I smell like barn

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Shamrockmommy

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And it's the best smell ever! Lol. Dd and I visited the breeder today and we brushed and groomed for two hours before dd had enough and Wanted to go home! I wanted to stay! I got five horses groomed out, manes de tangled and so pretty. I will have the hardest time deciding who to bring home next year!!

Dd likes "Bunny" a bay mare, 33" who is a pet only (ligament issue at birth, now fine but she won't be for galloping around). She is 10.

Oh my, there are so many I love. "Marisol" is a dark bay, 30" pet (a very slight underbite) and the cutest little thing. She followed me all around and wanted to be groomed. She is 8.

Flash is a sorrel gelding, probably 34", and 5 years old and just the loveliest head, nice long legs, very pretty mover. He is very sweet and gentle too.

Vicaro is a grey(cleared to white) 9 year old gelding who is like a puppy dog, follows you around, 40". He has lovely structure and pretty to look at!

Those are my favorites! We can bring home two. How will I ever decide!? Dd just wants a pet, Bunny will be perfect for that. I want a horse I can longe and do some agility and jumping with. Marisol is itty bitty. I'm not sure she would enjoy that but she might! Flash probably would be real good for that too. Oh man, how to decide!

Today is my birthday, and it was the best present just to be around them soaking up their love and smelling barn!
 
It is the best smell ever! Deciding which to bring home is always difficult, so I am not much help with that. If it was me I would probably bring home "Bunny" and one other. It's the "one other" that I would have a hard time choosing. Do you want to drive at all? That might be something to take into consideration while you are deciding.
 
Since it sounds like dd likes Bunni, perhaps pick which ever other one gets along best with her, so you have a pretty good idea before bringing them home that they'll get along.
 
Pretty much changed my mind on the driving, although it's pretty clear that Marisol is just too tiny to pull much. Flash or Vaquero would be able to, though.

I DO want to be able to do agility stuff, and have them do some jumping and longeing, however. I think any of them could do it, not sure how mares are, she's a bit of a couch potato it seems.

And Flash, well he's just stunning to look at.

I want them all!!
 
They are all together except Vicaro who is in the paddock with other easy keepers. He really is sweet but a lot bigger than I wanted so I think it may be down to Flash and Marisol. However , every time I visit I seem to have a new favorite! There are some lovely pinto ones there too but none have shown interest in me or dd, interestingly and I want them to like us.

It might be Bunny and Marisol.
 
Marisol might suprise you with her agility/jumping ability. We had a 30" mare in a pen we were trying to catch. We used the feeder to block her path, so we thought. The feeder is about 18" tall and 20" wide. She sailed right over it. She was a broodmare and not in shape, though she had us out their over an hour until we caught her.
 
Also you have to look at who gets along with each other. We have two mares that were the best of buddies as babies, now they try to kill each other every chance they get. They were born at same farm, went to separate homes, and then we bought them. We've had them for four years and they still hate each other.
 
Good point. They are all together at the moment but I wonder if mare/gelding is a better idea or has a better chance of getting along long term
 
Two mares get along fine too. We have a mare that is blind in one eye and going blind in the other. Her best friend is a little mare. Only horse that even gets along with her. Never chases her, pins her ears at her, or even try kicking her.

Go back and observe the horses from afar. See who seems to be buddies. Geldings and mares can argue just as easily as two mares.
 
So DD goes to a riding instructor, who has Portuguese something or other horses, and a mini stallion for her daughter. She texted me last night to see if I would "consider owning Pokie." Well, I've seen pictures of him. First, he's white. Not a bit fan of white horses, honestly. Second, he's huge. Third, he's a stallion. I'm sure she's got him trained nicely to longe and lead, as she doesn't put up with shenanigans from her horses, but... meh.

I have a hard time saying no to people (I'm a people pleaser), but I really don't think I want him. I really do feel loyal to my breeder (they are such nice, welcoming people!) and to the horses I already know, even if they are only just halter trained.

Won't see DD's instructor till next month when DD's splint comes off her arm (she broke it running/tripping). But I'm not sure what to say.

