So... About a month ago my mom calls me and tells me her old friend has a 9 year old thoroughbred mare that she wants to GIVE AWAY. I said... alright... let me talk to her. "yes, I've had her since she was 2... shes done nothing really but a 1.5 years of cowboy training when she was young... and some trailriding by me. She hasn't been ridden in 2 years, and she is a 16.1(ish) hand chestnut mare." <insert me slapping my forehead here "DOH!"> . I was told she was very quite, pretty, blah blah blah. I thought... what the hay.. I'll go check her out and if she looks promising, I will talk to my investor about this possibility.
I see her, she's cute... plain... but real cute. God a BEAUTIFUL eye, wonderful topline... nice muscling for not doing anything, and is nice and broad. Looks almost appendix, but not. Okay.. groom her up, she moves well away from my pressure to move over, etc. I felt enthusiastic when I put my saddle on her back (remember...not been ridden in 2+ years)... she doesn't even bat an eye, no ear pinning at the girth.... Nothing. <okay... very promising"> Walk her out with a lunge whip, sans the actual whip part. So, she needed a little help remembering how to lunge, but she wasnt fighting, no kicking, no bucking, no running crazy, no rearing... nothing... just trying to figure out what I want. We found a groove out in the open pasture, and I ended on a good note. I told Jerry (the lady that owned her), that I would like to come back and sit on her. I would have then, but it was only me. Below is a pic I took the first day I saw her. I loved her topline, and her quite eye!!
SO... a week later I go out with my mom, same attitude all along. Even came to me in the pasture. :-) nice. Took her into the field outside of her friends this time... she totally remembered her lunge lesson the week before, and I picked up a REAL lunge whip that also made all the difference in the world. Okay.. great. Check. So I get on her <keep in mind she's done wonderful with verbal commands>... I climp up with my mom holding her head. Mom walks us around a couple times, then released us. We walked, we did figure eights... she leg yields wonderfully already! Check! Okay.. I'm getting excited now.
So I tell Jerry.. she's great...at this point I need to find an affordable place to keep her. I had called a local barn that was $375/month (What?!! YEs!! And it's only 5 min's from my work... super convenient)... however, they were full at that time. Lady told me to keep calling back. I begged her to save my number and to PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE call me.. I was friends with one of her already boarders. She said okay.
We had this conversation on January 22nd.... she calls me back on January 31st (the Tuesday after I rode, Scarlett) and tells me she abruptly had a boarder sell their horse so there was an opening. I said, "I'll TAKE IT!!! I'll bring you a deposit tomorrow!" <-- I say this with out having seriously spoken to my investor.. but I thought, I can front this money and see how she does... plus, Jerry said if she didn't work out.. I could return her! <alright, return policy = great!>. I figured I would risk it for a project. I was immediately on the phone to my friend with a trailer planning for shipping Scarlett on Friday.
It all came together I guess like it was meant to be. You cant win if you dont take risks! I decided to take a risk. Oh boy... I also called Chase New, my past farrier so that we could schedule her to get her feet did and get some shoes on because she was in DESPERATE need of a trimm and some heal. Board: Check! Shipping Scheduled: Check! Farrier: Check! <--- Loss of $600.00 in a matter of 4 days: Check! lol Oh the joys of owning a horse again!
So.... It all started when I scrunched my nose at a "chestnut thoroughbred mare... Named none-other than: SCARLETT!" <--- oh yes... her stereotype was bad enough to have a name like that! It must change!
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