Meet Marqui

 Things don't always turn out the way you expected.  I went to my foal meet and greet with my heart set on one filly and walked away with another filly clearly imprinted on my mind as the next partner for me.

Everyone, meet Marqui.

Quillane Marqui (Stonecroft Gold Medallion x Taraco Mourinho)

She had my attention from the very first pictures of her standing outside with her dam.

She's about 12 hours old in that picture but it definitely made me stop scrolling.  And she just kept showing up in pictures looking like a million bucks.  I was already waiting for a different foal from the same breeder but the breeder had a hunch and held on to her for me.  I went to see her yesterday and . . .

She is now four months old and loves to sit on her butt.  Three nice gaits, super pretty head, playful and very smart personality.  As the breeder said, 'competition mare mind'.  She definitely wasn't happy when people weren't watching her though she's going through a 'can't catch me' phase.  She oozes sport pony potential.  She leads and picks up her feet like a lady and her baby clip was done with her loose in her stall while she watched with a curious expression.  She's quite certain she's a princess already and her dam has the long suffering face of someone ready for weaning as her filly rears up and whacks her with her front feet.

Believe it or not, her dam is 20 years old.  She's Stonecroft Gold Medallion and her sire is Stonecroft Bold as Brass. She has performance points in western pleasure from her youth but these days she just makes beautiful babies.  She likes to test people to see if you mean it (she is definitely a cob) but also loves to snuggle and get skritches.

Stonecroft Gold Medallion (Thornbeck Golden Deilen x Stonecroft Bold as Brass)

The sire is Taraco Mourinho, an imported stallion with good results in the dressage ring and approved Westfalen pony book.  This means Marqui is eligible for German Riding Pony as well as the NEDA Breeders Futurity.  Word has it that he's doing PSG work now.  He had the top Westfalen KDR foal in 2021 for NA out of a WB mare.  I believe this is his first purebred Welsh Cob foal.  I didn't get to meet him since he lives in FL but his owner is also his rider and she loves him.  His nickname is NP for Naughty Pony so we are getting plenty of sass.

Taraco Mourinho (Danaway Flash Jack x Paith Magical Meredith x Thorneyside Flyer)

His inspection notes include always going uphill and cooperative in all gaits.  Plenty of videos with him taking his mom for trail rides and some pictures of him playing in the ocean from when he lived in Maine.  Like the many cobs we met while touring the breeder's facility, he seems a good guy that has a sense of humor with many strong opinions.  And fantastic feet.  OMG the feet on these cobs, every single one had great feet.  So good.

Marqui's Westfalen inspection is August 23rd so that will be interesting.  I'll probably take that day off from work to go spectate.  Fingers crossed the judges like her as much as me and Trainer Z.  From there it's just a matter of waiting and letting her grow up.  I'm very excited and more than a bit intimidated by taking on this project.  I'll have Trainer Z and the breeder along for the ride but it's still quite an adventure.  

Welcome to the family, Marqui.  You'll have big horse shoes to fill but I think you've got it covered.

Fancy prance and future plans

 Got some video of Theo's last outing and have to say, he looks amazing.  Yes, I'm biased, but he looks amazing.

This is the Theo that has trainers offering money on the spot because they think he's perfect for their nervous adult ammies.  They also don't watch his warm ups so they don't know the truth.  

He has the best attitude in this test.  This is his fancy prance and he's happy to show his fancy prance.  He's also happy to halt and even happier to walk.  I can see why his canter/walk/canter is usually his highest scoring movement.  The first one got away from them but the second one is how he usually does them.  Trainer Z is talking about doing a series of them down center line in her freestyle.  Daaaaamn.  I believe this is his test that got him a 67% with 7s and 8s for his technical movements.  6.5 for the medium which is a pop the champagne win as far as we're concerned.  At least the judges are giving him points for trying.

