So now that you’ve seen just how high the quality was of the horses that I got to see on Sunday, now you can probably imagine just why I am so fried as a result. Not only physically, because of course all those rides happened between 7:45am and 5pm, but also because it was overwhelming to actually sit on that many nice horses and try to compare and contrast them.

I’ve since been trying to rehash the day to myself, break down my emotional response, as well review the candidates with my A team. This has helped me narrow down the horses and organize my thoughts, and truthfully, my discussions with the respected professionals of my A team may have left me without any contenders at all. That is not to say that there is anything wrong per se with the horses, but that one thing or another makes them a possible wrong fit for me.

Getting jumped out of the tack over an oxer

You know what though? That’s OK. Really, truly.

It was amazing to think that that quality of horse is getting within reach. And while of course there was a little caveat to each horse, it’s getting closer to being perfect the more I hold out and go see the ones that really excite me. Even though the day was insane, and long, and I was on my own, I had a hell of an adventure.

I got to chat up 4* riders.

I actually enjoyed driving around the stunning Kentucky countryside (holy horse farms, rolling hills, barns nicer than my house).

Barns with Koi ponds. Because Kentucky.

I went on two different hacks over that countryside and actually had a blast.

I got to sit in some seriously nice saddles (oh my gosh Voltaire, you have my heart, if not yet my money).

And the cherry on top? Sitting on those beautiful creatures.

What’s not to love?

Next weekend I take an entirely non-horse related vacation, and so for now there are no more big horse-shopping trips in my future. I’ll keep looking, but for now I’m just spending the day thanking the professionals that took the time out of their day to share their horses with me, and being grateful for a wonderful day in the Kentucky bluegrass.

For those of you who admired the chunky braided bay from my highlight reel, please reach out to me if you would like more information. This is an incredible mare that just oozes talent and is very reasonably priced- while she wasn’t for me I would be happy to share information on her. Shoot me an email at brittwgillis at gmail dot com or leave a comment and I’ll email you. Happy to help out any fellow horse shoppers out there.

Sorry y’all, I’m still reeling from my trip and honestly, straight up brain fried. So instead of typing up some kind of rehash post, I’m just going to drop this here so you can see some of the amazing horses I got to sit on this weekend!

https://youtu.be/KPOyFbDyAOE

What a whirlwind couple days it has been! From the PPE Tuesday, then biting the bullet and buying the tickets to KY, organizing the rental car, and reaching out to strangers about a place to crash, the logistics of actually getting to Kentucky and back in one piece are finally settled. So now it’s all down to what ponies I’ll see.

Right now I’ve got one major candidate and around 8 other possibilities. I’m only there for 24 hours, so it’s not likely that I’ll get to squeeze them all in, so now the process involved is deciding which ones get knocked off the list so that I’m not channeling the Flash all over Lexington. This isn’t Pokemon Go folks, we can’t catch them all.

There’s a little less variety in terms of breeds that I’m seeing on this trip- they are all warmbloods or warmblood crosses. But in disciplines they vary greatly. Most are eventers, but there’s a sprinkling of straight hunter and dressage horses in there too. Which ones actually make the list though, I’m not decided yet.

Other somewhat silly things that I’m also working on include deciding how much caffeine I’m going to allow myself to intake on the trip (a lot), trying to look professional and knowing that tall boots are not an option (thank you Dover for selling pleather half chaps- now I won’t be quite so embarrassed on arrival), whether now is the time to finally break out that white sunshirt, wondering if the barn smell of my helmet/gloves/boots/etc will set off drug dogs, etc. It’s a work in progress I guess.

There’s a lot still in flux, but I hope the trip is worth the investment, and all this time planning.

Last week I tried the hunter horse, who turned out to be not-such a hunter horse. He was actually bred by the O’Connors (yes, those O’Connors) specifically for eventing. To make a long story short, he had spent the last couple years doing low-level hunters and being a lesson pony, but his calling is definitely the cross country field.

