Do you have Van’s papers? I would think if you want a horse like him, starting with his own bloodlines might be a good idea. Obviously not necessarily his sire and dam, but the lines he comes from?
I didn’t think you were a troll! Good luck in your journey! If you stick with it you will find wonderful horses and riding along the way and you will end up doing things you didn’t know even existed!
Stu55. I do not know if you will return and read this, but here it goes.
My first horse was every bit as wonderful as your Van was. Special, special, special.
Ever since I have wished every horse I bought or rode was like my first one. Of course it did not happen, they were good horses in every way but none of them were my first horse, my “angel from heaven” who taught me to ride, train horses, and raise good children.
Eventually I realized that the other horses sort of resented being compared to this paragon of horseflesh. Sort of like humans can get resentful if they are expected to be a body builder when they have a wasting disease, or when they are supposed to be a top notch basketball player in the major teams/Olympics when they are only 4 feet tall.
Each horse is different. Each horse has their own personality, preferences, abilities and strengths. When I finally realized that there would be NO horse like my first horse then the other horses started showing me what they were, equally good in many ways, but very, very different.
My first horse died 22 years ago. I miss him every day. Right now I am tearing up writing about him, he was so wonderful, so understanding, so patient with me, and so wise.
There will never be another horse like him. But all the other horses are special in their own ways, and realizing that I am a lot happier and more accepting of each individual horse, each with their own unique beauties.
Good luck in finding the horse who wants to work with you. It can get to be truly special, even if your next horse is not Van.
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Just keep your eyes and ears open, and trust your gut. Do a vet exam before you make a commitment – no horse is perfect, but a vet can at least tell you if the horse is suitable for your requirements. Trust, but verify…the horse industry is full of people out for themselves. It’s no different than any other business except that we get all emotional about it, and that clouds our judgement! Find a seller who has something at stake in the sale, whether it be reputation or repeat business, or just cares where their horse goes. Ads can be deceiving – there are some scammers out there that prey on people that are inexperienced.
On the other hand, there might be a few horses out there that are ending their professional careers, like your Van, that would be perfect for you.
You were trying to share the amazing experience you had with a first horse with a group of folks who have been around a long time, and have seen some disasters when amateurs make mistakes. (I hope) we have all had the experience of bonding with that special horse who we made a connection with. Finding another one, well…horse shopping for anyone is frustrating. Everyone is looking for a “unicorn” like Van was for you, believe me – a horse with talent to win in the show ring, or be a great trail horse, or pack someone around safely – but it all comes down to searching for that perfect match. You started from a place where you have been, which is not where others would start their search (in other words, you wanted a type of horse, rather than looking inside a discipline), but that doesn’t make it wrong. It seemed that you were excited about getting back into horses and we all threw a bucket of cold, dirty hay-infused water on you. Sorry you felt were not treated kindly here, but finding a mentor that can get to know you, your abilities and inclinations, and help you put it in “horsey terms” might be more helpful as you shop for a new friend.
Good luck!
My mileage does, indeed, vary with yours.
Not having a new, better, passes muster with you philosophy does not mean the OP has the view of horses that the oP says he/she had as a kid and that he/she labels as “not much too it.”
As to conflating perhaps a tad naive with being a troll in the sense of posting here for the express purpose of somehow damaging other people? That’s never my first guess.
I think everyone should read with more generosity, always. One can become a skeptic or a hard-ass later, if that’s merited.
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I’ve watched otherwise sensible and intelligent returning riders go through a number of ideas about getting a horse, including “rescue a feral mustang,” and I hope I’ve been helpful in directing them in more productive ways. I’ve also watched returning riders or beginners end up with unbroke horses and have a very long road ahead of them.
”‹”‹The big difference here is that many of my acquaintances want free or rescue, or even a foal,
where OP is lucky enough to have some cash to spend.
So I think it’s totally normal to go through a period of exploring what’s possible and some ideas that float past might be unrealistic. Or they might need a decade of other kinds of work and effort before you get to a place where they become possible.
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Well, clearly not.
But at least I’m willing to answer why. YW.
If Stu isn’t a troll he’ll stick around, recognizing that it’s common in forums for new posters to be suspect, especially when their first post is about polarizing topics; breeding, stallions, first time owners, etc…
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