The First Horse

So, a little about me... I'm 37 and have been riding for a year and a half now, learning hunter/jumper. I'd decided that if I really liked riding (and I do!), then I would save up to get a horse of my own. And that time is maybe now! So time to start a journal of the adventure.

So, this past Sunday, my BO and I went to another farm that my BO has a long relationship with. We brought home a gelding for me on trial. He's super skinny and needs a good trim, but he sure has been willing and sweet-natured! "Mr. No-Name" apparently had his first experience with jumping with me. Tuesday, we attempted to trot over cavaletti poles. He really didn't know what to do about those things on the ground! Once he walked over them once, though, he acted like he'd been trotting cavalettis all his life! By the end of my ride on Tuesday, we trotted over both a small X and a small vertical. I was so proud of him!

I've been told he's an off-track Thoroughbred, and the presence of a lip tattoo would seem to confirm that. My BO tells me this is probably why he has little ground manners, won't stand still to be mounted, and didn't know how to balance going up and down hills. That just means there's a potential project, right?

Fast forward to today... It's cold and super windy (20+ mph!) and this guy's still a cool cucumber. He doesn't even flick an ear at things flapping in the wind. We did lots of small circles while I groomed him. Eventually, he figured it's easier to just stand. We trotted over the cavalettis and a small X again, and he did beautifully. At the end of the lesson, my BO says, "want to canter a few jumps?" So off we go, three small jumps taken at the canter. He popped over all of them like he'd been doing it forever. Of course, we seriously cut the corner heading to the last jump, but perfection was not the goal today! I got the number for the vet from my BO so I can arrange a PPE. Assuming there's nothing seriously wrong, I'm going to get this guy (and think of a name!).

The skinny "Mr No-Name"

Hope things work out with you guys!

He looks super wooly and sweet. Hope you both have a great time together. I love his colour and snip.

Good luck w/your new horse. He sounds very nice,hope everything continues to go well for you two.

Next update... today, I didn't ride, just spent a little bit of time grooming. Looks like the boy will not have a stall if I get him - he wove constantly while in the barn. That's not a problem for me though. Appointment is setup with the vet for Tuesday afternoon to bet the PPE done!

PPE done today! The guy is actually 12, not 5-7 as we'd been told. He's about 200 pounds underweight, likely has worms, needs his teeth floated, and has some tenderness in his feet (vet said that was probably a combination of needing a trim and some mild tnrush). Other than that, she couldn't find anything wrong. I'm supposed to get the results from the fecal test tomorrow, so we know what to deworm him with. In fact, she was surprised by how sound he is. Needless to say, I've already called the owner and begun arrangements to buy him. Yay! Now, I need to think of an awesome name...

My current thought for a name is Barnabus. I'll try it out with him for a few days and see if it really fits. :) In my lesson on Thursday, my BO/trainer worked with me on 3 primary things. Maintaining proper contact so that I can feel him from the leg through the reins. Getting him to bend around my leg and getting me not to lean in the corners. And finally we worked a little bit on canter departures. That last we only did for a couple of minutes, since he really doesn't have the muscle to truly lift into the canter well. The vet called me back and his worm count wasn't high, so she now thinks he has stomach ulcers. We'll put him on the medicine for that and see how he goes. He's currently getting 4 small grain feedings with 1/4 cup corn oil a day plus free choice hay to help him build the weight up. We have not put him in pasture with the rest of the horses yet - my BO wants to wait until he has a bit more weight (and energy!) first. He is sharing a fenceline with them, so they can get to know him a bit.

Farrier came out today and Barnabus was great. He stood well, and didn't move at all while his feet were worked on. The farrier said it had to have been quite a few months since his last trim (6 or more, I'm guessing). I'm going to take pictures this afternoon for my log of his progress. I can't wait to see how he moves after he gets used to his trimmed feet!

That's so exciting! Sounds like you've found a good first horse, even if he is a little bit of a project. I'd love to see some progress pictures as you two grow together :)

He is so lucky to of found you! Looking forward to reading more updates