I'm pretty sure that the process of vetting a potential horse is one of the most stress inducing aspects of horse ownership. Not because we don't make bigger, more important (potentially even more expensive) decisions once they are ours, but because the big, presumably smart Adult part of our brains have to go to war with the twelve year old girl who is jumping up and down shouting "pony! pony! pony!!!!"
I have no photos for this post, but this 6 month old St Bernard lives at Gray Brad's barn and is cute.
Any number of things could pop up on a PPE, and if you're Twelve Year Old self gets too much control you'll end up adopting (or god forbid paying for) lamey-mc-lamerson because you've already fallen in love and you'll love him forever even if he only has three legs, half of his colon, and maybe one good eyeball... And when that happens, you my friend, are screwed.
Trying to force oneself to Adult in these scenarios is hard. I've mostly decided that this is why you pay Trainers a commission. It's not to necessarily unearth the last unicorn and bring it to you on a platter, it's really more to keep you from blindly writing checks for pretty- but useless, Brads.
Now, I'd like to think I've gotten the hang of this internal war, and I think I can even maintain a semblance of self control - at least for a couple of days.
But vetting Gray Brad has taken a week.
A WHOLE GOD DAMN WEEK.
Part of this is due to the fact that while we were flying home on a 40 minute layover (which translates to a full sprint through Heathrow's Terminal 5...) we found out that Gray Brad's owner didn't really want to sell him.
Or maybe she did.
Well, maybe for a different price
Or maybe just if I paid her commission...
Or maybe not.
I dunno....
Aside from nearly dying of heartbreak (the Twelve Year Old self might have had the upper hand there for a while..) I was furious, and we opted to postpone the vetting while we figured out if we did or didn't have a deal.
We were finally able to move forward with a PPE on Monday, which Gray Brad appeared to pass with flying colors. But nothing really passes until our really picky lameness vet takes a really good look at everything.
Everything means videos of everything, x-rays of everything, ultrasounds of everything. Everythings of everything.
Everything.
And, as you may imagine, transferring all of those files didn't exactly go smoothly. Attachments bounced. Some videos came fragmented, while some came through fine. There was even a (rather surprising) series of endoscopy photos. (Something I've never done on a PPE), but between the language barrier and a 9 hour time change it was really hard to get my vet to figure out what she was missing with enough time to get the German vet notice while his clinic was still open.
Therefore my poor, little, underdeveloped Adult brain had to wage war for five whole days.
This is not easily done.
Fortunately Gray Brad (somehow) has the world's cleanest films for a seven year old who's been busy leaping over huge jumps. His ultrasounds also looked remarkably clean. And the endoscopy (?) was also normal...
uhhh, normal I guess?
So. My friends. GRAY BRAD HAS CLEARED THE VETTING.
I'd be popping the champagne and letting my Twelve Year Old self run wild with Pixie Stix or whatever she likes aside from ponies - but the slight shenanigans that delayed the vetting still have me slightly on guard.
I'm not sure I'll allow myself full celebration until I hear that all four hooves are locked and loaded on a plane bound for LAX....
But, for now... things are moving forward, I'm just not uncrossing any fingers or toes quite yet.
Thursday was another early morning (a theme for the trip) that would start a day of "second looks". The offer on Gray Brad (1.40m Brad) was accepted, so we opted to return for a second visit to decide if we loved him, or were over him. The other client had her offer accepted on pretty Bay Brad, and we had a vetting lined up for that afternoon which meant she could be present for any findings.
But we started the day with a return to see the cute unflappable 3 year old we had seen the first evening. He wasn't a fit for either of us, but Trainer was hoping to get a better sense of him and see if he might work for anyone else in the barn.
He was once again, unflappable. and cute. Great little mover and calm to the fences. He'd make a great move-up horse for a kid, or a smaller Ammy I think. Such a sweet personality - he deserves a good, happy home.
Then we were back on the road and off to see the Gray again. (squee squee squee). The resident trainer had to leave for a show, so we were sort of on our own, which was nice. We had asked for him to be left in his stall in the morning, no turnout, no time on the walker, etc.
cute pony face
Going into it I figured when I legged up for the second ride I would either love him forever or be sorta over it.