I fell in love with this horse the moment I met him and he met me at the front of his stall and basically put his head in my arms. He was fun on the flat, green to contact, but with a big engine and fairly responsive. His jump was phenomenal. Even though we only did baby stuff (because apparently I’m a weenie jumping new horses), he rocked back and just thrusted off the ground every time, without hesitation. Every. Time.

https://youtu.be/DJPXO0zCYA4

What sealed the deal for me emotionally was the trail ride. We all know by now how much I loathe trail riding, but when the owners suggested I try him in the woods I decided not to look like a p*ssy and just go for it. And you know what? It was amazing. More than amazing, in fact. We cantered through a creek, over ditches, took the lead and cantered down the trails and over logs, and happily hacked on the buckle.

But you’ve already seen the post’s title, so I’m guessing you know where this was going. Another PPE, another no, another evening at a local bar commiserating with a friend over a glass(es) of wine. I’m bummed, certainly, but I’m moving forward. In a moment of do-it-or-die, I purchased tickets to Kentucky (thanks priceline, for being all mysterious as to my leaving anywhere between 8am and 10pm). I get there Saturday evening and intend to cram as many horses into a 24 hour time frame as humanly possible. Onward and upward (er, westward) as they say.

No real update today as I am once again out and about in my hunt for the elusive unicorn. I made the first leg of the trip last night, and later on I’ve got another 6 hours in the car ahead of me before hitting the sack tonight. Oi.

The other horse I’m considering though, makes this trip look like a walk in the park. Over 7 hours each way!

Here we go!

When it rains, it pours, right?

I’m getting more and more picky about what I go see at this point, because quite frankly, I am more than over driving around like a crazy person. But, there are two horses that are serious candidates that I’m looking into in the next week.

It’s funny, they are at complete odds with one another, but then again I suppose I like them for quite different reasons. One is a hunter/jumper that has already shown and just needs teaching to sit in order (I speculate- since I haven’t seen him in person yet) to become a fairly fancy prancy dressage pony. The other has all the makings and movement for a fancy prancy dressage pony, but is green and just did his first crossrail this week. Seriously, it takes all types.

For this reason, I was already debating cancelling the faux show for Riley this weekend. And then I got an email saying there wasn’t enough interest to warrant the “fix a test” aspect anyways, so… womp womp, that’s no longer happening.

Depending on the happenings of the next week, I may try to take him off property to a lesson somewhere, but for now, I feel like I’ve got plenty on my plate.

Hopeful update coming next week!

If there are certain things that I expect (or hope to see) when seeing a horse for the first time, then it probably goes without saying that the seller has some assumptions and expectations for me, the buyer, as well. Here are some of my own rules for myself as a buyer.

Be considerate of people’s time.
This means arriving on time (except when I got inexplicably lost in Middleburg, VA, with no GPS, and the seller had his phone in the car and wouldn’t pick up to answer directions… it also would have been helpful to know that there was no street sign for the road he was on.. *ahem* anyways…) or in a timely manner. This also means staying on topic (within reason- but surely you’re not there to talk politics or religion) and being mindful of your surroundings. For example, if you arrive in the evening, and it’s obvious that the horses are nickering and stamping for their food, it’s time to make yourself scarce if you have the information you need. You can always ask for a followup appointment or email/text/call with more questions if they pop up.

Be considerate of the horse.
Just because you are there to judge whether or not the horse is for you, doesn’t mean you are there to openly judge the horse. There’s a fine line between being observant and being downright rude, and there’s never reason to insult a horse in front of their owner/trainer/whatever. If you don’t like something, fine, but there’s no need to announce it to those taking the time out of their day to show you the animal. More than likely, besides the time they are there with you, they also have a considerable investment of their time and money on the creature you are there to see. You can snicker and bitch and say anything you want when you’ve left and are in the privacy of your own car, but while you are acting as the potential buyer, you should be a good human and play nice.

