The horse I think I should love + update- more on Willy

I found a gelding today that I think would make a sound prospect for many riders. He isn't, to the best of my knowledge, killer well bred or totally finished out in a specific discipline but he moves beautifully, freely and with a nice frame and he appears quiet, sound and very well broke.




I am going to be a little presumptuous here and suggest that Willy is the kind of horse that we women should buy the first time around but often dont... not until we've over indulged our "Flicka Syndrome" one time to many and have come to appreciate a safe steady Eddie (or Willy)... to for go all of that wild fire and romance for a consistent, safe and enjoyable companion.

I dont find the prospect of buying this gelding necessarily exciting... but he is the kind of horse that would be smart to look at!

Willy's ad says that he is a 12-year-old, APHA gelding, 15.2HH tall with experience in reining, cows, clinics and as a schooling horse. He hauls, ties, clips, bathes and has placed in shows. The ad claims his video will tell the story and I believe it does.

I could take Willy today and show him at some level of reining, Western Pleasure, Trail, Cattle Penning or throw a rope off of him and then throw an English saddle on him and show him on the flat or try some dressage. He really could be a Jack of all trades.

I think he's priced well at $4500us.

(FYI- I dont know the owners of Willy and havent actually sent them this post (but will). I cant say if Willy really is a good prospect or not but he is the kind of horse I'd personally travel to see. Willy is in NW Washington.)

I left the following comment (or I should say, a less articulate version of this comment) on Story's All Gear No Skill blog in an effort to offer my advice on the subject of giving up a good horse who just isnt working for it's rider. Also, my opinion on how we, as horse lovers, are often inexplicably drawn towards certain horses, a "love at first sight" phenomenon, even though that horse isnt necessarily the best fit.

My comment....

"I am a hopeless romantic who leads with her heart and has bought many horse after "falling in love" at first sight (or even at first sight of their ad!) On paper a few of those horses even worked on paper too but in end many caused me a lot of heartache when I was forced to sell them because they were not a good fit. What I had to learn was to respect good, solid horses and to have faith that, given enough time, I will fall in love with any horse, especially one who make me happy and helps me follow my dreams.

It is SOOO unemotional sounding (and I am anything but) to say that you should only buy a horse that fits your needs on paper...
.... While I want to instantly fall in love, (when I first meet my future horse) I know now that it is more important that the horse works for me and that she be sweet and willing....
... I know that it is possible to find both at the same time (because I've had it happen) but I had to learn to stop leading with my heart. Think of it as falling in love with that friend you've known for ages, the one who's always been there for you but you never felt romantic towards until one day something changes."

Dont hold me to it or anything but I think that when I go to buy my next horse I'll try really hard to focus first on whole "respect" thing and not put so much stock in my level of attraction towards a certain prospect.

It's much easier to sell a horse that does everything you need but who you dont love than to sell a horse that you love but who doesnt do anything you need.

Jewel and Cara- Energy Created or Contained.

Last week I had the pleasure to ride one of my good friend's horses, Cara. She is a mare whom I have long admired, one of those gritty, no-nonsense, matriarch types that doesn't know the word quit and steps surely wherever she goes. She is not the doe-eyed, placid looking kind, oh no! A stranger with a practiced eye would hesitate to walk up and give Cara a casual stroke or familiar rub...her look and poise, though not threatening, commands respect. And if that stranger were to pull her out for a ride, she'd likely set herself in a stoic stance of indifference, of quiet resignation that would let you know that to be used is entirely Cara's choice and entirely your privilege.

I did ride Cara once before, on the day that Barb went out to try her for purchase. It didnt take but few minutes on her back before I met Barb's eye and nodded in silent agreement. Purchasing this mare was never a question even though she wasnt especially trained, bred nor especially fancy in type. I know for a fact that Barb has never once regretted buying Cara or had a moment where she considered selling.

Last week, when I stepped on Cara, the overwhelming feeling I had, pressed against my chest, was that of pride. Why should I feel proud to ride a horse? Perhaps because in Cara there is this energy that made me feel as if I were riding atop one of the big mythical dragons in Avatar. There is an electric surge in her every stride, a siting-on-the-edge-of-a-precipice feeling of riding astride a bundled powder keg of energy and power- a firecracker just waiting to be ignited. All of which could make a rider feel helpless, anxious and in danger. But Cara is broke- she has brakes and steering and a sound mind, she is sensible and light in feel. That combination of unbridled energy and bridled control is intoxicating. It fills you with both adrenaline and confidence, power and humility. As I loped her around I had this distinct sensation that I must suck her energy up into my core and hold it there, balanced, like my foot over the touchy gas pedal of a sports car. I didnt want to get off.

