Almost two weeks ago, we came home from dinner giddy about finding horses. We searched through CraigsList and a few different horse classified websites. We knew that even with our taxes that we were still looking for a deal. When I saw the first horse listed for $87,000 I almost fell over! Because of the high hay prices right now, finding a deal isn't as difficult as it once was, I'm guessing. But, I did decide that I needed to be realistic about finding a horse that was calm and patient with a beginner. B wanted a horse with some spirit that would give him a challenge. I was surprised when I found two horses at the same home with those exact specifications. An Arabian (the one in the previous post) and an older Quarterhorse who was amazing with kids and beginners. We set up an appointment to go and see them .. and then right after the owner told us that her daughter (who turned out to be 3 :/ ... ) decided to keep the older horse. Again, fortunately, I found another listing for a beginner horse, a Tennessee Walking Horse (the black horse in the previous post), in the same town.
First house, the Arabian ... it was a strange experience. The owner seemed experienced, but she was making very strange decisions. Finances weren't allowing her to feed the horses well, yet she was letting her 3 year old decide whether they'd keep one of the horses. Very sad. The Arab was extremely underfed. The QH was also thin, but not quite as bad. B decided that even though the Arab would need a lot of work to bring back to a healthy weight, he just couldn't leave him in that situation. We were even trying to figure out if there was a way to generate some quick money so that we could get him sooner because she told me that she was going to take the horses to her mom's so they'd have weeds and grass (not much in this area) to eat. A couple of days ago, I contacted her and she told me that the horse had colicked the previous night. I'm sure she was hoping that by the time we'd talked again he'd be better and she wouldn't have to tell us. We decided that the mounting problems were just beyond us. That has been a very hard decision.
Backing up to the TWH I looked at ... oh boy was that FUN! Her owner hadn't brought a saddle, so she suggested I ride her bareback. I haven't been on a horse in maybe 10 years (until that morning) and I have never ridden bareback! I was nervous, but it was such a great experience! It was fun to see just how easy it can be to ride a horse who is totally nonchalant about a newbie! I did wonder how on earth Lady Godiva did it ... not the most comfy ways to ride a horse! But, I'd do it again just for that amazing and close feeling with your horse. She and I have kept in contact, but ... the tax woes struck and there's just no way I can afford her.
I cried ... truly, I did. In fact, I cried the day we met her, I cried the day the owner told me she could be mine and I definitely cried today. Broke my heart. I really hope (I'm sure, honestly) that she'll find a great new home.
Anyway, we had (and, I suppose, still have) a huge decision to make. Do we save for the next several months to buy horses or do we try and find horses that need re-homing because of financial issues. We spent hours today pouring over ads and calling about horses. I am SO thankful to my friend Amie for sharing a bazillion questions with me to ask the owners. Especially in this situation I've been able to weed out a lot of horses that would definitely not work for us. I've still been pretty positive that I need a horse who is good for beginners. And, I found one! Oddly, she's younger, but a good beginner horse. Her owner is having some problems and needs to re-home. We had a long talk and this horse is fantastic with kids, super easy and sounds like a love. She's beautiful too!Now for B ... this is our riskier decision. We found a lady who rescued a horse from a family who lost their home. She has several of her own horses and her husband has told her that if she isn't able to find a home for the mare this weekend, that she'll have to send him to the sale barn (think that's what it's called lol my understand is that it's like an auction and that most likely the outcome will be slaughter). The scary part is that the contact, D, knows very little about the horse. The mare was a little skittish the first day, but got over that quickly when she realized that D had food. D tells me that now the mare follows her around every time she goes out to the pasture. She also has puts dominant mare out with the rescue and she's done fine, definitely a submissive personality. She's able to pet her, so my hope is that after some time she'll trust us and happily be a part of our little farm. We saw a few mustangs the other day that were supposedly "mostly" broke. When B slowly walked toward one, he went backing up like crazy and wanted nothing to do with any of us. Knowing that she'll come for food makes me cautiously optimistic. Oh, and the crazy thing is that, while she's a little thin, she doesn't look too bad. She is a beauty!
I'm having trouble uploading her pictures, so I'll edit them in later!
OH! I forgot about Zig! So, this lady emailed me the other morning and asked if we would have room for her horse. He's kind of a senior, but he's still good for a ride up the street. He just needs some attention and she's not able to give it anymore. She's going to pay for his hay and he'll be B's mom's horse (and P's, since he should be perfect for a child). We talked for a long time about what we'll do if she doesn't follow through on buying his hay and my in-laws have decided that they'll be more than happy to take care of him. He'll be fantastic for B's mom, she is in need of a good "healing" animal and this just seems like the answer we've been waiting for. And, get this ... she's giving us his round pen, his corral and his 2 horse trailer! I mean ... nothing is absolutely set yet, but she's coming by on Saturday. She's had Zig since birth and she's asked if she'll be able to come and see him (we've said yes, of course). I think we'll all be a good fit! This could all be some very huge answers that we've been all asking (most of us while we are gazing at the moon lol).
I've learned about horse gaits, saddle trees, tack, what kind of hay is fattening and how to actually fatten a horse up in a healthy way. Today my lesson was that even when it just seems impossible, we are still moving toward our purpose.
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