goddessfarmer (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
goddessfarmer) wrote2009-02-25 05:25 pm
goddessfarmer) wrote2009-02-25 05:25 pm
follow-up to poll
First, I really appreciate y'alls comments. Thank You. I will answer some of those questions as the end of this post.
Here is Minnie's story: In the fall of 1982 both my mother and I were looking for new horses. We visited a trainer/friend of hers in Superior, Montana. (We were living in Parker CO at the time, before that town became quite so developed.) I didn't find a horse on that trip, but my mom found a pregnant mare. Which she bought, and parked with the trainer. In April of 1983, Minnie was born. The dam turned out not to be such a nice riding horse, so she was sold, and the filly was kept. Minnie remained in Montana until February (I think) of 1984, when my folks moved back to NJ, and she was shipped there along with our other 4 horses. Yep, we had 6 horses in a 5 stall barn. Two were babies, both born spring 1983, two were mine, one my moms older basket case mare who was the dam of the other baby, and the horse we had bought for my father to foxhunt. My father doesn't really ride, but well, anything to make my mother happy. In fall of 1986 I left for college. The two babies got broke while I was gone. The mare got gifted to Centenary College's riding program. Dad's horse got sold to my mom's friend who moved to Arizona because the big gelding had arthritis and didn't do well in NJ. My younger horse, which turned out to not be suitable for eventing, got gifted to somewhere. I eventually sold my pony, which I still regret, but she died soon after of a brain tumor at the age of 21. So what does mom have left in the stable? 2 green horses - Minnie and Pretzel. She gave me Pretzel when I moved up here to NH, but he developed severe Navicular disease by 1995 and I gave him away and bought Trump. Minnie has followed my mother around, been leased out as a school horse, come back, and basically been in on again, off again work her whole life. At one point (1993, I think) Minnie rolled under a fence and opened up the joint capsule of one of her hocks. By some miracle, not only did she live through that, by 1995 she was sound again. In recent years, she's had those hocks injected 3 times with various things, but the last time did not effect any improvement. Now she is on 2 grams of bute a day, and not exactly sound, but not whinging in pain either. In April she comes up to her 26th birthday. She was not supposed to outlive my mother, who died two years ago come April. I have never felt any great attachment to her, but I do feel some obligation. (To the horse, not my mother)
The issue for me is difficult. I want to honor my husbands request (more like a dictate) to only have as many horses as we have people to ride them. I understand that while we do have a sufficiency of money, the well does have a bottom. Our current count is two riders and three horses. Two of those horses are not sound enough to do the activity for which we have the horses in the first place. Trump is still sound enough and is sane enough (which Minnie is not) to find a place in a lesson program or with someone who is more green than we are. But I have to always be prepared to take him back. Trump and I have a very special relationship. I had, up until I left for college, full support and enabling from my family for my riding. My mother always wanted me to be better, she was living vicariously through me. As brave as she was in the hunt field, she never showed, and she did her competitiveness through me. I do it because I love it. I stopped showing for a long time because Trump could not go further than Novice in eventing because of a sight problem. He was No Fun on cross country. I learned a lot of Dressage on him, but was not so successful in the show ring. But now my clock is ticking. I do ever so want to do a Preliminary level event in my life. This is why I bought Skip. I finally did not compromise on my stated requirements for the horse I wanted for me. I'm 40. I feel the need to continue this journey now. But I also want to encourage Alice. With a horse for her, we could go to the same events, help each other out, share expenses and the joys and sadness of competing. She good, and works hard at it. We are both a little discouraged right now and the lack of having an able horse. It's really hard to share a horse with someone when Eventing. So we return to the question of how to achieve balance between number of riders and number of horses.
Here is Minnie's story: In the fall of 1982 both my mother and I were looking for new horses. We visited a trainer/friend of hers in Superior, Montana. (We were living in Parker CO at the time, before that town became quite so developed.) I didn't find a horse on that trip, but my mom found a pregnant mare. Which she bought, and parked with the trainer. In April of 1983, Minnie was born. The dam turned out not to be such a nice riding horse, so she was sold, and the filly was kept. Minnie remained in Montana until February (I think) of 1984, when my folks moved back to NJ, and she was shipped there along with our other 4 horses. Yep, we had 6 horses in a 5 stall barn. Two were babies, both born spring 1983, two were mine, one my moms older basket case mare who was the dam of the other baby, and the horse we had bought for my father to foxhunt. My father doesn't really ride, but well, anything to make my mother happy. In fall of 1986 I left for college. The two babies got broke while I was gone. The mare got gifted to Centenary College's riding program. Dad's horse got sold to my mom's friend who moved to Arizona because the big gelding had arthritis and didn't do well in NJ. My younger horse, which turned out to not be suitable for eventing, got gifted to somewhere. I eventually sold my pony, which I still regret, but she died soon after of a brain tumor at the age of 21. So what does mom have left in the stable? 2 green horses - Minnie and Pretzel. She gave me Pretzel when I moved up here to NH, but he developed severe Navicular disease by 1995 and I gave him away and bought Trump. Minnie has followed my mother around, been leased out as a school horse, come back, and basically been in on again, off again work her whole life. At one point (1993, I think) Minnie rolled under a fence and opened up the joint capsule of one of her hocks. By some miracle, not only did she live through that, by 1995 she was sound again. In recent years, she's had those hocks injected 3 times with various things, but the last time did not effect any improvement. Now she is on 2 grams of bute a day, and not exactly sound, but not whinging in pain either. In April she comes up to her 26th birthday. She was not supposed to outlive my mother, who died two years ago come April. I have never felt any great attachment to her, but I do feel some obligation. (To the horse, not my mother)
The issue for me is difficult. I want to honor my husbands request (more like a dictate) to only have as many horses as we have people to ride them. I understand that while we do have a sufficiency of money, the well does have a bottom. Our current count is two riders and three horses. Two of those horses are not sound enough to do the activity for which we have the horses in the first place. Trump is still sound enough and is sane enough (which Minnie is not) to find a place in a lesson program or with someone who is more green than we are. But I have to always be prepared to take him back. Trump and I have a very special relationship. I had, up until I left for college, full support and enabling from my family for my riding. My mother always wanted me to be better, she was living vicariously through me. As brave as she was in the hunt field, she never showed, and she did her competitiveness through me. I do it because I love it. I stopped showing for a long time because Trump could not go further than Novice in eventing because of a sight problem. He was No Fun on cross country. I learned a lot of Dressage on him, but was not so successful in the show ring. But now my clock is ticking. I do ever so want to do a Preliminary level event in my life. This is why I bought Skip. I finally did not compromise on my stated requirements for the horse I wanted for me. I'm 40. I feel the need to continue this journey now. But I also want to encourage Alice. With a horse for her, we could go to the same events, help each other out, share expenses and the joys and sadness of competing. She good, and works hard at it. We are both a little discouraged right now and the lack of having an able horse. It's really hard to share a horse with someone when Eventing. So we return to the question of how to achieve balance between number of riders and number of horses.