Apparently ... I don't need another horse

Since returning from our summer holidays I have got Dingo back in work, and back into a routine.  Lil got injured before we went away, and there were a few tentative steps after our vacation to assess if she is sound.  She seemed sound and so she came back into work too, albeit a bit slower than Dingo.  Once we moved Morgan on, earlier this year, my husband declared that he is game to try riding Teddy - the horse that is on friendly agistment at our place.  So, I have started working Teddy as well.  Then, of course, I have to supervise my daughter most of the time when she rides.

You would think that I've got my hands full, but I was still scanning the ads to see if I could find a suitable horse for my husband.  Most of the ads were for horses that were 2 or more hours away, so really, I was just dreaming.  Then I found an ad for a quiet horse, suitable for trail riding, and he was local.  He was also 16.3hh, which should have been enough to set off warning bells.  But, there are so many people claiming their horse is a certain height and when you measure them they come up half a hand short.  Best to see for yourself.

My daughter and I told my husband we're going shopping and went to see said horse.  Husband thought we were going food shopping, which we were, after we had seen the horse.  The advertised horse was beautiful, quiet, and definitely 16.3hh.  I rode him.  My daughter rode him.  And he never put a foot wrong.  Then we arranged to have him on trial for 1 day.  By this stage, we had revealed our secret shopping escapade to my husband, who oddly enough was happy to have to horse come for a trial.

The horse came to our place - we picked him up.  Are you seeing were this is headed?  I said he was local, but that means 1 hour drive to pick him up, 20 minutes to load, and 1 hour drive to get him home.  The horse arrived.  Still as quiet as ever, still beautiful - even my husband thought so.  Still 16.3hh.  I rode him to the state forest.  I was so relaxed I didn't want to turn back.  Neither did the horse.  When we turned for home, he actually slowed down.  Then my daughter rode him on the driveway.  My daughter is 10.  Then my husband rode him.  His verdict "too quiet".

Then I lunged him and put him under a bit of pressure.  He proved totally trainable.  Just that 16.3hh bothered me.  Oh, and there was something else.  What exactly was I going to do with this horse?  It sounded like it wasn't the right horse for my husband.  If I evented him then would I still ride Lil?  Would I still ride Dingo?  Could I take friends trail riding on him?  If he was 16hh I could, but 16.3hh was becoming a bit of a gamble.  I agonised and discussed and agonised some more.  If he was 16hh ...

Finally our day with the beautiful quiet horse ended and it was the whole 2.5 hour exercise of getting him back home again.  I thanked the owners profusely, admitted that they were totally honest and that he was a real gem, but unfortunately he was just a bit big for our needs.  For two days I toyed with the idea of buying this horse.  I barely worked my horses, I skipped my farm chores, I didn't even really cook - we ate left overs.

As with anything though, it's the journey you take and the things you see and learn along the way that are important.  Firstly ... believe it or not ... I don't need another horse.  I've got Dingo and Lil, who are only now really starting to become good competition horses.  My husband has declared that he is interested in giving Teddy a go - so I don't need to find him a horse right this minute.  Working three horses is plenty.

Secondly, I've realised that it takes time - a lot of time - to find the right horse.  The question you have to ask yourself is "do you want to be looking for a horse, or do you want to be working your own horses?"  There is a right time for both.  Right now, it's time for me to be working the horses I have.

We were able to take the horse on a one day trial.  This was a perfect way to get to know a horse and assess a horse enough to form an opinion if he is right for you and if you can work with him.  I think if you just have a trial ride in an arena you don't gather enough information to judge anything.  You must have an environment when the owners just leave you with the horse and you get the chance to do everything and interact with the horse a lot.

Where we trialed the horse, the property next door had amazing apples.  Amazing.  Worth the 1 hour trip.

The conversations I had with my daughter in the car while ferrying this horse around were incredible.  We didn't stop talking for a minute.

While dropping the horse off, we saw a carriage being pulled by two black matching standardbreds.  On our way back, we saw the same horses and carriage heading back in the opposite direction.  It was a magnificent sight, and brought to light the dream of one day driving our own carriage.

Now that I know that I'm just meant to be working the horses I have, I feel a strong sense of relief when I see those ads of horses for sale.  They are no longer my problem.  Phew!

It's the journey you take.