After my ride on Cara I drove directly over and hopped on Jewel. Let me tell you, the short time frame between each horse made the difference in their type and feel all the more pointed. When I pulled Jewel out and lazily stroked her coat I was filled with peace and when her eyes fell half closed and she sighed deeply, I felt my own breath slow to match her steady, even cadence.

Stepping on Jewel and settling into her is to be filled with a sense of quiet, to feel her rock solidly beneath me. And when I pick up the reins, I take into me a sense of power and purpose, knowing that I must pick her up too and send her out with my own energy. That ball in my core is still there but with Jewel I must take it and press it down and into her, like my foot over the rusty clutch of an old Ford.

Jewel brings me her own brand of joy. I love the feel of her when we've finally come together and made something click. And when I stop her, as a reward for having done something right, and she licks and chews and drops her head, I know I have done something right too. She is not electric nor does she inspire my pulse to race and my breath to come short but she fills me with a quiet and blessed contentment.



Two horses- one who creates energy within me and one whom I must create energy within. Both beautifully unique. Both horses. Both an honor to ride.

Head Case

(Pictures from my hike with my sister yesterday)

I'm a freakin' head case. A crazy horse person! This blog is aptly named "horse crazed mind"... though maybe it should read "crazed horse mind"... only that doesn't sound nearly as good:)

So... that impossible to find leasing situation? Not so impossible after all. In fact, two days ago I was offered the chance to ride a beautiful, sweet, great minded, well trained (English jumper) mare at a really nice (indoor) facility, not 20 minutes from home by a lady I know takes amazing care of her horses and is a warm, friendly and (bless her heart) even sane!

Not a single fly in the ointment except one...

Leasing is not the right option for me.

I heard you sigh! I know, I know! Hear me out...

It was not until that such an ideal situation came along that I realized I had inadvertently created the same situation for myself as I had so carefully crafted for my mare Abby.

You see, in 2008 Abby and I both worked damn hard in a training program. We both came a long way in learning the fine art of reining. A lot of money... (that is an understatement) was spent getting her and I to the point where our old bad habits were broken down and replaced with new, supple, and better ways of riding.

In New Years of 09 I sent Abby out on a two year breeding lease. I did so because I could no longer afford to keep her (or I) in training and I felt it was better to have her sit unused (from a riding perspective) than to bring her home and have her used casually where she could potentially loose her training and redevelop those old bad habits. I was so focused on my horse that I never stopped to recognize that the same could be said of me... not until a year later (and a year away from horses) - when I was offered the chance to ride a well trained English horse- did I think of all the time, effort and money I put into MY OWN training and how perhaps the year away from riding was a saving grace... allowing me, like Abby, to preserve the foundation I put on my self and avoid the casually and subconscious relearning of bad habits that can develop through casual riding.

I am going to go back to reining lessons. I will need a tune up, to be sure... but I hope that once I regain my strength and co-ordination, once the proverbial dust has been blown off my mind, I will find that most of what I learned in 08 will be there, in tact and ready to be built upon.

Now, at this time I cant go back to my trainer, Kari, no matter how much I love her. It takes an hour and half one way to get to her barn and the gas, plus cost of lesson would come out to about $75 a lesson. WAY out of my budget. I'm going to look local and see if I cant book a lesson for this week! I have some reservations about the style, ethics, and training methods of a new instructor... but still, I'm really excited to get started again!

The Ride is the Reward

I am looking for a horse to lease. *sigh* Here we go again! Over and over again I've gone through the pros and cons in my head... weighing the benifits of ownerships against the problems with free leasing, the cost of lessons vs. the issues of sharing a horse in a semi-lease agreement... and have come to back time and again to the same conclusion...

At this stage of my life the responsibility of horse ownership- both the time, money, stress and attention is too great of a commitment to take on given that I need to focus on advancing my education, career and other interests.

Which leaves me with leasons or leasing...

And...

Lessons do not afford me enough time on a horse for the cost.

Free leasing isnt much less of a commitment than ownerships.

Semi-Leasing (shared riding) often leads to schedule/overuse issues.

Which leaves me with my own idea of leasing. It's simple. Straight forward. And hopelessly unobtainable.

To find some person who keeps their horse in above average condition, at an excellent facility with an indoor and close to trails, who never has times to ride, is opinionated about training methods/handling, and reasonable to deal and who just happens to own a nice, broke, sound, no-nonsense horse that they'd like to have ridden by a complete stranger (where, when and how she prefers and on her schedule.) Oh, and within a half hour drive of my house...

I want to ...

Drive to barn, groom, tack, ride, put away and drive home. End of story. I'll pay a flat monthly rate- consistent, predictable, and non-obligatory for the privilege and leave the for the owner to worry about the rest. Like a gym membership.

Thanks.

*hangs head in defeat*

To make matters worse...

