horse crossing one leg over the other a speed that is consistent or increasing but never varying from slow to fast.) After 3-4 revolutions, the horse must stop facing exactly the correct direction. If he is off by even a quarter of a rotation, that will be deducted from his score.
Same thing...opposite direction.
Next is his departure. The horse must pick up the right lead without trotting, within a specificed number of steps and it should look fluid, not chargy or lazy.
Large fast circle. Notice how he builds in speed? How controlled Tinsel Jac looks? His head set is steady and even but the reins seem to barely touch him. He looks balanced and in frame. His circles are round and even.
Watch the transition from the large fast circle to the small slow. See how he slows at the centre of the arena? How little of a cue it took his rider to get him to come down? See how relaxed his lope is?
A flying lead change in the centre of the arena and then off he goes into the large fast in the opposite direction.
Another transition from fast gallop to slow lope. It is pretty and there nothing harried about it.
Flying lead change. Smooth and at centre.
Now off to set up for his run now.
A reining horse's "trademark" stops are exciting to watch as he gallops at an increasing speed down the length of the arena before bringing both hind feet underneath himself, dropping his hindquarter and allowing his hind feet to act like a set of skis, allowing him to slide along the ground. His front feet paddle forward and he comes to a complete stop before straightening himself.
Immediately after he stops, he rocks his body back on his hocks, picks up his front end, turns back the way he just came and lopes off on the same tracks he came in on for a perfectly executed rollback.
Runs down for the next stop.
His body damn near breaks in half in that stop. The reins haven't touched his face.
His spins on his hocks and lopes off on the same tracks he came in on.
On the last stop, he backs up over 10 steps, his back is round and he hustles.
Man pats horse. Good job.
Score 227.5 (combined scores of 3 judges breaks down for an average score of 75.5)
Looks easy? Well its not!
SCORING:
Each maneuver has a specific criteria for what is considered correct and what constitutes a deviation from the written pattern (the set sequence of events that you must ride the horse through). Any deviation from the exact written pattern results in a penalty or a 0 score.
Each maneuver has been broken down in the NRHA Handbook and has a technically good or technically bad definition of how it should be run. For example:
"the lead change must be exexuted at a lope with no change of gate or speed... the change of front and rear leads must take place within the same stride..."
A large fast circle is done at a gallop and should maintain or build in speed but never slow. A small slow circle should be a slow, consistent and collected lope. The transition between the two should be marked and in the centre of the arena.
If the rider has to visibly correct your horse at any time, that will take away the overall picture and effect the score of the "run". It should appear that the rider is guiding his horse through each stage, with as little contact as necessary. It should look like the horse is reading his mind.
Scoring works like this:
When a rider walks his horse into the arena, he automatically has a score of 70.
Everything he does after that, from the second his horse takes the first step of his pattern all the way to his last, is judged as either a plus 1/2 to 1.5 (Good), simply correct, (no points plused or minused) or minus 1/2 to 1.5 (bad).
That looks like this:
-1.5 Extremely Poor -1 Very Poor -1/2 Poor 0 Correct +1/2 Good +1 Very Good +1.5 Extremely Good
So lets say a rider were to do a 360 degree turn to the right exceptionally well, that would be plus +1.5. Once he had completed that maneuver, the judge would tell his scribe (an assistance that writes down how he judges each maneuver) what he had scored. He would also make note of any penalties, incurred such as over or under spinning (stopping short of or over the exact spot that he were suppose to end his spin.) Let say that rider missed his stop by a quarter turn. That would incur a 1/2 point penalty.
Now, lets say, that after doing that turn to the right, he did on to the left but his horse bobbled or tripped and didn't make a smooth turn so the judge afforded him a score of "very poor" (-1). And so it would go, as the horse worked through his pattern. Lets say that he did nothing wrong and nothing particularly well for the rest of his pattern. Doing something "correct" gets you neither a plus or minus score. So...
At the end of the run the score would be tallied.