Since he's got the scores he needs to qualify for his freestyle, he's taking July off as usual.  It hit 90's this weekend with high humidity and he is a puddle.  He'll probably remain a puddle until the summer heat settles in August.  Good time for technical stuff, bad time to show him off.  The plan for him right now is to get Trainer Z her bronze bar in freestyle.  Which means he'll have to go get his qualifying score for Third next year but that gives him another year to dial in those flying changes.

July is hot, miserable, and a good time to take a break from training.  It is also the time that a very special baby is due and I'm scheduled to go meet them.  Surprise surprise, there is a respected Welsh Cob breeder two hours away from me.  Fingers crossed for a little palomino colt but the color doesn't really matter.  Neither does the gender if I'm going to be honest.  I'll happily take a chestnut filly with flaxen mane and tail just like the dam so long as they are built like daddy (mommy also has plenty to add to the equation) and have both parents' fantastic temperament.

Quillane Authentic

The tough part may be choosing since there's a buckskin filly already running around that is pretty dang special.  Highly suspicious I'll be buying my first foal next month.  Whether it's the July foal or the pretty buckskin filly is really the question.  Don't worry, I'm bringing Trainer Z to keep my feet on the ground and my head out of the clouds.

Quillane Marqui

But Trainer Z has a weak spot for buckskin mares.  I did not know this.

So foals, how does that work?

 I hinted that Trainer Z and I were discussing a potentially cool upcoming project as it appears my neck is going to let me play for awhile longer.  We talked a couple times and now it's kind of becoming a thing.  For the first time in my life, I want to own a horse with a pedigree.  I want to know where they came from, who bred them, and what they were meant to be when they grew up.  I want to have baby pictures and watch someone look like they're flying a kite while getting the baby around a triangle.  And it's the perfect time since Theo would be around 23 by the time this theoretical baby was old enough to become my primary focus.

I'm going to buy a foal.  

I still feel like screaming every time I say that.

I'm very lucky that Trainer Z is on board and this is far from her first rodeo.  She's got one due at the end of the month and her four year old stallion was born on her property.  And he's such a riot, he's turning into this total clown that loves to watch her working the other horses.  He will also peer in the window while she's using the wash stall, it's hilarious.  

Just look at this weirdo

As much as I love her horses, her breeding program isn't for me.  Her horses are getting scooped up by people with grand, CDI type goals.  They need a lot of horse and I, frankly, have reached the point in my life where I don't need that much horse.  I need smaller gaits, not bigger.  And I want to be closer to the ground.  I'm tiny, damn it!

I wrote about what I want back in 2019 (before all hell broke loose) and it's more true now then when I wrote it.  I want short, sturdy, hairy, and fun.  I need enough power and brains to go up the levels but not so much I live in fear of what will happen.  And with my changed status, Trainer Z was ADAMANT that I not look at big, powerful, dressage bred WB.  As much as she'd enjoy having another fancy baby in the barn, she likes her client in one piece even more.  And I think she just likes the idea of having a fancy pony in her herd.  And we both immediately latched on to it being a stocky, native breed pony.  None of these mini-WB ponies.  Good feet, good brain, lots of self preservation.  Or, in her words:

Think: THICK, small, round, cute, and fancy.

So we're shopping.  She reaching out to her contacts, I've started reaching out to the few Welsh Cob breeders I know (Quillane and Castleberry, for those that are curious).  The plan is to find the right foal and to have Trainer Z manage the baby until they're safe enough for my AA butt.  Probably five or six years (because I'm still dumb enough to get on a five year old).  So a very nice start for the pony, growing up at a barn with their care and training supervised by a GP rider that's also a breeder.  And I can help with the ground stuff!  I have no restrictions on handling so I can get them ready to show in the breed ring or the DHSB stuff.  

Now comes the hard part.  Picking a foal.  Especially as I've never done this.  Trainer Z is absolutely helping but she's got a business to run.  Some of the leg work has to fall on me, especially as we're diving into a breed she hasn't shopped for in the past.  I have Welsh cob pictures and pedigrees all over the place right now, trying to figure out what's going to work for us.  I didn't realize how hard it is to get a feel for the mares since they don't usually have under saddle pictures or even decent confirmation pictures.  My eyes aren't trained to understand a broodmare belly. 

