Looking for my Next Horse

     I have to be honest, when I gave up my last horse, a big, gorgeous quarter horse named Casper, I truly believed I was getting out of horses. The best thing about horse people, I always say, is their dogs. The one thing that drove me out of wanting to own a horse wasn't the cost - that was a close second. The first thing, the number one reason I gave up horses, was the damned horse people you have to deal with when you don't own your own place and have to board with others. If you've never experienced it, save yourself time, money, effort, and all the lame headaches you can possibly imagine. Horse people are that bad - and more.

    When you board at a facility, you have to go by their rules, and it doesn't matter how petty or silly those rules may be. If you're paying them to keep or watch your horse, you have to deal with the type of BS you may never have imagined - but it's real. We have boarded at over ten places over the years, and though one woman's place was 100X better than most, she wasn't perfect either. She was petty at times, and had people working for her who were convicts and drug users -- and they were around MY horses! No, thank you.

    Well, Laura and I are about to buy a place that has enough acres (not a lot) to do what we want to do. She wants to train a couple of horses, and I just want to ride. I don't want to pay someone $400+ to care for my animal, and I don't want anyone telling me that what I'm doing is wrong, incorrect, or not right. I'm sick and tired of their way being the only way, just because they own the ranch or boarding facility. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to slap the various owners and their children, friends, and kin for either riding my horse without permission, letting someone else do so, or something as lame and dangerous as smoking in the barn.

    I can't tell you how many times Laura and I have been at a boarding facility and found underaged kids having sex, partying, drinking, and smoking dope until all hours of the night, and again, around my horses! I can't tell you how many times we've had tack stolen, even when we locked it in our own private lockers - literally having the locks cut off and the owners shaking their heads as if they weren't aware that it was happening. 

    I can't tell you how many times the toilets weren't working at a barn, or they didn't have one to begin with, and we had to cut our horse time short so we could drive to the nearest restaurant to use the facilities. It's really that stupid at times. We've had to park in certain spots because the owners didn't like the color of my car! We've had to share our feed when others didn't have any. We've had to wait an hour for the arena because there was a party going on, or a lesson that went long, or an impromptu lesson that was paying the barn owner $$$ so we didn't get to use the facility we paid to use! The list goes on and on - medicines stolen, and so on. 

    Now, things are different  - THANK YOU, JESUS!  We will have our own place. We won't have to pay anyone; it's part of the package. We won't have to drive 12 miles to get to the horses; we can just step out the back door. We don't have to worry about shelter; we won't have to worry if they're being fed, or fed on time, or fed enough, or fed too much. We have lived through it all!  Now...it's our turn. Again, this couldn't have happened without prayer and God's good grace.

    My next horse will likely be my last one. I've wanted that for so long, but life wouldn't let it happen. I could get another AQHA, but that's not what I'm focusing my attention on necessarily. I am looking for a very broke, gentle, sweet, quiet, easy-moving horse who, if she or he want to, can smell every last flower along the way while we stroll through and across the land. We don't have to be in any hurry - just the two of us (unless Laura joins us, of course).  I'm really pretty excited about it.

    I've been searching Craigslist for teenage horses with more whoa than go, and I'm hoping to find one closer to me, but I'm okay with paying for transport for the right mount. I'm not opposed to searching the entire United States to find one. That's why God made U-Ship! It ends up being about $2 per loaded mile, which is not a bad thing. There are individuals who offer to bring the horse so they can meet the person buying their animal, and that's OK too. I will be the best when it comes to treating and spoiling my horse - but then again, I could end up being the worst too, because I treat and spoil my horse.

    If the one I end up with is anything like Casper, or Reagan, or if God was really sweet to me, and gave me another one like Hero -- I would be on cloud nine. It will likely be a gaited horse to accommodate my age and knees; something like a Standardbred, Tenn. Walker, or Moutain Horse. I'm ready to dust off the old tack, lose 30-40 pounds before the end of the year, and make this the best adventure ever -- I'll keep you posted. Giddy-Up!

Photo Credit: Me.  AQHA Bedtime Hero - my heart horse.