Making a choice

We made a spur-of-the-moment trip out to the fairgrounds last night and finally put Quinn under saddle. Friend T offered to be our test rider and I quickly and gratefully took her up on the offer.

Our first challenge was getting Quinn into the trailer. I had never loaded him before and he's not all that experienced himself, so after 30 minutes of getting him to put his front half in, only to then have him back out again, I was about to give up and call T to tell her not to meet us out at the arena when Friend A showed up. Being a horse trainer, she quickly got him into the trailer - plus taught me how to teach him. The ride to the arena was thankfully uneventful.

Quinn was not as nervous at the fairgrounds and we were all feeling pretty positive about keeping him. He stood quietly as we brushed and fussed over him, and he led over to the arena fairly easy. Friend T proceeded to longe him and test his responsiveness to her cues. Overall, he did about as we had expected and all of us were happy with his performance. She decided that he was calm enough to saddle up; again, we were happy with his calmness as a saddle was put on his back. He was especially good when the bit and bridle were put on.

Quinn at the fairgrounds

Then she got into the saddle. T did not ask anything of Quinn. She sat quietly, using no leg. He was a wreck. He began jigging and "dancing" in place. He was clearly nervous about having someone on his back. It quickly became obvious that although he has a sweet personality and a great willingness to learn and please, Quinn is terribly under-trained and therefore is not the right horse for us at this time. He needs a more advanced rider who is ready for the challenge that he will be. Eventually, I'm sure he would be a great animal. I'm just not willing to take on another project horse....or at least not that big of a project horse!

Today, Friend T went out to Waitsburg with E and I to check out another prospect, a 10 year old mare named Ginger.

Friend T and Ginger

Ginger's owner was very upfront about all she knows about this horse. She's been a pasture pet for about 2 years and really needs a job. She's done 4-H and trail riding in the past and her previous riders have all seemed to enjoy her. Ginger is spoiled and needs a tune-up. But like Quinn, she appears to have a sweet disposition and wants to please. Her owner really wants to find a good home for her and would like us to try her out for 30 days before making a decision. She actually got teary at the thought of her beloved pet going to a new home. All of this made me feel a little more comfortable about considering Ginger.

Friend T was not able to ride her today - the wind was blowing something fierce and Ginger was skittish - but the horse handled every request that was made of her fairly well. The only time we had some reservations was when we started to cinch up the saddle, but at that point in the proceedings a lot had been asked of Ginger and perhaps she just needs a little more time to adjust to us. Plus all that wind wasn't helping!

The only hitch in all of this is that unless Quinn leaves, there currently is no room at our barn. I need to figure out how we can get Ginger to our place soon and will talk to Friend A, the barn manager, asap.

Oh, and by the way, the price for both of these horses is fabulous. Quinn is free. Ginger is only $500.

Too bad hay ain't that cheap!

Do I have to?

An invitation to join a newly forming 4-H club about 2 1/2 years ago is what started us on the road to horse ownership. Both E and I were so excited to find this group of people and she happily became a member of the Thundering Hoofbeats. And she continues to happily join in all the activities that the club regularly does....except one. Updating her record book. You'd think we were impaling her with hot pokers every time she has to sit down and document her horse-related activities! I forced E to spend an agonizing 15 minutes (Yes, it really only takes 15 minutes!) filling in her activity calendar. And yes, I am a "mean mom." :-)

Since it's snowing again, we've had to limit our horse-time to mucking stalls and tackling unruly manes. On the way out to the barn today E snapped a few pictures of the beautiful winter landscape.