So for those that have done something crazy like this, how did you do it?  How did you pick the perfect one?  And what questions should I ask the breeders?  Because asking 'are your horses awesome?' doesn't seem very effective.

Dreaming of a cob

What kind of horse do I want next?

The obvious answer is purpose bred warmblood with dressage lines.  Trainer Z does have this luscious Oldenburg stallion at stud.  He has a performance record up to Grand Prix, is sweet as pie, and Theo approves.  That's a pretty special recommendation.  He's ridden and handled by ammies all the time, complete with teaching adult ammies how to do Grand Prix stuff.  He's got babies on the ground that look very nice. 

Hello, Muffin

But let's be honest.  When push comes to shove, what kind of horse actually meshes with me?  Not what I dream about but the ones that land in my life and stay because they work for me.  Based on time span of partnership, fun, and amount of progress made, I like them sturdy, stubborn, hairy, and smart.  Wicked smaht.

Left: My first pony and partner of seven years, Open Gates Secretariat, a 10h Sec A Welsh Pony (holy terror)

Right:  My partner of almost five years, Expect the Unexpected, a 16.2h American Warmblood (PITA)

I like to dream about big, beautiful warmbloods that float around and get an 8 for gaits.  Who doesn't?  I've ridden several and enjoyed them.  When reality hits, I realize that I don't want a 17h gorgeous beast where I'm forever struggling to keep up.  I don't need the intimidation that comes with having so much talent and always feeling like you're getting in the way.  I'm not going to the CDIs or the Olympics.  I don't need to be that high up in the air, either.  What I dream of is having another Theo but without the years of bad handling and about a hand shorter.  Maybe two hands shorter.  There's a lot to be said for being close to the ground, especially when there's no mounting block handy and your hip makes that weird noise.

Smart, stubborn, lots of hair, around 14.2h . . . that sounds like a large native pony.  Good news, I am still very pony sized and have lots of history with training ponies of various kinds.  I cannot resist a chance to get on a pony.

Left:  Me at 25 or so riding Tanks A Lot, a 14.1h Hafflinger cross pony jumper and some how I lost my hairnet
Right:  Me at 39 goofing around on a pony of unknown breeding that's probably around 13h and I've clearly given up on style at this point

I loved both of my Thoroughbreds with all my heart but I think I'm destined for a Welsh cob.  Like Cob Jockey's Welsh cob. Or Eventing Saddlebred Style's new baby.  I think the wheel needs to turn all the way over and land me with another pony that I can love on.  Hopefully I'll fall off a lot less now that I'm an adult and have learned how to kick effectively.  I'm deeply, painfully aware of the pony 'tude that comes with a lot of native pony breeds.

This looks so familiar.  It's me every time I try to hand walk Theo.

Terri dumped me three times in just one show, adorable little terror that he was.  Theo has me well trained for handling a partner with very developed senses of self preservation and fairness.  Tell a gelding, ask a stallion, negotiate with a mare, pray with a pony.  There are days when I think there's some native pony hidden in Theo's pedigree.

 Troublemaker

It's amazing how dreams change as you embrace your limitations.  I realized something while watching the very nice horses at the KWPN keuring.  I didn't want one.  I'm not competition focused enough to pick a horse specifically for showing in dressage.  I spend almost as much time jumping as I do dressage-ing.  I like western dressage, going for gallops on the beach, riding backwards with no saddle, etc.  There's a lot of different things I want my partners to do, up to and including walking through fire.

Mad man with a gas can in action

Theo's about to turn sixteen.  If I'm going to get a youngster, which is the plan, I need to get my butt in gear if I want to have someone of riding age when Theo is ready to step down.  I've never bought a horse with a pedigree.  Or a breeder.  This is a weird new world.

