Find the right one.

My sister and I, although growing up in Cowtown..did not grow up with horses.  Our wild fascination started in our teenage years.  My grandparents owed a small hobby farm in Strathmore AB..just outside of Calgary..but never a horse.  Our neighbour has one..Jessie.  Crazy old guy who you just hopped on and hoped he didn't go to far.  When I was 19, and coming into abit of money, I scoured the local Bargin finder and found an ad for a 9 year old Registered Arabian Mare..She was a bay, 14.2HH..well broke..Her name was Burtha.  When I got her..I named her Belle.  She was lovely.  Well trained, taught me and my sister everything we needed to know.  My boyfriend and I would take her to the gymkhana's and register her twice..me at the top of the list and him at the bottom..Belle would be easy going for me and burn like hell for him.  She usually placed in the top three for all events.  And she did them twice, while all other horses did them once..that's the arab stamina.  When we decided to move, I sold her.  A decision I regret.

After years of living in Abbotsford ~  A place that I financially could not fanthom the idea of owning a horse.  (the occasional lease opportunity came and went) I found myself living in a teeny, tiny, hamlet of a place called Yahk BC.  I thought this would be it!  My place to own a horse.  My sister, who is a trainer, Equine therapist and took courses through NAIT in horsemanship helped me find a APHA Gelding locally.  His name was Buddy.  He was a night mare.  Bucked from the second ride on him..and one of the worst I have ever had...ever.  I sold him (took 3 months!) to a knowledgeable gal in Falkland..who kept in touch with me about Buddy's progress and he never got out of his attitude.  Despite everyone trying everything. 

Buddy was a stunner

2 months later and a loss of alot of $$..I found Tara at Hayburner Haven, who kindly allowed me to take on my dream horse.  QA Provocativ was a Bask Bred Arabian gelding.  He was a dark bay..15.2HH..Could jump and was a gorgeous mover!  But super underweight.  He dealt with stress badly, was severly herd bound, almost unmanagemable and his teeth were ah! Terrible.  Oh, and he was 18 years old.  But he was free!  I got him on a Wednesday...found out I was pregnant on Saturday.  That ended that.  I never, ever got to ride him.  And he got so upset when separated, he scared me..bad combo!  But I fattened him up, fixed his teeth, then shipped him off to my sister in Alberta..who found him a great home with a teenage girl in training for jumping.  A fantastic relationship.



Pro doing his thing

To be continued.