From Stretch Limo to Sports Car

That's the analogy a friend of mine used when, in late August, I bought a horse.  This was a few weeks after the California Horse (all 18 hands of him) shipped out to Oregon, where his owner's parents retired him to their farm.  I went from riding that tall, huge bodied horse to riding my new horse: a 15.2 hand Arabian.  Shorter, more compact, and yes, the new horse does steer and handle a whole lot zippier.  Kind of like a sports car with a tight suspension.

I was going to post here about him a whole lot sooner, but, honestly, life threw me a curve right about that time. Literally the same afternoon as I handed over a wad of cash for this new horse, DD2 got her job offer in Alaska.  So, while I was excited to be a horse owner again, that kind of took a back seat to moving DD2.

But, I'm writing about it now!

He's a cute little guy.  A nice bay, with no markings other than two hind socks. 

I say "little guy" because I've been riding larger horses (primarily Holsteiners) for most of the last 20 years.  In actuality, at 15.2hh, he's a "big" Arabian.  Which is lucky for him, because with his height and well sprung barrel, he takes up my leg really well.  I had thought--for decades--that I was too tall for Arabs and wouldn't be able to go back to owning and riding them.  The first horse I ever owned was an Arabian, and they hold a special place in my heart.

At 10 years old, he's had the last four or five years fairly easy, not being ridden much.  Prior to that, he had a pretty great show career in the Arabian Hunter Pleasure division.  But, for the most part, he's a 10 year old with low miles, and no health problems.  He also has great bloodlines, being Bay El Bey++ on top and *Bask++ on bottom, with a couples lines back to Raffles in there too. Which I think is neat, because my half-Arab gelding, The Old Man, that lived to be 34 was also a Raffles descendant.

This horse was in partial training (2 rides a week) with a friend of mine this summer, a tune up really, as his owner thinking of selling him because he was 'too reactive' for her, when I came to hear about him.  At that time, I didn't think I was in the market to purchase, and I inquired about a lease.  The owner wasn't open to that, so I put the horse out of my mind.  For two months. Until the day the California Horse shipped out, and I happened to respond to a Facebook post my friend had about something different.  She called me later that day, to discuss what I'd messaged her about on FB, and happened to mention that she still had this horse and really thought he had dressage potential and that I wouldn't find him 'too reactive' at all.

Curious, I set up a day and time to go look at him, not really thinking a) he'd be big enough for me, or b) he'd really have dressage suitable movement. The majority of Arab trots are notoriously not dressage-like.  Unfortunately (or fortunately?) for me, I saw a lot of potential in his movement as my friend rode him for me to watch, and, when I climbed into the saddle, I did not feel like I was on a tiny horse with my feet dragging the ground. Nor did I feel like he was dangerously reactive, more like deliciously responsive to the slightest aids.

I didn't think I could swing the needed finances for a purchase right then, so I didn't make an offer.  But, I also couldn't stop thinking about the horse.  A week later, I asked if I might be able to take another test ride on him, and what she thought the owner's bottom line (price-wise) might be.

After the second ride, I was hooked.  I still had to figure out financing, but I had a couple of ideas. 

Well, it came to pass that less than another week later, I was handing over money for a 10 year old Arabian gelding and his custom fit dressage saddle his owner had bought because she felt more secure in it than she did in an all purpose saddle.   Win-win for me, as I hadn't been sure if my old County Competitor I'd used on the Mare (my 16.1 1/2 Holsteiner mare) would fit this new, smaller, horse.  His saddle not only fit him perfectly, but it was the exact size I normally ride in.

So far, I have not had any regrets in buying this new guy (who really needs a nickname for this blog).  He's been fun to work with, is catching on pretty quickly to the dressage stuff I'm trying to teach him--number one of which is contact with the bit! Our first rides were kind of comical as I'm riding with these reins that feel so long and floppy to me, yet he's thinking I'm touching his mouth way too much and he's doing a great camel impersonation--head straight up, mouth open--any time I get anywhere close to using the bit.  Now that we've had a couple of months together, and are settling into a regular riding schedule, he's less of a camel, our reins are slowly getting shorter, and he's brave enough to actually touch the bit (a giant, fat, snaffle that couldn't harm a fly) instead of shrink away from anything resembling contact.  I'm excited to see where we are come Spring; I'm entertaining thoughts of hitting the show ring at Training Level with him in 2020.