The first showing

It's amazing how a concept that is completely abstract can suddenly become reality.  An abstract doesn't trigger as intense of a reaction since it's not real.  It's not something you can touch or point to, it's just an idea.  Something vague and shifting.  Then it's suddenly real and all of the weight comes crashing down.

Fi has her first showing tomorrow.  A potential purchaser is coming to meet her.  Reality has suddenly crashed down.  Gods above, what have I done?

I'm planning to head to the barn early and get her completely spiffed up.  It's warm enough that I can wash that gorgeous tail of hers and deal with the mud that will probably be up to her knees.  You've gotta love mud season in New England.  I'm amazed her shoes are still on considering how many human shoes have been lost to the muck.  Including some of mine.  I've taken to leaning through the gate of her paddock and begging/pleading/bribing her to come over so I can avoid losing more shoes to the bog.

Her mane will need a little pulling to touch it up and I think I'll trim her fetlocks up.  Not as short as what I do in summer since she still needs that protection from the mud, but enough that she doesn't look like a wildebeest.  All tack needs to be sparkling, she'll need to be groomed to within an inch of her life, and she'll get a little workout in the morning to make sure that she's on her best behavior.

Then I'm going to go hide like a scared little kid with a thunderstorm rolling in.  I can't decide if I should leave the barn completely or lock myself in the viewing room where I can watch but not be involved.  Just today I was wrestling with how to describe my mare.  She's one of the bravest horses I've ever ridden with a work ethic that has her in the ring looking for work day after day.  No buck, no bolt, no bite, no kick.  She's a social pocket pony that wants to be part of the activity and always wants to please.  There is no trail too scary for her and she's faced down large, noisy crowds with barely batting an eyelash.  But at the same time, she's Fi.  She is no dead head and notices every little thing that happens around her.  She gets rattled by stadium fences being reset, she can get very intense when asked to do more complicated work, and she loves to gallop.  She will stress herself out to the point of panting and sweating when she doesn't know how to do something.  She just wants to get it right so badly.  She is one of the most complicated horses I've met from a mental perspective.

What is she?  She's not a beginner horse, clearly.  A beginner would be overwhelmed by her and her responsiveness.  But she's not a horse for a professional, as she hasn't been identified as going past Third Level based on the fact that she's already 10 years old.  She's kind and forgiving, but she can panic with uneducated hands.  What kind of a rider is she suited for?  Aside from me, of course.

For years I've used the tease 'I'd sell you, but no one would buy you' on the princess when she was being naughty.  Now I wonder if it's true.  I may lock myself in the viewing room with a friend and a bottle of brandy.  It seems the most reasonable response.

Hey, it's a completely reasonable response in my head.  My head's an odd place.