Mine

Saddle fitter:  $100
Chiro:  $80
Dentist: $60
Massage: $75
Vet for annual exam:  I don't even wanna know
USEF lifetime registration:  $200
USDF Registration:  $95
Insurance: $750
Horse:  $CENSORED

Ownership:  Priceless

So yeah, I did a thing today.  Probably the biggest check I've ever written, but totally worth it.

Who wouldn't want to see this face every day?

I am back in the horse ownership club.  My checkbook is already weeping.  Not that I mind, I'm pretty used to it.  It's not my first rodeo.  The hubby is holding up well.  He appreciates the fact that this is a known quantity and not one of my 'hey, I bought a horse no one else wanted!' moments.  It was a bit of a shock to my system to buy a horse that wasn't desperate for a new home and instead I had to beg and plead for the chance.

Papi will be continuing to teach some lessons, but at a reduced capacity.  His primary job is to be my dressage/jumping/trail ride/soccer partner.  I don't think he minds the change.  I have a whole new jug of treats in my locker.

I also have some new lunge equipment, but he doesn't need to know about that today.  Today we're just going to be happy.

Final countdown

Just got off the phone with the company that manages my stock options.  I've jumped through all of the legal loopholes and am on track to have everything sold and ready to roll for the big day next week.  Next week already!

Side note for anyone considering a career in corporate America:  if you want to know how a company is doing, find the statistical analyst.  It's freaky how much we know and it results in some fun technical challenges when you want to sell stock in the company you work for.  I have to check with the legal department to make sure I'm not going to get any wild accusations on the timing of my stocks being sold.  Fortunately, telling them 'I'm buying a horse' seems to make them question my sanity more, but question my ethics less.

I'm very excited, sitting here at my desk jittering away.  I don't really trust big banks to get stuff right so I've been trying to not let myself get too wound up in case something goes terribly wrong.  After the last phone call, I'm tentatively letting myself start to anticipate.  I'll finally let myself get completely ridiculously excited on Friday when I should be getting the last bit of confirmation that we'll be ready to roll right on schedule, March 1.  Works out well, since I'll be signing my boarder's agreement at the start of the month this way.

And then I do insurance, USDF and USEF lifetime registration numbers, saddle, and all of the other nonsense that goes with having a horse of my very own.  Also have to figure out what to call his breed on his paperwork.  It looks like I can register him as an American Warmblood, so I might just do that.  I need to ask Trainer R or the vet if they can provide me with his parents' names and his breeder.

I think I'm going to keep Expect the Unexpected as a show name.  It's so impossibly
fitting for him, whether it's his ability to teleport or the fact that he was supposed to be some lazy thigh master to get me in shape so I could go find a real dressage horse.  No one expected things to go quite like this.

T minus six days!

Foregone conclusion

It's fun to have jumping lessons on Theo.  He likes to jump and he's surprisingly athletic.  Today's exercise featured a bounce then four strides either right or left to a vertical.  After doing the exercise a couple times, Trainer A popped them up into the 2'6" - 2'9" range, including the second part of the bounce.  The fun part about mi papi is that he still isn't working that hard.  He has to actually lift his shoulders, but he's clearing with room to spare from the trot or the canter.  He's so blase about it all.  I point, he jumps, we go on.

We did have two rails down, both when the jumps changed and he didn't notice.  He chested one of them, clearly not noticing the change until he'd already started to leave the ground.  I'll take a calmly chested rail over the drama any day.

The adult ladies of the barn went out for drinks this week and Theo came up as a topic of conversation.  The current bet from the group is that I'll buy him in the next 6 to 9 months.  Trainer A thinks I should wait until I see how he goes cross country, but it dawned on me that I don't care if he can go cross country.  Even if I never got him over his fear of going out alone, I really enjoy him.  I enjoy spending time with him.  I enjoy my lessons with him and going out to do things.  We go out trail riding or jump around or do our serious dressage business rides or go to random shows.