My trainer got on first, and I had asked her to ride him like she would at home. Lots of lateral work, lots of transitions, lots of chill time, etc. The concern was that he'd be a bit more "up" in his work without having his turnout, or being ridden first by his own trainer. But the reality was that he was calmer. (perhaps because he hadn't gotten excited about big jumps?)
Then it was my turn and I took my time. Got a bit of a mini lesson instead of just trit-trotting around on my own. When we started jumping, I was immediately more comfortable letting him lock on to his Hunter-Gap-ish distance and I didn't pick at the distances as much.
Worked up to a small line, which was very easy. The big challenge came when I tried to take the line off the short approach. There wasn't enough space for me to wait in the corner and see a distance, and I was still tentative about carrying pace through the turn... so there were a few comedic misses, but bless the horse, he didn't hold it against me and still just trucked right back up to it.
The fences got put up a bit, and I got more and more confident.
Finally, I remembered I wanted to hack him outside and see how he was in the open, on his own, so we walked around the farm, and up to a (lovely) outdoor.
He was totally chill. He flicked an ear at some of the people walking up the path beneath us, but he settled right down and I never had to pick up the reins. We played a bit, then took a few videos under saddle for my vet to see since it was obvious I really wanted to name the puppy and take it home.
He's a cool guy. The time spent on the ground and just milling around cemented my opinion that his brain is good as gold (I hope). He seems like a solid citizen, and like he'll take to a Hunter job quite naturally. So.... we parted ways and headed off to watch Bay Brad get vetted...
Bay Brad was also a rock star. In spite of the fact that he's four. and a stallion, and it was dark, and raining and we were lighting the flexion videos with headlights from parked cars.... he was a chill dude.
He's going to be a really, really cool horse too I think.
After a long, slow vet process, we finally packed back into the car and got back to the hotel in time to snag a bowl of delicious pumpkin soup at the restaurant before turning in for a couple hours of sleep before we headed back to the airport for the long ride home.
A long ride home made longer by watching videos on repeat and making small offerings to the lameness gods for a clean vetting...
Our next stop was... somewhere. (next time we go I'll do a better job of mapping my trip out.. but I can say with certainty that we were an hour away from the last place.. wherever that was).
Another huge farm, though it was dark when we pulled in so I didn't get to oogle giant jump fields or gorgeous grounds quite as much...
The trainer at this place was definitely tall, definitely German, and definitely traditional in his approach. We later found out that he actually works for the State trainer the horses at one of the big studs (Holsteiner I think?), then trains/sells his own string before and after hours.
He had two (gray) stallions to show us. The first was five and actively showing at 1.20m. I kept thinking it was a mare because he had Such a pretty head and neck, but, that didn't change that he was a stallion.
Watching him warm up I got the impression that this one was going to have a bit too much blood for the Hunters, but it was by far the best mover we had seen so naturally my interest was piqued.
The jump was unimpressive, but with a price that was literally 1/5th of the Gray we had just seen I was adamant that we suss it out a bit more.
When my trainer got on, I was really encouraged by how the horse responded. Much lighter, floatier movement, and over fences it looked like a totally different horse.
Sadly, it still looked a touch hot for the hunters, but still... intriguing.
I hopped on and definitely felt more comfortable on this one than anything else yet - think mostly because it more closely matched Prair's movement and way of going.
I opted not to jump since it didn't look like the easiest horse to manage (particularly in a circa 1974 Stubben that was slick as ice), but mostly because I could tell this one didn't pass my Trainer's smell test.
Still a fun ride though :)
The second Gray was also 5 (I think) but much greener. Personally owned by the Trainer, I think his greenness was one of those "cobbler's-kid-has-no-shoes scenarios and he often got skipped when time was in short supply
I first saw this guy standing in his stall, and while I was 99% sure he was too small for me, OMG THE CUTENESS. Total pony face, with a huge cresty, adorable neck that looked ideal for snuggling.
Under saddle he didn't look super suitable, so none of us even legged up, but since we saw him, our broker guy has gone back and scooped him up. He sent a few initial pics of him riding, and the potential is definitely there. He won't be ready for a while, but I definitely want to see him when he is!!!
what a difference one ride can make...
I really like this one
After that, we turned for home. But almost immediately we got a tip on a newly listed (gray, lol) gelding on our way. With nothing else on the agenda (aside from sleep) we opted for the slight detour and the possibility of a diamond in the rough.
