Let's Start with the Horses.....

So it's been almost a year since I last posted. I could write the Great American Novel about what's going on, but I will try to keep it short and sweet. First, horse news. My dear sweet Clinton has been sold. I am terribly sad, but also very happy for him. My friend at the barn told me a really lovely lady bought him, who showered him with pets and kisses. If I can't have him, I want him to have a home where he is loved and pampered. He is a great horse, and he deserves the very best. I almost bought him a year ago, but had to pull out, for many reasons. It hurt my heart to have to say no, but in the end, I did what was best for us both. I had many life changes coming, and it would have been unfair to buy him and then barely see him for months. Plus, in reality, buying a nearly 20 year old horse, who, while incredibly sound, probably only had a few more years of showing left, was not a "smart" business decision. And that would leave me with an aging retiree in the pasture (I would never have sold him), and on the hunt for a new horse. Still, even though my head knows I made the right decision, my heart still longs for him. I have not been back to the barn in year...again because of life changes, but mostly, I couldn't bear to see the horse I had wanted so dearly. I will be going to the barn again soon to pick up my gear, and it will be hard to walk by his stall and not see that funny question mark on his forehead and floppy ears. Sigh. Clinton is the second horse I loved, and have passed on in my riding life. The first was an Appy named Joker. He was my first horse love. He was not a beauty....he was white and pink (from many areas where he'd rubbed off his hair), with black spots. He was also very nasty. He had a reputation of bucking, kicking, and biting. Of course, I fell in love with him. At first, I was simply mucking out his stall, but that moved to talking to him, and brushing him, and giving him great back rubs. Slowly and surely, Joker and I fell in love with each other. Since no one else rode, or paid any attention to Joker, he felt like my horse. And despite the warnings from other riders, I was determined to ride him. So when I got the chance to hop on him, I didn't hesitate. Just as he was in the barn toward me, he was gentle and sweet, never spooking or bucking. That's not to say he was perfect. He was a jealous horse...if I petted another horse, or showed attention to a person in the barn, the moment he was let out, he would gun for the horse/person, teeth bared. And he was very mischievous....I lost quite a few pants pockets that he ripped off, playing with me. But when his owner decided to give him to me, I had to pass. I was a college student with a load of debt, and the daughter of two parents who strongly resisted my want for this horse. And as with Clinton...Joker was an older horse (22), who would become a pasture potato in few years. So I said no. Three weeks later he was sold to a young girl with the same love for him as I, so while I was happy for my sweet Appy, I was sad I wouldn't be the one he'd see every day. That was 10 years ago. I hope that he is still alive, but he would be 32 by now. I hope that his remaining years were happy ones. So my hunt for the perfect horse continues. I hope one day to be able to fall in love with a horse, and be able to buy him or her myself. It is too hard to say goodbye. But at the moment, a horse is not in the cards for me. For you see, while I have been on hiatus, I have had another life to think about. My newborn son, Andrew. TO BE CONTINUED......