 Our blue from the discipline rail class

I think I've come to the part of my career where having a horse I want to see every day is more important than having the wildly talented prospect.  I have very little interest in moving up the ranks of eventing anymore.  I would enjoy getting back to the beginner novice level, sure, but I don't have the urge to return to 400 mpm again.  As far as the dressage goes, I know he's not built to float across the ground or turn heads with his extended gaits.  I'm okay with that.  I enjoy working with him to get as far as we can manage.  He's talented enough for what I need and our personalities are complimentary.  At this point, that's more important.

Who wouldn't want to see this face every day?

So now it feels more like a matter of when than if.

I've got two weeks until our first attempt at a 3 phase.  We're in the 18" division.  Walk trot dressage test, 18" stadium, and a trot around the woods with poles on the ground.  In theory, a cake walk.  In practice, something Theo has never managed to complete.  Trainer A suggested I move him back to a 2 phase, move up a couple divisions, and end my season that way.  I don't know.  I'm warring with myself.  I want to try and see if our months of work have really made a difference.  And if they haven't?  Probably for the best I know about it. 

I've learned my lesson.  Don't ditch a great partnership in order to chase a specific discipline and don't shove a round peg into a square hole.  If he doesn't want to play that game, so be it.  I'll still be there to give him his massages, feed him cookies, and convince him that pushing off of the right hind is not actually going to kill him. 

Aches and pains

Getting old sucks. 

Today I managed to nab Theo's dressage saddle from the school for my lesson.  Since I was sharing my lesson with a somewhat nervous adult with a young horse, I had a good bit of confidence that galloping and jumping wasn't on the menu.  I was right, it was a no stirrups transition day.  Honestly, I've gone with no stirrups almost every ride for two weeks at this point except for when cantering in the open.  Because I'm still a bit of a weenie.

Today really made my legs ache.  Correct transitions requires a straight, forward horse.  Getting Theo to that point is still a bit of a challenge, but riding him once he's there is freaking difficult.  We got mi papi into what I call his working mode, where his TB half takes over and the work ethic kicks in.  It's fantastic to ride, but you have to ride very correctly.  He will overreact to aids, trying too hard to get it right.  Correct the right shoulder and he may very well shoot out the left.  The strong aids that are usually appropriate are suddenly too much and can cause a temper tantrum.  These moments are what gives me hope that he will move up the levels.  When he suddenly goes light in my hands and I have to manage him to make sure he doesn't go too deep, when he starts to bounce because his weight rocks back in preparation for transitions he knows are coming, I feel like I'm sitting on a horse that's capable of anything.

It's a sign of his changes that he needs to be released into a canter to break up his tension before going back to walk/trot transitions.  He doesn't need a break, he needs an outlet for the forward and a way to break up the excess tension.  He will snort and his ears will relax, then we can get back to work on the things that he finds difficult.

People that know him don't recognize him under saddle.  The 'thigh master', the lazy, somewhat rude school horse is replaced by a horse that carries himself with some bounce and enthusiasm, looking for the next question.  We have our bad moments, when he balks and shakes his head in annoyance or frustration.  He bucked with me today when I really got after him about carrying himself in the canter.  But those moments aren't about being asked to work, it's about things that are challenging or his confusion when he doesn't know what I want.  Or I'm nagging.  He hates that.

The price for this progress?  I freaking HURT.  I don't know how I'm going to get up the stairs to my bedroom after today's lesson.  Riding deep and wrapping my legs around his barrel in order to lift him is new to my body and new muscles are developing.  It sucks.  It's working, but it sucks.  My hips ache from the new position, my thighs cramp from shifting away from my knees, my calves burn from using new muscles to cue instead of using my heels.  My back also aches from my work to fix my position.  My shoulders will protest in the middle of the night from my new hand position, carried higher and with more pressure on the outside rein. Hot soaks and ibuprofen are becoming staples. 

