July 5, 2012

Introducing....

Like I said in my previous post...you can never replace a horse. With each horse, the mold is broken- they all have their personality quirks and different ways of loving you....just as you do with them.

I knew deep in my heart months ago that I would have to let Broadway go. I found myself looking online at available horses for sale and thinking, wishing that I could go on trail rides with Broadway. I'd look through the ads, picture myself on a ride with my cowgirl friends...get frustrated and go to the barn to soak hooves or administer pain medication. I mourned Broadway so much while he was still alive and in pain, that when we said our goodbyes...it was healing in a way.

A few days after his passing, the cowgirl warriors started finding amazing horses for me to try. And when I say warriors, I mean they were sending ads from all over the damn place...horses that seemed so perfect. Even though I knew not to get too excited...not to get my hopes up b/c most people who sell horses are bat-shit-crazy (think backyard car dealer)...I couldn't help myself. I'd read each listing and picture myself on that horse- but now when I pictured myself on another horse, it was just excitement that I felt in the pit of my stomach- not dread or frustration like before.

Early in the morning, the day before I met my new horse...I received an email with a link to an ad on craigslist in the Lynchburg area. My best cowgirl warrior, my sistah, Danielle, said only "CALL THIS ONE ABOUT THE HEIGHT!!"

I wiped the sleep from my eyes and looked at the ad.

"It's a CREMELLO PAINT!? WITH BLUE EYES!?!" I said out loud.


I immediately texted the seller...and we texted literally all day long.

At 4:30am the next morning, I jumped out of bed and rushed out the door to hook up my horse trailer. I sweated gallons hooking it up, but the heat was the last thing on my mind. I felt like I did on Christmas morning when I got my first horse. The excitement was uncontainable.

I picked up Danielle and her daughter an hour and a half later and we began our almost 6 hour trip to test out the craigslist cremello. My nerves were all over the place- I was excited, nervous and terrified. I've bought horses and been totally burned by the sellers...I've done the crazy-horse-that-tried-to-kill-me thing. I just want sane...and well, pretty. My mom's words rang in my head, "Be picky...there is no hurry." 

We arrived at the barn at high noon...and 145 degrees. (OH! And one of my favorite parts to this story- my cousin lives like 5 minutes down the road from the barn! So she came with us!!)

So yes...high noon, hot as hell. We all introduce ourselves and I see him. He nuzzles my hand and I quietly tell my heart to be still. We walk down the mountain (ok, it's more like a small hill- but I'm a flatlander) to a small ring and I watch the owner ride him....then I ride him. The smile on my face widens. My heart is not listening to me tell it to be still. Not. At. All.

"Do you want to go out on a little trail ride?" the owner asks.

"YES!" Danielle's daughter and I answer at the same time.

The owner laughs and grabs an extra horse...and we ride off into the most gorgeous countryside I've ever seen. Rolling hills of clover...that I slowly cantered over on the horse that my heart was quite quickly falling in love with.

We arrived back to the barn and discussed the "biznas" part of the trip. The owner agreed that if after two weeks I'd found any issues with him, that I could return him for a full refund. I'd only known him a few hours and I already couldn't imagine what I'd do if I had to return him. I handed her a white envelope, Sopranos style, bubble wrapped my new baby...and off we went. Well...almost.

Meet Tristan, 5 y/o...clearly both him & I needed some purple shampoo to rinse the yeller'out. (His previous owner was so sad to see him go.)


I probably would've ridden him home if it wasn't 145 degrees out...not gonna lie. I was so thrilled...more thrilled than a child on Christmas. BUT- I had the looming vet visit hanging over me...and on the long drive home- the 'what ifs' played through my mind.

Thankfully, that was a big ole waste of time! The vet came out & said Tristan is a healthy boy! AND HE'S OFFICIALLY MINE!!!!

Tristan has many AKAs thus far: 
Vanilla Ice (are you singing the song now? Stop. Collaborate...)
Pretty Fly for a White Guy

The list goes on...but I don't want to offend white rappers whose name I may or may not call my horse. However, pretty much any white rapper joke that can be told, I tell him. On a daily basis. I mean...he's in a white rapper family- it's just unavoidable. Sometimes he jumps around...while I tell him jokes. (badumchi)






We've switched things around a little...and Tristan will be living at a boarding facility instead of at my parents. As strong as I try to be, there are too many 'horses from the past' memories there and I am ready to have a fresh start. I'm thrilled with my new boy...did I mention that?

I'm thrilled. ;-)

1 comment:

  1. This horse is my dream horse as a child. I never got to be a horse rider. My sister did but with me my mom just got super worry wort. *sigh* But my dream horse was always a horse JUST like him. Of course I wanted a black stallion as well...just like the Arabian in the movie (I was an 80s kid after all).

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