Horse Fever

Soooo I really can't stop thinking about buying a horse. When I went to the tack shop this weekend all I could imagine was buying new supplies for a horse of the my own. (Don't you just love tack shops, by the way? I still feel like an enthralled little kid when I go.) I also may have found a boarding stable that I actually like. It's only about 20 minutes away, hooked up to some awesome trails, has good riding facilities, etc. I know a girl who takes lessons with me at Other Barn who boards there and she seems to like it. I have to check it out some more, though, and I think they have a waiting list. I mean, it's not that I have a horse or anything, ha. But if I do decide to buy a horse and want to board there, it might be awkward if nothing is available.

Had an excellent ride on Mae the other day. We just keep getting better and better. Plus, another rider at that barn discovered a whole new trail, bless her heart! So I took Mae out and it was awesome. Well, Mae is a little finicky on the trail, especially by herself. I normally wouldn't trail ride alone -- I can't help thinking of all the disastrous possibilities, plus I wasn't even carrying a cell phone or identification! -- but I was itching to go on the trail and so we did. She did pretty well overall, and next time I'll try to set it up so I can go with someone else.

If Mae's owner, you know, decided to give her away for free, I would take her. :) Obviously that won't happen. If Mae's owner does decide to move on, she would sell her, and for goodness knows how much. As much as I adore Mae, and I do, she's not the type of horse I'd want to rush out and buy. Her feet aren't the best, she sometimes cribs, and since I'm so tall I think I'd prefer a bigger/stockier horse.

Which brings me to...what is my dream horse? I don't really know. Well, actually, my dream horse might be -- wait for it -- Brego! Ha ha ha, watch out Daun. But seriously, I love drafts/draft crosses, big chunky horses like that, but I'm also into doing some lower level dressage and some very low jumps. So a Brego-type horse would be awesome. :) I saw an ad at the tack shop for a draft cross mare who goes up through first level and does some low jumps, but she is grade and priced at $4,000. Being registered doesn't matter to me, but 4k seems a little high considering that the horse market is struggling so much. Or am I asking for too much?

Anyway, besides a draft cross like that, I'm not sure what kind of horse I prefer. I grew up riding Arabians and will always have a soft spot for them. I think they are beautiful and smart and I'll always love them, but I don't think I'll be in the market for one anytime soon. Again, I'm into stockier horses. I've never been crazy about TBs but can see the good in them, and I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up with one someday just because they are so plentiful and it would be nice to give an OTTB a new job. I like quarter horses, too, and pretty much any other breed or combination as long as they are sound and sane.

My true love on a day-to-day basis would be trail riding, so a horse who is comfortable on the trail, even by himself, would be awesome. But I also love schooling shows, so it would be good if the horse is capable of some dressage (I'm talking training level test 1 and test 2 here, nothing fancy!) and also some low jumps because I'd love to jump a little. But I'm also reluctant to spend a ton of money, mostly because I know there are a lot of good horses out there who need homes.

So I feel like I'm asking for a lot, kinda like someone looking for an apartment in the city and demanding all amenities, a balcony with a tree view, a safe and trendy neighborhood AND affordable rent all in one.

Oh well. I'm not exactly ready to rush out and buy a horse, that's for sure. I need to give it some serious thought. If Marve works out then sticking with a half lease for a while would be good. But my coworkers better look the other way because I'm going to be on Dream Horse like every day from here on out. :)