Today I actually sat a lengthened canter and felt my hips open up and get pulled in front of my shoulders.  The rebuilding sucks, but it's starting to work.

Two different people have asked me if I'm going to buy Theo in the past 24 hours.  It's almost starting to feel like a foregone conclusion.  I'm trying to tap the brakes, but I'm almost the only person riding him right now.  His shoes, supps, and worming are all mine to manage.  I only borrow school tack on occasion, I generally use only my equipment.  I'm not entirely sure how this happened.  Owning him would make little difference at this point, so long as he kept the other half leaser.  My bills would be the same, my riding schedule would be almost identical.  It's all so neat and tidy.

I'm just not used to things being neat and tidy.

Shellshocked

Her name is Fiona.



Well, to be fair, her name was originally Savannah, but I didn't much care for that. My trainer suggested Princess Fiona, and that sounded good enough to me.

Let me back up and fill in the blanks, for anyone trying to figure out what I'm talking about. My adventures in horse shopping? Took a very interesting twist. I had a listing on Craigslist forwarded to me with a chestnut thoroughbred mare that needed a home by Sunday. It was close to my office, so I went to take a look.

Please keep in mind, I don't like mares. I really don't like chestnut thoroughbred mares. I don't know what I was thinking. Temporary insanity, I guess.

So I went on my lunch break, totally on a whim, to see this mare. The ad said that she jumped 2'9" with a previous owner and had dressage training. I pulled in to the farm, walked past the chickens, turkeys, dogs, goats, and other horses to meet this pretty mare. I call her a pretty little girl, even though she's 16.1 hands. She was led to her stall without a halter, just a finger hooked in her flymask. I watched with no real surprise when the mare promptly turned around, trotted out of her open stall, and went for a run.

There's nothing like standing in a barn, leaning on a fence and watching your prospect run loose around the property with the owner trying to catch her. But nice gaits, lovely movement.

So the mare is caught and brought back. I start going over her. Lacking in muscle just about everywhere, but very polite and willing to let me handle her everywhere. A couple of questions reveal that she is worked about once every two weeks. There's an old bow on her front right that I poke and prod at for a good ten minutes. Looks old, cold, and set. Even after her impromptu sprint, no heat and no limp. Trotting in the parking lot shows nothing.

She's tacked up and led up the hill to a small, rough ring. The rider climbs on and I watch as the mare jigs about and trots in tight, tiny strides. She's in a kimberwicke with the curb chain very tight and a very tight standing martingale. The mare never gets nasty, but when confused and stressed, she starts to ball up and bounce. This ends with the rider hitting the sand.

Before I get on, I loosen the curb chain as far as I can safely go and take off the martingale.

She's a good girl. When she doesn't understand, she still tries. Walk, trot, canter. Very much afraid of the bit, but that's understandable. She's tight and tense but willing. I even have her hop over some things, up to a two foot vertical. She's not too sure what's going on, but she's very willing to try. She offers a flying lead change, and I'm pretty much sold.

There's no time for a vet check, or even to really think about this too much. The mare needs a home ASAP. I think about it for about as long as I can manage before I sign on the dotted line and buy a horse. A couple of phone calls and I had a trailer on the way. That night, there was a new resident at my barn. A cute little mare that had been renamed Fiona. In the span of eight hours, that mare had gone from backyard horse that was ridden once every two weeks to a future eventer. Poor baby.

Will she stay sound? No idea. Will she ever go to an event? No clue. Will I eat sand retraining her? Probably. Am I going to have fun doing this? Hell yes.

My husband suggested a show name for her. Can't Drive 55.

Music to Horse Shop By

I'll admit to being one of those people that sings along with the radio in the car. Loudly. I apologize to everyone for the times when I've left my windows open and the neighboring cars have been subjected to it. I just get a bit carried away and start belting songs out sometimes.