I feel so selfish for admitting that as I've never owned a horse for the sole objective of riding- ever. In fact, I've looked down on people who seem to care nothing of their horses but of the use and enjoyment that can be derived from them... those who don't even know how to saddle their own horse, let alone care, feed or train one.

And yet still, I want to use a horse!


Bleh!

The choices all suck!

To own a horse is to be consumed- with the constant worry over their health and safety, of farrier appointments, worming, vetting,and the inevitable and unexpected financial costs... For me it is to stress over the where/who/what/when dynamics of boarding, of where to buy hay, or find a decent farrier. It is spending $180 on iron shoes instead of those Jessica Simpson silver pumps, buying Big D blankets instead of a fabulous purple Guess pea coat, and covering the cost of a vet bill that would have paid for a trip to New York city. It is sacrificing and reaping the reward... it is living a way of life I miss every. single. day but one that comes at a price I'm no longer willing to pay- not until I can afford both the school, the pea coat, the pumps and the hay, blankets and board.

To lease is to have to bite your tongue, to refrain from training, to mind your own business- just shut up and ride. To lease is to always remember that the horse you are riding is not your own and to respect the owners wishes. To doing things their way and having to always stress over just what their way is. Leasing is not being able to discipline, to not ride as long or as often as you see fit...

Leasing is like driving your mother-in-laws car... you have to remember just how the seat was petitioned, to park at the back of the lot, to wash it before you drive it back, to not drink or eat for fear of dropping a crumb and to expect that, no matter how consciencious you were, if there is even the smallest scratch to paint that she didnt notice before you left, you will be held to blame! And there will be hell to pay!

That is leasing a horse.

I just want to ride.

I dont want to lease. Or to buy. But I want horses in my life.

And to make things worse, I feel guilty for it. Maybe because for me having horses has always been about the my emotional attachment to an individual, my deep rooted commitment to providing for their mental and physical well being and to the process of developing a better animal. Riding has always been, for me, a byproduct of horse ownership- a reward for having succeeded in meeting my horses needs.



I do not ride my horse if he has not been fed. If he is sore. If he is wet or cold. If he is in need of shoeing. I do not ride my horse if his condition or the condition of his environment is poor. I do not ride if his stall needs cleaned, if hay needs hauled out or a fence needs fixing. I do not ride if I do not have time to put him away dry, cool,and clean. The responsibility of providing for my horse has always has come before the ride. The ride has always been the reward.



More on this next post....

Why do you ride?

(I like the look this horse has..... The personality in his face and the cute way he wants to stand on that ledge!)

Why do you ride?

Power?

Control?

Speed?

Fun?

Ego?

Shits'n'giggles?

I've had to think a lot about this lately.

You see I've have a horse available to me right now to ride. She is a cute little palomino mare named Sugar. She's smooth gated, straight forward and has a lot of miles on her. She's also sour, pissy and has developed a bucking habit. Luckily she's too fat, too round and too lazy to put any power behind her crow hops... she's just telling you to piss off in the only language she has available to her. I'd love to play with her and see if I can get her thinking about things in a more positive fashion. But you see that's not my job. I'm suppose to "just ride".

But I have trouble "just riding" these days.... I have an odd new compulsion to try and help out the horses I ride. I just cant seem to help myself. And more importantly, I'm no longer too interested in just getting on and going.

Do I love to ride? Yes. But if all I wanted to do is sit on a horse and go... I could head on down to the local grocery store and spend my time on a horse that runs on quarters. Heaven knows it'd be cheaper.

But I want to be engaged. I want to be communicating... interacting... invested.

That means I am either helping a horse I dont love....

Or "just riding" one I do.

Dont get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I'm happy and VERY thankful to be able to go to the barn. To feel the soft touch of a muzzle on my cheek and come home with my hair full of sawdust. I love horses and will take them any way I can get em'.... But I miss loving a horse. I miss the bond. I miss the connection. I miss this....

LOOK PAST THE TECHNIQUE, THE STICK AND THE GIMMICK. WHO CARES IF HE IS BAREBACK AND BRIDLESS! LOOK AT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN JONATHAN AND HIS HORSE, HAL. THIS IS WHAT I MISS. FOR ME, THIS IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT....




This video is of a clinician named Jonathan Field. He's not my Guru but he sure the hell has taught me a lot about horses. He's not perfect. He sells caps, sticks and expensive halters. He teaches 45 year old housewives how to back their horses up with the shake of a lead rope.... that is when they're not busy ogling over him in his jeans and cowboy hat.... God bless his soul. JF's techniques are not new. Their not his. And their not the only way. But he's the kind of cowboy that makes a horse sigh and melt under his touch. (He has that effect on women too). He's a good hand... great even. One day, I hope I'll be too.