A little heartbroken

I have been struggling with what to do with Spencer for a while now.  Do I retire him? Do I sell him? Do I find another home?   He is semi-retired mostly because I don't have the time to ride, fit and show two horses.   I feel a bit guilty looking at him out in the field, thinking I should ride, but I don't feel like it, thinking he could be doing more, even at 18 and/or I could sell him, but I don't want him to go to a bad home, etc. etc.  Spencer is sound and healthy and happy to run his little herd out in the field, but I feel that he has more to give for the right person.

Spencer - in 2012, shortly after I brought him home

I was hoping a kid for him would come along via my show acquaintances, but that hasn't happened yet.  (Here is a flashback from 2013 from our 2nd schooling show...I feel lucky that I got out to 4 shows that year. ) Getting out and doing stuff without a trailer has been really hard (obviously) and is a big part of my frustration with riding...

Haha Mr Grumpy Face...

A few weeks ago, a good friend reached out to me about a therapeutic riding program that was desperate for small horses or ponies.   She has a horse in the program and had good things to say about it.   The horses they use need to be small enough for handlers to reach up and support some of the riders that have balance issues.

I hemmed, hawed and maybe even cried a little, then decided to send them an email.    They came out to meet Spencer this past weekend and fell in love with him instantly.  Even though I've only been on him 4 times this year, he went out and did w/t/c with a new rider no problem.

He will be going there on a 1 month trial and if that works out, he'll stay in their program. I'm free leasing him to the program, so when he is ready to retire, he will come home to me.  If he doesn't fit their needs, he comes home to me, so I feel it is win-win for all parties involved.

I started this post earlier this week... and as of now he's gone... They arranged trailering for him and the old retired horse guy was an hour early.  He was here before I got home from work.  Lol  I had planned for an hour to say goodbye and get organized, but I guess it was to my benefit, since I just had to rip of the band-aid and get him loaded. 

Bye...

I'm having a hard time with this, but I feel it is a good option right now.  He will be treated like a prince and will do a few walk/trot lessons with kids that need help in return.  He will be groomed and fussed over and worked lightly all winter (they have an incredible heated indoor arena), which is much more than I can do here.  Not a bad semi-retirement job, I hope!  And the best part, is that I can go visit whenever I want.  I even have a hunch they will let me ride once in a while as well.

10 Questions for September

I stole these Qs from Viva Carlos - her timing was perfect - as I'm in dire need of some content over here.  Things have been quiet and I've been a bit "meh" about things lately.  Work has been super busy and that leaves me a little drained by the time I get home.

1. Favorite quirk your horse (or a horse you’ve spent time with) has? 


Spencer opens doors - sliding doors, swinging barn doors, gates, trailer doors, you name it, he will open it if not latched.    It is funny if you are expecting it, not so funny if you get a door in the face.  Ask me how I know! 


Copper tries to get you to give him treats by smacking his lips and chewing and bumping your leg with his nose. It is not the greatest behaviour, but the lip smacking is pretty cute. 
Fred: he sighs when he eats his grain.  He gets a fair amount of food, so I guess it is hard work eating it all?


2. Three adjectives that perfectly describe your horse?


Fred: big, red, cuddly
Copper: little, red, cuddly
Spencer: grumpy, smart, full of attitude

Attitude? Check.

3. Plan your next ride. What will you do/work on?
Err...well...some news may be coming here so I'll leave this one for now.


4. Have you ever trained an OTTB? If yes, what was the biggest challenge?

I have not.  However, I did ride one when I first got back in to riding as an adult.


5. Have you ever groomed or worked for a professional rider?


A big fat nope on this one!


6. Favorite horse and rider combination?


I have to dig in the history books for this one, as I don't really follow any pros now.  My all-time favourite is Ian Millar (affectionately known here as Captain Canada) and Big Ben.  They competed in 2 Olympics (4th in the team comp. both times) and they won over 40 GP titles.  At the London 2012 games, Ian Millar set a record by becoming the first athlete in any sport, from any nation, to compete in 10 Olympic Games.   My friend's friend was Big Ben's groom for years, so I've heard a few personal stories about the pair as well, which is neat.


And while I don't follow any pros today, I do like to hear that Beezie Madden is successful - I lik hearing about successful horsewomen!

Ian Millar and Big Ben

7. Have you ever ridden a horse at the beach?



I have! In Aruba on these poor skinny horses.  Riding in other countries can be a little tough on people from North America who are used to more plump horses.  It was really fun though...the tour guide wanted everyone to walk on the beach. I pretended my horse spooked and cantered off down the beach...hahaha


8. If you could experience the equestrian community (i.e. ride and compete) in another country, what country would you choose and why?