Usually I belt out the songs that have at least some relationship to how things are going in my life. Rough day at the office? Prepare for some Limp Bizkit. I'm in a good mood? Probably something bright and cheerful. So what was I belting out at the red lights today after my trip to the barn?



It's surprisingly descriptive of my relationship with horses, and particularly when horse shopping. My husband keeps trying to remind me that I need to look at this like a business transaction, but it's this song that I'm humming while flipping through classifieds. Sure, a horse can be appraised and we can know their relative value, but a horse that has no value to one person can be the perfect horse for someone else.

I guess it's half timing, and the other half's luck.

I have a horse to go visit tomorrow. It's one of those deals where you buy and move the horse in a matter of a few days, so we'll see what happens. Maybe this is fate helping me out? Or it will just be an amusing story of how I spent my lunch break to share with my coworkers. No way to know, I just have to go and meet the horse.

I bought a new bottle of antacid yesterday . . . .

If Wishes Were Horses . . .

So the first thing all of the horse shopping sites tell you to do is to make a couple lists. Must haves, nice to haves, and do not wants. Sounds pretty easy, but as soon as you start, it's amazing the things that start coming out. I don't want a lot of white, because Quick Silver can get expensive fast, don't want a gelding because sheath cleaning is disgusting, but then I don't want a mare because I usually don't get along with them . . .

By the time I was done, shopping was going to be easy. I didn't want anything.

Rationality has kicked in, and I've managed to get my list under control and start to figure out what kind of a horse I'm looking for.



Must haves:
- Be able to jump 3' fences, because I am not nearly grown up enough to be a dressage rider yet.
- Be able to handle some trail riding, because going in circles in the ring can drive anyone nuts after awhile.
- Have a sense of humor, cause any partner of mine is going to need it. Ask my husband.
- Honest and more than half a brain. These are very important when jumping.
- Have potential to go novice in eventing, because I'm crazy and like to jump things that don't fall down.
- Have some natural forward, because I'm not carrying a thousand pound animal around the ring. Kicking is not as much fun as it looks on cross country.

Nice to haves:
- Have potential to go training level in eventing. Just in case I go crazy and decide I need bigger jumps to panic over.
- Minimal white, because I've got a career and it's not keeping someone from turning yellow.
- Preference given to geldings because one half of the partnership dealing with PMS is more than enough.
- Not ginormous. I'm only 5'2", I do not need to look any more like a midget than necessary.

Do Not Wants:
- Rearing. Just NO.
- Trailering issues. I don't think my trainer would be able to handle that.
- A dirty stop or a dirty buck. I don't bounce the way I used to.

It seems like a pretty reasonable list, but I'm already figuring out that it's a tall order. I'm probably going to end up with a 19 hand white mare, because that's exactly what I said I wasn't looking for. But hey, so long as she can drag me around cross country? I can buy Quick Silver in bulk.

Horse Shopping

There can be no two words more terrifying than 'horse shopping'. Especially when they sneak up on you.

I wasn't really shopping up until yesterday. Sure, I browse dreamhorse.com, equinenow.com, and equimarket.com, but everyone does that. You don't have to be seriously looking to do a bit of window shopping. But it looks like the partner I have been half-leasing isn't quite right, and it's time for someone new. Half-leasing in general doesn't really work for me (I'm a control freak, I'm okay with that), and before I knew it, the words were out of my mouth.

"I was thinking about buying."

Just like that, game on.

This will be the story of one adult amateur looking for the impossible: a reasonably priced prospect for low-level eventing that won't scare the pants off of me or land me in the dirt on a regular basis. Reasonably priced being the sticking point, since I wasn't planning on shopping until spring. Isn't fate funny that way? We are at day 1 of 'Project Find Catie a Horse'. I've already gone through a bottle of antacid.

This is why I bond well with thoroughbreds. I understand problems with ulcers and being nervous in new situations.



I know my Mr. (or Miss.) Right is out there. It's just a matter of how many times I'm going to have to look at the wrong one on the way. I hope my trainer has a better stomach for this stuff than me.