I cannot believe it is APRIL and I am just now getting around to posting updates! As you can imagine, things have been busy around here preparing for Spring. In addition to getting the garden ready for planting and planting seeds and transplants, we have said goodbye to a member of the household and welcomed a new one. (And I have been spending most of my free time in the pasture, in a round pen, on horseback, or googling and troubleshooting horse related things.)
If you follow my instagram, personal or homestead, you will know that I finally made the hard decision to sell Ransom, our paint gelding a few months ago. We got Rio and Ransom in February of 2016, shortly after moving to the country. At the time, I was a first time horse owner and beginner rider. Rio is a great fit for that description, while Ransom was a bit more than I knew how to handle. If you own horses, you know that sometimes a horse and rider are not the right match, but that realization took me a while to understand and admit. I blamed myself for lack of experience, lack of patience, and lack of time. Many tears were shed, but I was just not experienced enough to be a good leader for Ransom (who was pushy on the ground, hard to handle/fast under saddle, and buddy sour). I finally stopped listening to a few people who made me feel guilty about thinking of selling him and made the tough call. I was never confident enough to take Ransom off property, and really, what is the point of having a horse to go trail riding/pleasure riding, if you are afraid to take them to do those things?
After research and phone calls I decided to take him for evaluation for trade at a local family farm who focuses on beginner friendly horses. I test rode a little gelding they thought would be a good match for me and decided to make the trade. After a few days with us, I knew the new gelding was NOT going to work out. He was so nervous of everything, didn’t want me to touch or groom him, and would not allow me to pick up his feet. Our vet looked at him and advised that he would need sedation for farrier visits and could possibly blow up unexpectedly due to such fear. I felt so bad for the little guy, but if my friendly (yet pushy) Ransom wasn’t suitable, one who was this afraid would certainly be too much for me. Luckily, the farm had a trial period allowance and let me bring him back.
My options were to ride Ransom after a week of their training and possibly take him back home, or to try a little mare named Bella. I was nervous about trying a mare, as they have reputations for being difficult, but was willing to try. Ransom was being well cared for and I missed him, but after riding him again I was reminded of why he wasn’t ideal for me. Bella, on the other hand, was a calm, gentle little thing. She needed to have some weight put on her and had recently been treated for worms, but was slow and steady and seemed to be a sweetheart who loaded up in the trailer with ease.
When we got home we kept her in a private “condo” (ahem, we put panels around our original makeshift shelter in the middle of the pasture so she would have shelter without sharing with Rio just yet) for a week. She had some GI issues due to parasite die off, but was eating well and was easy to handle, which was a relief. Once she was checked by our vet and deemed healthy we let her out in the pasture with Rio. We have not had any issues with them getting along and she has continued to put on weight. (Although if anyone has suggestions for how to handle her continued GI problems I would love to hear it – the vet and I have been working together but she still suffers from a messy behind. :-|) I have been working with our vet’s wife to train me and Bella and have been using supplements and medications to get her healthy and in shape. Since her previous owners (before the barn I got her from) did not care for her teeth or hooves properly I am working alongside our equine dentist and farrier to correct those issues, too. She is no longer hard to catch in the pasture and comes up readily for Mrs. Pasture’s treats and her dinner.
When we purchased Bella I was told she had excellent breeding and received her AQHA papers (which didn’t mean much to me at the time since my other two horses were “grade” and didn’t have papers). I sent them to the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) to change her ownership, but once I was able to groom her well (it had been cold and she was blanketed a bit), I realized the markings/brands on the papers didn’t match the brands on her tush. Through a bit of detective work, and thanks to the help of her breeder, we have since figured out that her full sister’s papers were swapped with hers at some point. I have been working with AQHA to get her actual papers in my name and hope that it is resolved soon. She is registered as Texess Honey and descends from foundation bred quarter horses through Watch Joe Jack and Zippo Pine Bar (to name a few). Since Spring has arrived she has lost almost all of her winter coat and is a beautiful bay roan with a lovely long mane and tail. She has been a dream to work with and isn’t spooky or moody, which has been refreshing.
Even though Bella has been getting a lot of attention as the new girl, don’t think Rio has been left out. Both are on BioMane supplement to support healthy hair growth; it is mainly for Rio though since he scratched a lot of his mane and tail out last year due to sweet itch. His hair is growing back and he has a new fly rug and ointment to help prevent the itching and harassment from bugs he experienced last year.
He has been working out with me to build his topline and muscle tone so he is a fit little guy for trail riding. He is so shiny and healthy these days, I have been very impressed with his progress.
I have learned so much over the past two years as a horse owner and I know the learning won’t stop anytime soon. I am so thankful to be able to live out my dream of having horses and am thankful for the community I have met because of them.
What struggles/blessings have you experienced as a horse owner?