Horse shopping continues, blogging stagnates, Dressage Cow remains wonderfully fun.
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| Oh hey, I never introduced her. This is Madonna, a 16 yr old APHA, also known as Dressage Cow. Her owner is letting me ride her whenever since the owner doesn't have time. |
I've seen 3 more horses, vetting one.
Horse 7: Beautiful 4 yr old Canadian Warmblood relatively close to me. His background was a little mysterious- he came from Canada as a herd dispersal. Didn't matter to me: He was quiet, fun to ride, had a wonderful canter, and despite me communicating with him poorly that resulted in me scraping BOTH of my knees on the wall, he didn't get flustered. I was in love. He failed his vetting... I was heartbroken.
Horse 8: A super interesting cross (coming 4) that oozed serious dressage potential. He was out of budget, but a good home was more important. We talked price first, because I didn't want to go any further unless the seller could meet my budget. That worked out, they put him back to work so I could come try him. I didn't shop or try anything for the couple weeks between horse 7 and this horse because I was so burnt out from shopping. Long story safe for the internet: I made some riding errors, his owners made errors, and the story ends with me hitting the ground HARD. Despite having the entirety of it on video, no one can figure out what caused the bucking fit that dumped me.
Horse 9: This one isn't ruled out yet, but he's kind of the back up plan. 6 year old RPSI that's getting back to work so I can come back and try him out. I texted his owner ringside from horse #8 and said I'd be passing by that afternoon and could I stop by. Cute (but needs TLC), sweet, laid back. Probably not enough hutzpah to go above 3-1, but should be safe and would make a nice resale project. He's a several week long wait though. After the last out of work/put back to work horse dumped me, I'm leery of horses not in active work.
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| Took the cow on a short trail ride last weekend. |
I'm heading back out this weekend to see two more horses, a 2 yr old warmblood and a 6 yr old OTTB. I have a feeling that I am nearing "the end" of the search now that I'm looking at thick OTTBs too, which is really the only reason I'm saying anything about these guys before I see them:
- 6 yr old OTTB- he looks more like a warmblood than TB and seems great. My favorite size too, 16.1ish. I'm excited about him. I could show him training level dressage almost immediately based on his videos. Barring something hidden in a PPE and if he can tolerate pressure, it doesn't look like there's any reason he couldn't do at least 3rd/4th.
- The 2 year old comes from a very specific set of circumstances that do not need to be defined for the internet, and they are the only reason I am considering him. He comes from good circumstances. He should be ready to back in the fall after a spring and summer of routine, manners, tack wearing, long lining, and in hand travel to different places. And by "back" I don't mean work. I mean, back as in, put a person on him before he's even bigger and make sure he's comfortable with that walking around. I wouldn't plan on actually doing anything with him until spring 2020. He should be a NICE horse. A possible upper level prospect if he can handle pressure. I just have to wait a year-ish to ride him. If he ends up too much horse for me, he should be relatively easy to resell. I can ride dressage cow for free for as long as I want, and take her places, so that's not even an issue.
I think I'll end up picking one of these guys. I feel like it's a choice of real talent with a small wait vs moderate talent available immediately. My long term brain says if I love both, pick the 2 year old. Instant gratification of course says, pick the 6 year old. They are essentially the same price. What would you do?