No stallions, no white horses, no huge minis?

WWYsay?
 
I agree with Chanda BUT then again I can argue for the other side.

A stallion can always be gelded. If he's already trained and is mannerly, you are way ahead of the game as a 'newbie'.

A white horse CAN be more difficult to keep clean - but if you have any fencing issues or other shenanigans going on - you can always spot that horse out in the field. If your others (you know you will eventually have more than 1, maybe more than 2) hang out with him, you'll always be able to see them quite quickly. Sometimes that's a really nice thing when you are new and want to keep track of where the horses are and you are educating your "eye".

Just curious - why is your instructor selling her daughter's horse? As a grey, it could also be for the reasons of health that greys can have. OR ... \/ (down arrow pointing at next paragraph,
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)

While we bred and raised a lot of babies, our daughter's always had 1 that was "theirs". As they grew and they needed to graduate to a larger mount - if I couldn't utilize their current mount either for breeding (not possible with a gelding) or in our lesson/lease program, they knew that that one was for sale and that $$ applied to their new mount's purchase or care if from one of ours (we bought larger ponies/horses as the girls grew - all 3 of our daughters are taller than me and have longer legs that needed new mounts to take up the length for 'proper' show riding).

Since some folks seem to like my 'piccies' I can demo what I mean -

this is our youngest daughter on 1 mare that she started under saddle for me (Sierra has a GREAT velcro butt - she can stick to anything!!). In this 1st photo, Sierra is a little over 6 1/2 yrs old and Vixen is 21 months old. Vixen got about 20 days under saddle (was at a pretty big show on her 14th/15th riding day), then stayed on pasture w/ pasture mates for months before got more conditioning/training/riding. NOW, at 18 years of age, Vixen IS STILL being ridden and jumping a 3' course of jumps - so PLEASE - I don't want to hear about how wrong it is to work/start babies this young. Different subject and I can out argue some of the best proponents of 'no riding until in their middle years', with many years of pictures and vet documents to back up my beliefs/practices...

affd.jpg


2 yrs later

6e08.jpg


3 yrs later in 03 (practice jumping, not show class) -

03vixSi.jpg


03oct3vixSi.jpg


4 yrs later in 2004 -

7eae.jpg


Sierra is riding in the same saddle until 2005 in these pony pics. In July/Aug 2005, Sierra would be 12 yrs old & Vixen 7 yrs old. Video taken in 2005 (not good quality anymore) -

Vixen sale vid

Vixen has now had MANY youthful riders. Of course, since Vixen is so little (really small for the Open Hunter Jumper circuits at 47 & 7/8" and permanently carded), they have all outgrown her thru the years. She continues to be a lesson pony for the barn that purchased her from the owner that had her. Vixen never was a good driving pony - a BAD accident at 3 yrs of age when we hit a ground wasp nest. I wasn't experienced enuff to get her thru/past the experience as a driving trainer then. Might be able to now - but her last sale price to the barn she is in was more than 5 figures! BUT our humble breeding program bred and started her.

If your not wanting a grey is personal - I can certainly understand. I don't like/want a grey horse. In all of our years of horse ownership - I've only owned 1 and she was almost given to us and a 'rescue' at the time. I never bred her - mainly because I just didn't want to take the 50% chance I'd end up with a grey foal. I leased out and then sold that grey Arabian mare (she never went completely white) before I had to deal with any health issues that may have come from being grey (she didn't end up having any). I have, however, owned 2 cremellos (white) and just deal with their issues if have any. Actually, they both have been easier to keep visually clean than the bays, browns and blacks Ive owned. If really dirty - well so are the rest, LOL!!

Just some food for thought. Your instructor already has experience with this little guy. He may be perfect for you to start with. Once upon a time, an owner would start with a beginner horse, then graduate up as either their size or their knowledge expanded past the use of the current horse. There never used to be a stigma or problem with that - and the next beginner was usually delighted to have a chance at a "ready made horse" just for them/their level of ability. Now a days, it seems everyone is jumping on the "o, no, you HAVE to give him/her a forever home". I don't agree with that philosophy and never will.
 

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