Horsey Daughter goes off to stable to ride today and comes back needing to vent. This was her story.
She goes to the stable where she has two horse who live with a few others in a 15 acre paddock. When she got there they had just been fed, Waaayyy up at the top end of the field, as far from her as they can be. Crap. Just then one of her horses, who was not at the hay, wanders to the gate to see her. Perfect! She bridles him, makes him kneel so she can hop on him (he's tall) then rides him across the field to the other horse she plans to ride, bridles him, and rides him out of the field. He is also tall and to get on she took him to the fence, clucks, he swings himself towards her and she hops on. Her horses kneel, sidle up to objects and stand dead still for mounting.
She saddled Wrecker at her truck. Then went for trail ride with another stable person. He did not put a foot out of line on the trail.
Back at the stable she decided to work him a bit on his flat work in the indoor arena and do a few jumps, so they did that for a little bit until another lady, who was lunging her spastic 2 year old said "Here, pony him for a bit, I have to go make a call." And tossed the lead rope to Daughter. SO she ponied the leaping, snotty, spooking, stupid baby for a while. Wrecker did not put a foot out of place.
In comes a fancy trailer and out comes a HUGE warmblood that was, in daughter's words, a fugly trainwreck. Some parents with more money than brains are having their teen test ride this flinching, head up, bit yanking, lurching and ungainly monster who obviously knows nothing and is way too much horse for a young teen wanting to get into jumping. He has a price tag of $15,000 and is, to Horsey Daughter's eyes, a complete idiot.
She is frustrated. She has Wrecker for sale for $2500. She gets on him cold, no goofing around in a warm up pen with miles of lunging, and RIDES HIM, then in the arena she flat works and jumps him. Then he does a few rounds as pony horse. There is NOTHING this horse can't do while conducting himself like he's sane...and yet no one wants him because he is a plain, brown, banged up off the track TB. She does not fritter and fuss over her horses. They have a job to do and they better do it, dammn it! And they do. THey are outstanding! And here some STUPID people (in her horse opinion, and in the opinion of all horse people, every other horse person is stupid) setting their daughter up for a big, fat FAIL, when Daughter has a little nugget of gold that she can't find a home for.
In my opinion she is not too motivated to sell him since he is proving to be such an all round versatile guy and a love. He is not perfect. He is a racehorse. BUt his progress has been astonishing and his willingness is incredible. Most people do not think he is a TB as he has what she calls 'old style' breeding, heavy bone, almost quarter horse looking chest and butt, but tall.
She has done very well with bringing him along. She is very particular about where he will go. What makes a useless warmblood worth so much more? WIsh I knew the answer, it's not like the horse can read its own pedigree! Sigh...the tough life of a horse person.
She goes to the stable where she has two horse who live with a few others in a 15 acre paddock. When she got there they had just been fed, Waaayyy up at the top end of the field, as far from her as they can be. Crap. Just then one of her horses, who was not at the hay, wanders to the gate to see her. Perfect! She bridles him, makes him kneel so she can hop on him (he's tall) then rides him across the field to the other horse she plans to ride, bridles him, and rides him out of the field. He is also tall and to get on she took him to the fence, clucks, he swings himself towards her and she hops on. Her horses kneel, sidle up to objects and stand dead still for mounting.
She saddled Wrecker at her truck. Then went for trail ride with another stable person. He did not put a foot out of line on the trail.
Back at the stable she decided to work him a bit on his flat work in the indoor arena and do a few jumps, so they did that for a little bit until another lady, who was lunging her spastic 2 year old said "Here, pony him for a bit, I have to go make a call." And tossed the lead rope to Daughter. SO she ponied the leaping, snotty, spooking, stupid baby for a while. Wrecker did not put a foot out of place.
In comes a fancy trailer and out comes a HUGE warmblood that was, in daughter's words, a fugly trainwreck. Some parents with more money than brains are having their teen test ride this flinching, head up, bit yanking, lurching and ungainly monster who obviously knows nothing and is way too much horse for a young teen wanting to get into jumping. He has a price tag of $15,000 and is, to Horsey Daughter's eyes, a complete idiot.
She is frustrated. She has Wrecker for sale for $2500. She gets on him cold, no goofing around in a warm up pen with miles of lunging, and RIDES HIM, then in the arena she flat works and jumps him. Then he does a few rounds as pony horse. There is NOTHING this horse can't do while conducting himself like he's sane...and yet no one wants him because he is a plain, brown, banged up off the track TB. She does not fritter and fuss over her horses. They have a job to do and they better do it, dammn it! And they do. THey are outstanding! And here some STUPID people (in her horse opinion, and in the opinion of all horse people, every other horse person is stupid) setting their daughter up for a big, fat FAIL, when Daughter has a little nugget of gold that she can't find a home for.
In my opinion she is not too motivated to sell him since he is proving to be such an all round versatile guy and a love. He is not perfect. He is a racehorse. BUt his progress has been astonishing and his willingness is incredible. Most people do not think he is a TB as he has what she calls 'old style' breeding, heavy bone, almost quarter horse looking chest and butt, but tall.
She has done very well with bringing him along. She is very particular about where he will go. What makes a useless warmblood worth so much more? WIsh I knew the answer, it's not like the horse can read its own pedigree! Sigh...the tough life of a horse person.