Be candid with the seller.
For me, this means many things. It means that before I even come to see the horse, I have explained my goals for the animal and see if it aligns with what they know of the horse. This gets both buyer and seller on the same page, and also helps flush out horses that wouldn’t be a good fit. For instance, there have been a couple horses that would be good dressage and jumping candidates, but their owners just know that they are too spooky/don’t have the drive/don’t have the quick front end to go cross country. That’s fine, and I very much appreciate their opinion. I let them know that I will share the horse with anybody that I think might be a good fit, and they get to not waste their time showing me the horse.
The other part of this candidness includes the actual buying aspect. Having sold horses in the past, I know that when someone comes to see your delightful pony, you get excited. You hope that they are the one, as how could you not? So if everything goes great and then you get radio silence for a week, it can be disconcerting. In trying to be sympathetic to this, I try and be as up front as possible about my own process. I let them know I am looking at other horses and will be thinking about Mr. Ed/Sparky/Spot/Princess Buttercup and will get back to them. And then if I think about it and decide it’s not the right fit, I reach out to the seller and thank them for their time, and let them know. Everyone likes a bit of closure, even when it comes to horses.

Be humble.
The absolute last thing I want to do when I go meet a horse for the first time is presume anything about that horse. Sure, I know some things from the ad, or a conversation with the seller, but it’s not my job to go in there and assume I’m going to show off the horse to the best of its ability. More likely I’m going to get in the saddle and look like an absolute numpty (my general feelings these days). If I’m struggling with the connection with the horse, I ask- what can I do to make this better? How does he/she normally go? Do they know XYZ, and do you mind if I try it? I’m not there to attempt to undo anyone’s training or frazzle a horse that doesn’t understand a stranger’s (my) cues. It’s not fair to the seller, and it’s not fair to the horse. So if in doubt, ask.

There are so many other little things that I try to do to be an educated and considerate buyer, while still keeping a critical eye on things. But the bottom line in all of this comes down to respect. And if you are a respectful potential buyer, you are more likely to be open to learning what the horse is all about. As they say, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

I’ve been a part of the process of buying horses for most of my life. Whether that’s test riding, bidding at an auction, making initial phone calls, or whatever- I feel fairly confident that I know what to look out for and how to read between the lines when it comes to equine marketing.

Because of this, I have developed some personal opinions about what constitutes a red flag.

The first and foremost red flag to me tends to happen at the start of the test ride/visiting process. That is, having the horse already waiting and tacked up. Now, I get it if you’re a busy professional and you told me you would do that (though I still very much wish you wouldn’t). But if you already made it clear that we had all the time in the world, and yet you went ahead with this… No. Red flag. Why? Because catching a horse and tacking it up is something that I’m going to do with my future horse almost every time I see him, and I want to know if he has any bad habits. How easy is he to get from the paddock? Does he turn around to bite you when you tighten the girth? Will he throw all of his weight into each leg as you attempt to pick out his hooves, or turn into a giraffe when you go to bridle him? What’s hiding underneath those polos? It’s easy to hide all these and more in the name of convenience and helpfulness.

She’ll never know they had to tranq me this morning to bring me in…

Another red flag that pertains to jumping horses is the owner/trainer/whatever representing the horse (who I normally ask to ride the horse first) who won’t jump the horse themselves. Why? Are you afraid to jump it? Do you know it will land bucking? Take off with you? Turn the poles into matchsticks with the elephant you’re hiding under there?

A more subtle red flag to me happens before I even get to inquire about the horse. The dreaded Private Treaty price tag. Now this one is a much more personal one, as it relates to budget. But to me, I can’t fathom why someone would not list any hint of what they are asking for their horse. This is beyond the ranges I typically see in hunter/jumper ads (you know, those “priced in the lower-mid 10 figure” descriptions). Private treaty to me reads one of a few things.

• “I have put such an unrealistic price tag on my horse that I’m embarrassed to say.”
• “I don’t really want to sell this horse unless you prove to me that you are actually sent from Heaven and have the Good Lord as a your barn reference, with Peter and John as your farrier and vet.”
• “You can’t afford this.”

I understand that there are exceptions, and lots of well-meaning sellers out there (post on that coming)… but in horse selling, clarity is everything. We all [hopefully] want the horse to end up with the right person, and to do that each party needs to have a full understanding of the horse, the expectations of the sale, and a little bit of common sense. When one of these fails… ware the red flag!