As it turns out we were definitely in the rough. The barn looked a tad shabby relative to everything else we had been to (so... it looked American?) and the guys who met us there definitely didn't radiate professionalism.
The gray was tacked in the cross ties, and aside from a subtle roach in it's back, it looked remarkably like all the others.
Under saddle it was clear it was a tad on the green side, and maybe forward. but it had a nice way of going, and maybe could be an Eq prospect. That's exactly what my trainer and I and the other client were chattering about when all hell broke loose at the sight of a small cross rail.
The horse inverted (I mean, literally curled back into itself) and exploded to the other side. Each leg appeared to go in a different direction and organized on the other side only to start launching some serious bucks.
As he was getting taken for a ride, our lovely broker (who I had grown rather fond of and didn't want to see splattered on a wall) shouted "THIS IS NO HUNTER!!!!"
To which the two young "trainers" mumbled back "no?" and then seemed to continue to negotiate the point in German. I couldn't pick up a word but eventually I picked up on a simple question:
"Equitation?"
They managed to ask this just as the horse came back around and repeated it's performance over the cross rail again.
"no."
definitely not.
This, our broker explained, is why he never plans stops for horses he hasn't tried himself at least three times. He was busy apologizing profusely for wasting our time (but we were all wildly entertained), and simultaneously lambasting the guys about marketing a video of a quiet, broke hunter, when the reality looked a bit more gruesome.
The horse himself had a sweet eyeball, but the terror and anxiety he displayed had a story to tell, I'm just not sure what it was. He wasn't confused about his job, he was terrified of it.
There was a glimmer of salvation though, when our Trainer inquired about the (dark) shed row of (adorable) tiny ponies and asked if there was anything for sale that would be suitable for her daughter. The guys nodded enthusiastically and said there was one for sale "perfect" for a young kid.
Out of the darkness came a very cute, very furry..... 16 hand horse.
In all honestly, I'm not sure if would have measured as a Small Junior Hunter, let alone a large pony.
When we tried to explain that PONIES in the US had to be under 14.2... and this kid probably needed something drastically smaller than that.... they just blinked in general confusion.
While not our most productive stop of the day, it was rather entertaining, and possibly left us with the best story of the trip (I'm 100% sure I'm not telling it well).
By that time it was about 11pm, and all (reasonable) restaurants in the area had closed. So we stopped at a McD's at a gas station and after a few more minutes of discussion - we put the offer in for the 1.40m Gray.
Wednesday was our first full day of shopping, and it started early. Truthfully I have no idea where we went, I just know we drove for about an hour (or so) and then another hour, then two, then one, and then we were home. Some of the trip was on major highways, but so much of it was on smaller country roads that refuse to be straight, requiring me to give up on maintaining a sense of direction almost immediately.
literally no idea where this is
Brad #1's barn was our first stop of the day, which I was excited about, because... well I REALLY WANTED TO SEE THAT STALLION, but for more practical reasons, if we loved him, I had time to vet him in person, and if we didn't, I could write him off early in the search process.
I really can't express how gorgeous these farms are compared to what we see in the PNW. I think our home facility is one of the lovelier show barns in the area, but nothing can compare with these huge, sprawling farms with charming barns dotted about and jump fields and indoors with stadium seating and guest cottages...
(the only non-horse, non-scenery picture of the trip)
Turns out we had three horses to see at the first stop. Brad #1, a 4 year old Eq type prospect and another 4 year old stallion intended for the other client.
The Eq horse came out first and had amazing presence. He didn't have the movement for the Hunter Ring, but he was stunning, and calm, and certainly had the look of eagles in his stoic, stunning eyeballs. It's amazing how comfortable these trainers are putting the fences up for these youngsters. They don't work them overly hard, but I wouldn't DREAM of popping a 4 year old over a 4' anything - and in fact a significant portion of our car ride conversations centered around the differing philosophies of bringing along young horses.
On one hand the Germans start them so much sooner, but on the other - their lives are so balanced. Time with the herd... short work sessions, lots of variety in their life.. a few months on, a few months off... it's incredible.