He started with 70
+1.5 for the right turn around = 71.5 -1 for the left turn around = 70.5 -.5 penality for over spinning = a score of 70 for that ride.
One thing to keep in mind is that the judge looks at each maneuver as a whole. Meaning that, it is not just the grand looking sliding stop that is judged as good or bad. We must break down the individual parts of a stop to come to a final score for that single maneuver.
The judge would break down the maneuver and judge each part as a whole.
Like:
How did the horse run down to his stop, was it a consistent escalation in speed? How fast was he running before being asked to stop? How did the horse break down in his body at the start of the stop? To what degree did the rider have to cue his horse to get him to stop (picking up on the reins)? How did the horse responds to this cue (maybe tossing his head a little or pulling his head forward off the bit)? How did the horse actually execute the stop (sitting down on his hocks, paddling with his front)? How hid he complete the stop (waiting till he is completely stopped before straightening out to stand back on his hind legs)? Did he rollback over his hocks and lope off on the same tracks he came in on?
And a dozen more supple things that the judge watched for that helped him decide the degree of difficulty of the maneuver (speed makes things more difficult and gets judged higher so long as it remains correct.) and how well it was done. He pluses and minus's each question in his head until he arrives at one final score for that single stop.
THE HEART OF REINING:
All in all, I love the funamentals of reining but not what the sport demands of its horses. Reining is the dressage of western riding and to me, there is no greater joy than riding a finished bridle horse. It feels like magic. He reads youre every motion and you truly feel at one with the horse. I focused on reining because I wanted to learn to ride, technically speaking. I wanted to learn the art of equitation with a horse that I respected for its ability to put that knowledge to work. Reining, at is heart, is a decipiline that requires the softenst touch and the most supple cues. I am just not sold on what it takes to get a horse finished in a timely fashion....
So, what do you think about bling? (as in four white socks and a blaze on a horse.... not 2.8 carat's from Tiffany's). I have a thing for bling! So what is your favorite? Let's explore the world of bling with some of my favorite reining and cutting sires!
Yellow Roan of Texas
Dun It With A Twist (Dunalino)
"Gunner" (Colonel's Smokin Gun)
Dun Gotta Gun (A son of the above stallion)
Wild Thing DNA (one of my favorite hot new cutting sires)
I dont know this stallion Jumping G Whiz but his coloring is sure cool. Topsail Whiz (his grand-daddy) is known for put some unique looking color stamps on his get.
I actually like the look of a perlino or cremello. This is Hollywood White, a dun perlino by the great sire Hollywood Jac 86.
One of my favorite hot young studs of the reining world, Big Chex To Cash.
THAT is what 207 million $$$$ looks like!!!!! In $100 bills.
I'll take it.
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Does anyone here listen to The Horse Show with Rick Lamb? I used to check it out from time to time but haven't listened to it in months. He interviews top trainers, veterinarians. ranchers, and any and all other horsemen that have something educational or entertaining to relay to his listeners. Thought I would pass it on.
Cndcowgirl over at (Not quite) Home on Rangekicked me a tag. "Six things you dont know about me- a meme". I had no idea what "meme" means but I got the gist of things by reading her "six things". So here we go...
1. I love Costco. About half of my "everyday" clothes are from Costco but I have a rule about not going to Costco in Costco clothes. For some reason I find it embarrassing that other Costco shoppers might recognize my clothes as being from Costco or even worse, that they may be wearing the same ones! It is not that I have anything against Costco clothes or there is any legitimate reason for me to feel embarrassed, it just bothers me for some unknown reason...it makes me feel like a lemming...or a sheep...and I hate sheep. So the other day my Mom and I went to Costco (I have my own membership, which I am oddly proud of) and I discovered (to my horror) that I was wearing nothing BUT Costco clothes. My pants, shirt, jacket, socks, underwear...everything but my bra (and probably only because I don't like Costco bras) and my shoes were from Costco. My Mom forced me to go anyways. She thinks I am odd. I'm forced to agree.
