Plants tongue firmly in cheek, while listing…
I have up to the great age of topping 60, ridden a bunch of cheap horses, I have owned a bunch of cheap horses, I have bought low, sold a little higher…on most occasions, but definitely a bargain basement shopper.
this year with my new knee, my last year with my coach, looking at an uncertain future, I took the plunge and bought a huge great…Well he is to me 16:3hh, TB, who can jump. Though I don’t, and is confirmed at second level. A horse I have secretly coveted for years, but never though I would own…and now I do…
BUT
i didn’t realize I would have to factor in his vet visit every month, ripped his eye lid, got an abscess in his cheek, that took two visits. Two lameness visits, because he can be an arse. Cheap horses only ever see the vet for annual check ups.
I did not factor in, fussy eater, cheap horses eat happily, his lordship gets bored, and requires his food mixed, not just dumped in his bowl.
Cheap horses I can throw out in the field, spoiled handsome man hangs around by the gate, hoping someone will take pity on him. This morning I bought him in for a lesson, his stall was open, he shot in and it was hard to get him out again.
My cheap horses and I muddled through, kind of learning together, Mr Wonderful has all the bells and whistles installed, if you ask nicely, properly he will try his heart out. Don’t ask anything, he will drag himself around on his forehand, ask wrongly, shout instead of whisper, ring a bell when you should have been blowing a whistle and he has a mini melt down.
I am sure there is more, but it is so worth it to be riding him, my new happy place is just riding around the arena, on the buckle end, grinning like an idiot, just enjoying that walk. Everything is fun, sometimes challenging, but he is such a good boy. The saddle fitter was here two weeks ago, as the last winter storm blew through, I was sicker than a sick thing, but couldn’t miss out on this. Having got him set up, she wanted to see me ride him, and we went into the indoor, the wind was howling, wet snow was pelting on the roof, the place was rattling, and I had not one qualm about hopping on and riding, As coach pointed out, with my last mare I would have had her ear puffs in, fly veil on, and probably both of us would have been dosed with a calmer.
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thanks for sharing.