“Hey, do you know anyone looking for a really nice horse? Free? I know of a breeder looking to find a few homes. ”. Words you never want to hear from a horsey friend you trust. Especially when you sold your last riding horse a year earlier,and your other horse is a retired rescue. Oh, and you just got a raise at work (anyone else love that hey I got a raise, let’s negate that positive cash flow feeling?).
So a very close, longtime friend Kat calls me and says JUST those words. And I--being the very studious, responsible business woman that I am say “Ooh ponies?!” But seriously, I told Kat (as she actually IS my voice of reason generally—did I say I’d known her a long time?)that I might know of someone looking (me?) and I would like to make an appointment to see them in person so I can properly recommend them to said person (um,me), but of course I didn’t TELL her my mind was whispering "me!".
See, my last horse was a very talented, very beautiful, and also very large gelding who I pulled from his dam, raised and spent a LOT of money training to hopefully take me to Nationals someday (he has been to Nationals—just not with me). He was a really neat guy, and had done extremely well in the show ring, and even been on a few trail rides (with other riders) and did wonderfully. Unfortunately MY anxiety over his size made him anxious and unhappy and we just weren’t a good match in the saddle (despite my absolute love for him and 8 years of trying to make it work). I sold him (at a VERY large loss from what I’d spent in training and show fees over the years) to a wonderful friend and he is now teaching a young boy to ride and his family absolutely LOVES him. But BOY was it a hard decision to make. He was my dream horse and it was MY fault I couldn’t ride him without having a heart attack due to my anxiety.
SO when I sold him, and kept my rescued Arabian mare Ellie who was retired in the pasture of a wonderful friend (you can read more about the rescue and rehab of Ellie here) my goal was to give myself some time off, take lessons, and when I was ready and had saved up some money I’d buy an older stock-type gelding (my family bred Paint horses, so the Arabian world was a world I’d actually entered on accident).
So of course when Kat told me she knew of three Arabian yearlings, I was sold (erm, I mean I was interested for a friend). Ha! But seriously, I was like well you can’t pass up a free horse. Also the breeder was known for producing wonderful horses and the gal she had handling them was known to be really good with babies too. So I was told there were two fillies and a colt available. All grey. All yearlings. And all in their yak-like yearling shed-out/winter glory. I went in thinking I’d be interested in the colt. He was supposedly well put together and really well bred (his half-sister out of the same dam had sold for over $100k a year or two earlier).
First day meeting Ms Halo!
So we get there, and walk into the barn and the three babies are all in a paddock with two stalls attached. As per the usual in Washington, it was pouring down rain, so they are all muddy, huddled together into one stall and wide-eyed. They all were similar in size, build and looks. One filly had a bloody nose, it looked like she had whacked it on something. Someone else already had dibs on her (good thing, because she was gorgeous). That left the colt by JA Urbino out of PS Capricious, And the filly by *Armando El Aryes out of Torrifficoo. I thought for sure I would want the colt, but when we went in the stall they all ran and when they stopped the colt wouldn't even make eye contact, but the Rose grey filly stopped turned and looked me right in the eye and allowed us to catch her.
When she walked away from her friends who were calling, through the rain, through a scary barn aisle and let us lunge her and then catch her with my nervous self leading her with little fanfare, I was sold. Told the owner I wanted her and that I had to find a place to board her and transport and would give her a call. Free. Papers and all. Wonderful transaction with a responsible breeder who culls the right way!
And now I've set the stage for you all to follow our awesome journey!
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