(Some of our property)
2. I live on a property that spans over 20 acres but because of zoning issues I am not allowed to keep horses (livestock) on it. This drives me insane. I actually did have a mare and colt here for a few weeks. There is a small fenced area but the rest is open and surrounded by the city centre/suburban sprawl. One day I pulled the mare out and tied her to a tree while I dealt with the colt (loose at her side) when all of the sudden she decided to pull back. She did not spook, was not panicked and was totally calm and measured in her actions. She simply backed up until the lead was taunt, gave it a jerk, and then laid into it with all of her might. The second she snapped the bolt she headed, with an odd sense of purpose, for the back of the property where she had been dropped off by the haulers a few weeks earlier. She crossed ten acres of lush grass, on to a side street, through an intersection, and then hung a left on Tenth Avenue (a main drag of sorts). The oddest part about it was that she was following the exact route the hauler had taken as though she were simply headed home. She was also not running blindly, she was practically loping. Of course, she took the colt with her. I ran after her. In my PJs. In my rubber boots. With my hair a mess. No bra. Running. In a very public place. As luck would have it (hear me scoff) a few horsemen (who were also particularly hot firemen) were driving by and managed to get her cornered until I arrived (red faced, sweating and panting....not because they were hot....but because I looked like a total ass!) Needless to say, the local municipality was not happy with me and I have not had horses here since.
Example of the kind of young stud I plan on hiring as my personal assistance (in a strictly professional capacity) when I get older........because sexual exploitation is wrong....and nothing to joke about..... This young man is very intelligent and clearly demonstrating that he is highly qualified as a secretary (knows how to answer a phone) .... really....qualified...
3. I have a very poor short term memory but my long term memory would put an elephant to shame. I consider the ability to remember that I put water on to boil a Herculean task and have trouble completing a sentence at the best of times. Car keys, cell phones, etc... are a lost cause but I can quote Shakespeare, Thoreau and have stored a gamete of particularly useless facts and figures (from movie scenes to law, to recipes and everything and anything in between.) I figure that, if I am this bad now, in time (with age and heaven forbid-menopause,) I will likely need medication...or hospitalization....or a young live in stud to tend to my every need. I like the last idea best. We figure that one of the reasons why my short term memory is so bad is because....
4. I am a dreamer. I have always been a dreamer, in every sense of the word. I have big "dreams" (or things I would like to do in the future.) I and am often caught daydreaming, lost in my horse crazed mind. I dream a lot in my sleep and tend to remember them vividly when I wake up. My sleep dreams are usually a reflection of my insecurities, the things that hold me back from seeing my "big dreams" become reality. I also like to daydream about my "big dreams". I keep my overactive imagination primed and well oiled...which I believe is what usually causes me to forget such mundane things as where I left my purse...or to put the truck into park before getting out. It also explains why I tend to run into things...walls, the corner of the kitchen counter...whatever ishandy. That's my excuse and I am sticking to it.
5. I have a crush on Robert Pattinson. If I were in high school, I'd have little I *heart* Robert Pattinson notes all over my binder. That and "ChelsiPattinson" would be etched on every line of my diary. I love my DB. I love DB *chanting as a mantra* He is well aware of my affections...that is not to say that he is happy about it.... but...he'll live. Okay...so here is the deal..... Robert Pattinson- maybe not the best actor in the world, Maybe not even the most gorgeous.... But did you know that he can sing?!! I mean...croon? I mean...make my little heart go pitter patter!! *sigh* Listen here.... Robert Pattinons singing MY song Mmmm...that voice.... *big sigh*
6. I like to eat traditional "dinner" dishes for breakfast and visaversa. There is nothing I love more than French toast or eggs and hash for dinner and a nice cold slice of moussaka or casserole for breakfast. Oh... and I like traditionally hot food, cold. I will actually order food in a restaurant at dinner in order to take it home and put it in the fridge for breakfast.
I think this is a great tag and welcome any of my readers to consider themselves "tagged". Please post a comment if you decide to do your "six things" ...I'd love to see them.
