Window Shopping

In keeping with my latest theme of shopping, I decided to talk about horse shopping.  I was fortunate enough that when I was looking for a horse, my barn owner was crucial in helping me.  I was a first time horse owner back into the riding business who knew absolutely nothing that I needed to know, and even though I poured over ads online, I was bound to get myself into trouble.  My barn owner used to have a breeding operation, and so she had a lot of contacts - both in Canada and the States.  She kept her eyes peeled, told certain "middle men" what she was looking for, and when she found suitable horses, she asked all the appropriate questions.

This experience was wonderful for me and it really turned out.  The only regret I have is that my barn owner almost had TOO MUCH input.  Of course, I needed someone who knew the horse industry so that I wouldn't be scammed and who also knew horses so that I wouldn't be saddled with a sick or potentially dangerous horse.  However, good horses sell fast, and my barn owner explained that when she found a few horses she liked, she would be buying them all and I would have first pick which one I wanted.  My barn owner buys a lot of horses - either for other people or for her lesson program - and so she is constantly bringing them in in shipments of 3.  When she found Walker, she specifically intended him to be the horse for me, but she gave me the option to decide that for myself when he came in with the other horse and pony.  Obviously, the little 12 hand pony was not going to work, but I fell instantly in love with Walker and never even tried the other horse.  The other horse is nice, and perhaps he would have been a better fit for me, but I think he is a better fit for our lesson program whereas Walker probably would've been sent back the minute he slammed the first unsuspecting child into a wall.  In our own unique way, Walker and I just work.

I love that Walker always has an expression on his face that says something more - something with attitude

Even though I love my horse to death, I can't help but window shop for horses.  For those months where I looked at ads and then looked at the videos that my barn owner sent me of potential horses she was considering bringing in, I really enjoyed the process.  It's also nice to dream - about the capabilities of these horses, about having a horse that is however much money, can do whatever you want them to do, can bring  you to wherever you want in your career.

I also feel like horse owners are similar in the sense that loving horses is not just about loving your own horse; it's about loving all horses.  And a lot of horse lovers end up with more than one horse somewhere along the line.  That doesn't mean they don't love their first horse or each of their horses any less; there's just a desire to multiply that love and turn it into a serious passion.  Because you have to be serious to be a horse owner.  It's not all kicks and giggles!

So I still like to shop around.  Walker is 7 now, and the way I see it, in 10-15 years he may be nearing retirement.  I will want to probably have another horse by then (since I intend to still feel and look young!) so that I can start to transition Walker into his retirement life (which I consider to be his good life as a highly pampered pasture ornament).  In 5 years from now I may even be jumping, and if that is the case, my Western Pleasure pony may not be the best option for that.  That doesn't mean I won't be riding Walker, but I may decide to take on a second horse even earlier, while Walker is still in his prime, mostly because I will still be in my prime as well!

In my perhaps irrational imagination, I see myself atop a tall (let's say 16+ hands) Thoroughbred or Warmblood which excels in either jumping, eventing or dressage (none of which I do right now which is half of the appeal). I hope to be a working lawyer by then and so I hope to have the finances to get myself a fancy English horse mostly because I already have the adorable Western quarter horse. While I'm taking the time now to get back into riding, at that point I want to be able to excel in something or simply learn something new. But hey, you never know, I may end up with another quarter horse too!

The way I see it is simple.  Walker is my baby, my first baby, and if I go through a hundred horses and keep none of them, I will probably have Walker until the end of his days.  I want his life to be good so that when he lives forever in a pasture, eating all day and being hand fed treats when I visit him, he will be happy with his life with me as well.  In the meantime, Walker has so much to teach me still and I look forward to the journey.