Well, let's take out the compete part at this point in my life!  I would love to work on a cattle ranch in Montana for a summer or something.  And maybe ride in Ireland or the UK.


9. In your opinion, what is an item of tack that is given unnecessary hype?


I'm trying to think of something on the western side...they have these ugly "belt" headstalls that look weird.  Oh - and the bronc halters - those are weird, in my opinion!

I don't have a bronc, why would I want a bronc halter? Don't get it...at all...lol

10. What was the first horse you rode called? Are they still alive?


The first horse I rode was an old pinto pony named Mary.  She was in her 20s at the time, so safe to say she is long gone over the rainbow bridge. 

Why breed shows and halter horses?

I've sat in front of my computer several times over the past month trying to write this post.  I think I'm on version 6 or 7 at this point.  Emma's recent post had me thinking as well, so I went back to editing yet again. 

Why do I show halter?  Why would you show halter in the breed world?  Don't those horses all look weird?  Wouldn't you rather ride?

All valid questions that I ask myself daily.  And the answers are complicated and vary day to day and year to year - life throwing a wrench in the works, motivation fluctuations and resources. Always with the resources when it comes to horses.  I do still ride a bit, although it is hard to work full-time, ride one horse and fit a halter horse, on top of other commitments, you know the hubby, eating, etc.  ;-)

I bought Spencer a few years ago looking for an older QH (he is 18 now!) that could do western breed type classes (western pleasure, horsemanship, trail, showmanship and maybe hunt seat) at the schooling show level. I had a lot to learn, so didn't feel the need to jump into the breed show world at that time. I had sort of planned to learn with Spencer and then buy something a bit fancier in a couple of years.

Me - having fun at a local fair.  Spencer, not so much.  Likely totally embarrassed by his human.

I did well with him the first year we showed and then life happened.  In a nutshell:

• my coach retired,
• there aren't any other western coaches in my area,
• there aren't any western shows above the schooling show level (including fairs) that aren't breed shows,  
• I have "issues" that rear up at unfortunate times (confidence, anxiety, fitness/health)
• my husband got really sick (and is fine now, thankfully)
• and our finances took a big hit. 

With all of that stuff going on, I had to remind myself that my love for horses covers more than riding, showing - I love doing stalls, fixing fences, feeding, mini scritches, etc. 

One of my favourite pics - this is my friend's horse - he is so handsome!  I didn't even know the photographer took this one, probably why I like it!! lol

I had showed friends horses in the past and kind of got hooked on the sweet show schedule - most halter classes are first thing in the morning and then you are done!  Grand and reserve ribbons are kinda sweet too!

stand still, mother fucker!  me, probably, circa 2016

Once my life stabilized a bit, my friends encouraged me to get a halter horse so I wouldn't have to worry about the riding/trainer/gear issue.   I was on board with that idea and the search for Fred began.  Admittedly, I don't love how halter horses are supposed to be examples of excellent  conformation and yet most that are winning big shows are post-legged hypp n/h creatures that don't have much of a future as a riding horse.   This applies to many horse-related industries though - sadly, there is no shortage of this type of stuff in our beloved horse world.

almost to Fred's farm in Kentucky

I feel that you can still be part of a breed/industry without supporting the worst parts.  Think of all of the amateurs across the board that feed into shows, breeding and the horse industry as a whole. There is a lot of good out there too and fun, let's not forget the fun!  And, to quote Emma from her awesome recent post "But the great thing about these animals is that one size does not fit all. There's room for everyone."

Showing a friend's horse in 2015...?  This is actually a showmanship class at a fair, but I showed this guy in halter at AQHA shows one year.  He is 19 now!

Now that I have Fred, I now try and look at how I want to show and take care of my horse with a view to learning, doing the best with what I have and trying to have some fun along the way.  Would I someday like a fancier horse to move up some levels and win at some bigger shows? Yes, I can't lie, I would like that. Is it in the cards for me? Who knows.  And I'm ok with that.

This has been my motto lately...

The important thing is that I don't need those things to enjoy what I have now.  And that is 3 horses, my own little barn and lots of opportunities to learn and have fun.  It is so hard to not get caught up in the points and awards and the dream of travelling to far-away shows, but it is more important for me to enjoy myself and remember that love of horses that I had as a kid.