I'd also like to tag and let y'all know about my good personal friend, Julie's blog over at PJ's and Horses.
I am officially wise. Or at least my teeth are. The past few weeks I have had a really sore jaw that I assumed was from grinding my teeth in my sleep but last night I discovered the real reason why- My wisdom teeth are coming in! And it hurts! lol For some reason I find the idea that I am getting teeth very odd. Like I was transported back to third grade when I was missing a few important ones on photo day. UH!, photo day! Did you hate photo day? I did.
I also wanted to thank you all for the comments you left on "Starting Horses". One of my favorite aspects of having a blog (the number one being that I get to meet such wonderful people) is hearing the different opinions of such kind and caring fellow horse lovers. I love being able to put a topic out there (or comment on one in another blog) and get to hear such a vast array of opinions that stem from such a vast array of experience basis and disciplines. Y'all never leave me short of food for thought!
Thank you!
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Here are a few pics that I wanted to share...
Like Oprah, I want to share my "favourites" (that is how we spell favourites in Canada).
Lets start with the good stuff, shall we? Like this....
This would be one of my favourite things....in the universe.
A hot bath and this little green package of joy...and my life is complete.
See that creamy white centre? (that is how we spell centre in Canada!) That...is the peppermint filling. Did I mention that it is deeeelicious! (that is not how we spell delicious in Canada!)
Now, here is what I should be eating instead of chocolate....
I noticed that a few of you commented that I expressed concern over the fact that a prospect I was considering was not started until the age of four. I'd like to speak to my thoughts on that issue. First and foremost, I preface all of this by stating, sincerely that this is IMHO (In My Humble Opinion), I welcome your thoughts and respect when people have a different opinion.
I feel that the right age and time to start a horse should always depend on the individual. The physical and mental maturity of a colt can very dramatically from horse to horse. I dont think that there should be any set age that is right but in the industry that I am involved in, people breed horses to be physically and mentally mature at an earlier age than lets say, warmbloods or arabs, because the money for aged events (3-6 year olds) is much higher than in later years. Bloodlines that lend themselves towards late bloomers do not survive in the reined cow horse, reining and cutting world. I have noticed that, in general, the larger the horse at maturity, the longer it takes for him to reach it. As a rule, I dont look at horses over 15HH unless they are exceptional. My mare Abby is just barely 14.2H. Most reiners, cutters are 14.3 max while the reined cow horses can get up to 15.2 but average out at around 15-15.1. These are not big, heavy boned horses. They look much the same at three as they do at six or seven.
I am not a fan of futurities. Or rather, I should say that I dont think that the level of competition and what is expected of the horses is just. I would not buy a horse that was shown competitively at a futurity. Not in a million years. The industry motivates owners, trainers and breeders to press their horses at an earlier and earlier ages to reach a higher and higher levels. It is simply and unequivocally wrong and abusive.
With that being said, my focus is on reining and cutting bred quarter horses that are, in most cases, ready to start at some point in the spring of their two year old year. The level of work that they are asked for can vary from simple saddling and sacking out, to getting them loping balanced and comfortably. I dont want them stopping hard, turning around or doing anything physically stressful for that first 6 months or so. I do think that it is important in almost all cases to get a horse working in their two year old year. At that age their minds are at an impressionable stage and they are not quite as set in their ways. I would prefer that after putting 90-120 days on them, they be turned out for the fall and winter and then started back up in the spring of their three year old year. This method is time tested and true. As horses age, their habits become more ingrained and I find that they are less likely to be mailable in their training if they are left to be started at four. But if they get that SOLID foundation laid as a two year old, you can pick back up on them later and find that they are a better broke horse overall than how you left them in the fall of their two year old year.
