The Horse You Bought

Thanks, Cathryn, for this blog hop.

As I've only purchased one of my three horses, I'll take this time and focus on Q! Which is great, actually, because it's been ages since I dove back into the archives of my brain and this blog to remember what Q was like 6+ years ago.

Gorgeous in her fresh summer coat

Beyond her coloring and the added bonus of so much chrome (I love a blaze face and stockings together!), Q was NOT what I was looking for in my next horse! The things I was looking for were: bay/brown Arabian gelding, aged 6-10, already started under saddle, 15+hh. This horse would be my Future Super Star for endurance.

So, of course, what did I end up with?

She looks so funny in a western headstall

A 14.1½hh, bay/brown, Arabian cross mare. And yes, mare is italicized because of all the things on my list for my next horse, a gelding was the one thing I was most adamant about. I'd ridden some incredible mares in my life to that point, but ugh, I just didn't want to own one! Of course, the Universe got the last laugh on that!

In her new home with me

I rode Q three or four times over the course of a long weekend clinic with my riding club. She was currently living with the cowboy clinician; he and his daughters referred to her as the "crazy" or "psycho" horse. They really didn't like any horse that was hot, forward thinking, and not a quarter horse. I loved her though - and blew them out of the water a bit when I was riding her around bareback later that evening and the following day.

Clearly a crazy psycho horse. My complete relaxation speaks volumes.

Qualities that I noted in my first blog post about Q that I really liked:

• Happy leading, following, or being in the middle of a group of horses and is just as happy leaving the group of horses to ride solo
• She was forward and alert on trail (HAHAHA)
• She navigated up and down steep hills with ease, didn't hesitate at water crossings, stepped over trail obstactles
• She collected herself beautifully over a jump (I still remember how lovely this felt for the first time)
• Her canter was absolutely dreamy
• She not once offered a buck or a rear (And still hasn't to this day!)
• And while she was in heat, she didn't act like a witch and showed zero interest toward either of the studs we were trail riding with despite their throaty nickers suggesting otherwise 

Studmuffin

Not a bad list by any means! But still, I hemmed and hawed over the commitment to get her. She had really amazing qualities I was seeking in a horse, I could probably let the whole mare thing slide, but the financial side was really scary for someone who, at that time, was in a little bit of an insecure place financially.

Jumping demo for elementary schoolers on the playground where I grew up fantasizing about riding and jumping horses

Finally, more than a few friends pointed out that she'd be an easy resell to someone in the endurance community after a summer of miles with me. So, even if she wasn't the horse for me, I wouldn't be stuck with her forever! My anxiety-ridden brain agreed with this logic at last, and I brought her home the next weekend.

Parade pony

After bringing her home, I introduced her to the blog world and got to know her a bit more. Things that contributed to my decision to buy her as noted in her introductory post (thank goodness for blogging!):

• she's very forward on the trail - eager to move up a hill and not a wuss about getting down one either
• she collects over jump obstacles in the woods in a way that few horses I've ever ridden have done
• she's very, very alert and notices everything (even little butterflies) but doesn't spook like a complete maniac, she notes her surroundings and moves on
• she's a quick learner - figured out within only a few tries what she had to do (give me two eyes) to get to stop moving her feet in the round pen
• she's a lover
• she's responsive - side pass you ask?  No problem.
• she backs up under saddle like a reining/working cow horse
• her floaty trot is a joy to ride
• her canter is ground-eating
• she's in heat and isn't a complete and total witch!  When introduced to her new herd she only threw one warning kick (when a horse charged her) and then she was aloof the rest of the time. She'll arch her neck and pin her ears, but isn't all snarly.
• stop means stop 

Right after completing our first LD

That's a pretty great list for a brand-new-to-me horse. But of course, I also had a short list of things we needed to improve upon:

• ground manners
• standing while mounting
• snorting and prancing after being haltered
• wariness and spookiness around people on the ground
• screaming and pawing/digging when left tied alone without a human or horse in sight

She loves a good mash

It's interesting for me to read back on these lists now. I wrote them for a reason back then - to know what our starting blocks were. I knew we backslid with lateral movements, but had forgotten how truly alert yet calm she used to be under saddle. I know her spooking habits were exacerbated extremely by my own poor behavior. It's really nice to read back and know that she didn't always teleport when things caused her alarm. Knowing this was the biggest help as I worked slowly to build her confidence over the past year. I knew what I wanted from her was absolutely within her realm; I knew I could have the riding partner I wanted because I'd had that from her before.

Dolly Sods vistas of Canaan Valley

The things we "lost" that were a part of the original foundation are small potatoes in the grand scheme of my 6+ years with this little mare though! The shortlist of things I knew I wanted to improve with her back then are all complete non-issues now! Paramount of these, she has impeccable ground manners, doesn't scream or paw, trusts most every human (though is still wary of certain types of men), and is very respecting of a human's space. 

Showing Austen what the world of endurance is like

Things Q has done in her time with me include, but are certainly not limited to:

• parades: during the day, at night, with firetrucks/sirens/horns
• backcountry trail riding and overnight camping
• countless conditioning rides for thousands of miles
• jumping
• fun shows
• lessons for beginners
• LDs, 50s, and one 100 for a total of 3 out of 4 completions for LDs (85 completed miles) and 7 out of 8 completions for endurance (410 completed miles) 
• traveled and ridden in 4 states
• losing and re-building her confidence under saddle
• overcoming her raw, instinctual fear of having her hind feet shod  

Teaching our tiniest student that trotting is fun

I hope to continue adding to this list in coming years with many more endurance miles and hopefully some dressage competitions one day! I think she'd be such a flashy little thing in the sandbox. Beyond being a showy little thing though, I want to pursue more dressage with her to improve her way of going and overall health. Following her suspensory lesions, proper movement and balance are of utmost importance in everything I pursue with her and my other horses these days. I want to guarantee health and longevity and proper movement goes a long way to achieving that goal.

Still one of the greatest photos 

This mare has opened up worlds for me that I wanted so badly to be a part of, endurance being the biggest. The community I've found within endurance riding is like no other. I've certainly had my own ups and downs, but I've met some really incredible people and learned a ton about horsemanship from endurance riding.

Such a wonderful community

The other big world I always wanted to experience was riding in remote places. I never had a horse that could go-go-go for miles and miles so easily with such little maintenance before Q. The backcountry and wilderness conditioning miles I've tackled with Q have been the most beautiful and picturesque. She is so foot-perfect which allows me to literally sit back, look around, and enjoy the world around me.

My very first time riding in the Sods on what is still the most beautiful autumn day I've ever enjoyed

Of everything I've done with this horse, my favorite accomplishments are the Old Dominion 100 and the success I've found in the past year rebuilding Q's lost confidence under saddle.

30-some miles into the OD 100

It sort of goes without saying why the OD was so incredible, but for those who don't know, it's arguably the hardest 100 in the country when you pair the weather with the unrelenting terrain. To have completed it on our first attempt blows me away. 

The last ones to finish (and complete!) the OD 100 in 2016 at 5:11am

And regarding her confidence, the year+ I've spent working with her to build her back up has been some of the most fulfilling I've spent with her in our years together. Nothing, absolutely NOTHING, is more rewarding than heading down the trail behind those dark ears to tackle mile after mile with ease and confidence. 

One of what are becoming many recent spook-free rides with this gorgeous little girl

There are so many more things I hope to accomplish with this little mare in our time together. She's not what I was looking for, but I am so very grateful she's what I have. The trials and tribulations I've had with her have taught me more about horses and about myself than any other animal or human interaction has ever done.