How to REALLY Buy a Horse

Lately I feel like I've been told things that I should have looked for or asked before buying Smash which, now after it's too late, explain moments when she's up or mare-ish. So for all of you out there who are considering buying a horse here are a few tips your instructor might not point out when horse shopping:

Swirls/Cowlicks/Whorls

Whorls and Cowlicks are apparently the Astrology signs for horses. If a cowlick is centered, above the eye line, below the eye line, off center, or a horse has more than one tells you about their temperament. There are also many schools of thought about it, too. Lots of books, articles, and personal opinions. 

This article has a bunch of great information regarding whorls/swirls/cowlicks and reference books if you choose to get super educated about it. 

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Smash's whorl is off center which, according to theory, means she is 'spirited' and I'd have to agree with that assessment. If only I had known to check for whorl placement before purchasing her!

Horse Butt: Rider Butt

No, this is not an SAT exam question but rather a ratio system I have devised. I think the rider's butt should be approximately 1/3 the size of your horse's butt. This ratio allows you to know you are appropriately sized and weighted for your horse. If your butt is 2/3 the size of your horse's - you're too big and should consider a larger horse. Here are a few examples:

As you can see here, even though my butt is covered by a costume, it sits in the middle third of Smash's butt. 

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This here is a great example of how this guy's butt is more than 1/3 the size of his horse's and should consider a larger horse (never mind the fact that his legs are barely off the ground)

Here is my Mom (Hi, Mom!) and a horse she used to ride. They have great butt proportion, too.

Let's face it, nothing is more uncomfortable than watching someone ride a horse that makes their butt look big (no one wants to hear their butt is as big as a horse's!). Horse showing is not all about looks, but we all know the more confident we look on our horse the better we ride. 

Like Horse Like Owner

It's argued that most humans resemble their pets in one way or another. Some are looks, some are personality, and some are both. While I like to think I look more human-like and less horse-like I do think this statement is true for me and Smash. When assessing potential horses, be ready to be humbled that whichever horse you end up really falling in love with probably resembles you in some way, shape, or form.

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As you can see, even celebrities can resemble horses.

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And not always in a good way...

The same goes for us non-celebrities:

In this photo with Satchmo, a willing culprit, I am ecstatic and he seems embarrassed. We got along pretty well for a little over 2 years but he was not 'the one'. 

Contrary, in this photo with Smash from a few years ago, Smash and I have the exact same expression. 

I've also had to come to terms with the fact that I, too, like to be Queen Bee (Smash is in charge of the herd at the farm right now), I can be rather cranky and sometimes b*tchy when things don't go my way (although I refrain from kicking other people), and I love apples. On the opposite side of personalities, Smash and I share the same determination to be great, have a great work ethic and know when to get down to business, and can appreciate and trust one another when we are in trouble/need help.

This is a photo of my first horse, Monty. He and I shared many different qualities like stubbornness, a sense of humor, and we were always game to try something new. He, unlike Smash, loved affection and taught me patience and ALWAYS made me laugh. He was a true comedian!  He was my rock for a few years and a great horse. He even smiled a little in this photo.


None of these tips will be considered a high priority by your instructor or someone helping you find a horse with a certain ability and I think you should take them with a grain of salt - however, thinking about these tips won't hurt, either. It's a fun way to think about horse shopping and if you're going to spend a few thousand dollars on essentially a pet, why not make it as fun and enjoyable as possible :) Go forth and find that horsey soul mate!

Show Day!

Today was the Talbot Run Combined Show. But before I get into that, I want to lightly touch on Saturday.

Saturday my Mom and I went to the barn for show prep. We put all of our tack in the trailer and groomed our mounts as best we could in the frigid temps. Luckily Satchmo was pretty clean after Venice's lesson. Bella was not as clean though. BUT I witnessed something disturbing...Satchmo ate poop. yeah...he ate poop. gross. We were there for an hour or 2 and then went home to get all of our clothes together, too.

Sunday we all met at 7am at the barn. It was cold and early but since it was a crowd, it was actually not too bad. Donna, Sallie, Cassidy, Aileen, Cathy, my Mom, and I were all there and a little nervous. I guess the horses were nervous too because we had a little loading issue. The one trailer ramp was frozen and the horses were slipping on it. Not a great start. Rizzo was also very upset to be left behind but she had to Rodan to keep her company. When we got to Talbot Run Cathy got to her judging post and we started getting ready.

Donna rode first and we watched in the viewing booth. I only saw her first test and it was good! Satch was so well behaved! After her first test I went and got myself dressed to come take Satchmo from her. I saw maybe the last few moments of her second test. Then it was my turn and our test was ok. Our walk was rather lazy, our halts were crooked, and per usual the right was not as good as the left. I then had 45 min to waste before I could jump. I showed Satchmo all of the jumps in the ring and got him used to it as much as I could. Cassidy and my Mom soon joined me and we went on little parades around the property until the jumping warm up area was available. That paddock they used was horrible. The ground was completely frozen and Satchmo didn't want to jump and slipped once! So I decided to just forget it and go back to the show ring and go blind. And it paid off! My goal was to canter the course and I succeeded! I had to trot a fence because I lost my stirrups but I cantered the rest and Satch was SO brave! I barely had to encourage him to keep going!!! :D I was very happy!

My Mom jumped next and Bella was really pumped to jump! She and my Mom had a great round, too! Sallie went next and Moonie was great! He plopped over the jumps just how she wanted him to. It was a great improvement from their last show experience :) Everyone did really well! And I think we had a GREAT spread of food and drink :D Gotta do that more often!

A little boy ended up winning 1st place, my Mom got 2nd place, I got 3rd, and Sallie got 4th :D Go Cirque Du Solan`! :P

We had some minor reloading issues again but when Cathy finished judging got everyone loaded and went back home. I don't have any pictures to post right now but if I aquire any, I will add them. here is the link from Aileen's photos: http://community.webshots.com/album/568871114dqQyOI

This next paragraph is dedicated to Moonie since I know his Mom loves reading about him ;)
Moonie is approx. 5' by 7'.
Moonie is made of 2 right angle triangles.
Moonie does not run away.
Moonie loves Satchmo.
Moonie relates dressage to geometry - rhombus = collection; parallelogram = extension; triangles = cut in half - someone get the glue! or is he made of glue because he's a horse??? trick question!