On the other hand, if you leave a horse unbroke until their 3-4 year old year, I find that they are more likely to have resistance towards training. They are adults, they are used to being masters of their own universe and have established their personalities, likes, dislikes, etc.. Again, this is not the case in all horses and I am talking about getting a horse to be a finished bridle horse, not just getting them broke enough to putter around the farm on. I also dont like my horses to be over exposed as weanlings-two year olds. I love to buy horses that have been raised in a herd and that were not exposed to much besides halter breaking and getting their feet done until they are ready to be started as a two year old. Again, it depends on what your intended outcome would be for the horse. If I were looking to make a kids mount, then by all means, get them out there and have them exposed to everything under the sun as early as possible. But for a highly responsive bridle horse, I dont want a horse that is dull and sticky. I want them to be as much horse as possible, light on their feet, quick to react and easy to manipulate. Some sketchier horses might need more exposure, some quieter horses might need less, but getting them "hauled" (exposed to new settings) is not as much of a challenge as getting a sticky, dead head, unresponsive horse to lighten up.
Here are a few more from my favs. Just so happens that they are all chestnut mares. Are any of you getting a sneakysuspicion that I have been holding out on you? Keeping a few tucked up my sleeve? Ha ha! Maybe! I'll never tell.... but for now....
Here is a mare I like. She is out of a good, earning and producing son of Peppy San Badger (x Doc O'Lena). All the way around her breeding goes back to some good horses but she is not really well bred (in my book). She is a good size (15H), 5 years old and pretty. At $3800, she is not a smokin deal but maybe worth making an offer. I like her. I am a worried that her face might be a little overworked and that she was only started a year ago (at four) but I can live with that. This is the kind of horse that I really like, but that does not get my blood pumpin' and heart racin'!
Now, here is a mare that I really like. She is a nearly finished reiner and is well bred (by a really nice Smart Little Lena x Colonel Freckles stallion and out of a NRHA $ earner.)
She is well built, well bred, and trained by a top reining trainer. She is actually reasonably priced at $8500. I'd love to make an offer on her....but then, I'd also love to be 5'10" and 140 pounds. We can all dream.
Sure, I could post a hundred of my dream horses that are ten times as nice (and priced at twice as much as this mare) but coveting those horses is not nearly as fun as wanting the ones that are juuuuuuust out of my reach! It makes them all the more tempting *grin*
Alright one more....
Here is what I think of as a backyard horse that just happened to turn out nicer than some.
I like her. She is not super fancy, not well bred, not expensive, and not something to get excited over...but she is juuuust nice enough to get my attention. 10 years old, 15.1HH, BS APHA and great out on the trail. She has been listed outside of her website for $1000.
As you all know, I like to horse shop! And I have quite the cyber stable in my favorite file! So I thought I would share a few with you today. Every once and a while I come across a horse that seems to fit the bill perfectly, age, training, looks, breeding etc. but for some reason they do nothing for me. Other times, a horse doesn't fit the bill at all, and yet there is something about them I am inexplicably attracted to.
Here is one of my favorites.
He is a gelding. Strike one. He has no reining, RCH or cutting training. Strike two. He is not well bred. Strike three. He is nicely conformed but not exceptional in any way. He is bay (non colored) and not conveniently located (8 hour drive away). This gelding should have been a quick click, two second glace, and click back to the list kinda guy. But he found his way into my favorites. Why? Because he is a cutie patootie!!
Beautiful waterfalls.....
And gorgeous ocean inlets....
These folks always turn out some outstanding, well bred, good-looking horses but 
All of the above pics are horses that are have for sale in the up coming 
And last but not least.... 
(That would be me looking very suprised!)
"Gunner" (Colonel's Smokin Gun)
MA Thunderstorm
(Some of our property)
E
I like her. She is not super fancy, not well bred, not expensive, and not something to get excited over...but she is 
He is a gelding. Strike one. He has no reining, RCH or cutting training. Strike two. He is not well bred. Strike three. He is nicely conformed but not exceptional in any way. He is bay (non colored) and not conveniently located (8 hour drive away). This gelding should have been a quick click, two second glace, and click back to the list kinda guy. But he found his way into my favorites. Why? Because he is a cutie 