Second horse out was the four year old stallion by Stalypso. At first I wasn't totally wowed by this guy, but the more I re-watched his videos and the more time we spent with him, the cooler he got. He is very green (a few months under saddle), but totally chill and relaxed in his work. Some construction was going on outside the arena causing all sorts of bangs and crashes and grinding sounds and he just jogged around the ring like there were no monsters to be feared. His strength is definitely his canter which has such a strong rhythm, you can't disrupt it if you try.
He was darling over fences, and offered the same ride for the 6'3" German Man as he did for the ammy. Our broker had him brought to the farm by his breeder, so this was a 4 year old, green, baby boy who has been in this ring for less than a week and tootled around on the buckle like it a total dude.
Wouldn't kick him out of the barn!!
Finally it was Brad #1's turn. I was so stoked just to see him and have the chance to sit on him. I heard his clip clopping hooves coming down the aisle before he finally appeared through the (draped curtain) entrance and...... I was totally disappointed.
For one thing, he's not so big. He is a true16.2, and he is only three (initially we thought he was 4 almost 5..) so there is growing to be done.... but he's very compact and realistically, not a great fit for me.
After that initial observation, it got worse. He was pretty sulky in his expression, never wore his ears forward, and his movement looked a tad choppier than it had in the videos.
I tried to remember that he's only been under saddle for 2 months. The jump video I shared earlier showed his first jumps ever, so he really is absurdly green. These riders do a insanely good job of covering that up, but when I got on it felt like I was trying to keep water from pouring through my hands... he was just all over the place.
And also sort of bitchy.
He didn't want to go forward, wouldn't fill my reins, balked and swished his tail... in general just sort of a twit. I finally asked for some spurs and was festooned with the HUGE ROWELS the tall German Man had been using.
Now, I don't know about you guys, but I'm twitchy enough on a three year old stallion that I don't know, without having huge, spurs that essentially act like tasers strapped to my leg.
When he was still grumpy about moving out, both our broker and the resident Trainer were shouting "KICK HIM! GIVE HIM A PONY KICK, MAKE HIM LISTEN!!!!"
Yeah, NOPE.
Not doing it.
I am a fragile Adult Ammy. I am not used to hopping on greenbroke anything and immediately adjusting to their needs and giving them good rides. And given that, I am sure as shit not going to dig into a baby stallion's side and demand obedience.
So, I packed in my ego, got off and politely handed (the still very attractive) stallion back to the trainer.
And that, is how my short lived love affair with Brad #1 came to an end.
The next stop was a bit of a debate. He really wanted to show us a gorgeous gray that he had sent some video of. I hadn't been that impressed with the initial video, and I was even less impressed when I had heard the price that was attached, and knowing neither of us clients could afford him, it seemed like a waste of a stop.
But our guy was insistent that we should trust him, that the price was probably negotiable (hopefully by a factor of like TEN) and that it would be helpful for him to see if he was correct in thinking it would be a great fit.
Okay FINE, let's go to the gorgeous farm and try the gorgeous pony and see what we're missing out on.
So we were off, another hour through the countryside and we finally pulled up to a charming farm nestled into a hillside with a god-damn-castle perched on the hilltop. It's nice when it's absolutely impossible to forget where you are. There was no mistaking the setting for anything in the states, let alone the rain-swamp-forests surrounding Seattle.
In all fairness the Gray was a lovely horse. Like some of the others, not necessarily impressive in the cross ties (why are all these horses so skinny?) but a beautiful picture under saddle. He was soft and light and had a lovely expression (which caught my eye after Brad #1 looked like such a jerk).
So we took the bait. What's his story again?
7 year old Selle Francais. Formerly a licensed stallion, gelded within the last year, trucks around the 1.40m with a (questionable) amateur and has made appearances at both the 6 and 7 year old World Championships. I still don't really know what that means, but it sounds like its moderately impressive.
The jumps got huge (by my standard) and the Gray just loped around like nbd. When our trainer got on, she let him carry a fairly light contact and unlike some of the other greenbeans, he was much more comfortable carrying himself (which at 7, he should be). Whether that was because his German Man was less.... German (in his style) or because he was old enough to actually balance himself better, I couldn't really tell. Probably some of both.
Anyway, I slowly fell a tad in love, so when offered the chance, I crawled up on his back.
As an Ammy that's used to riding predominately one horse, every horse feels *weird* to me the first time. And this guy was no exception.
Prair has such a low back and a long neck that no matter how on her forehand she is, there is still so much horse up in front of you, you feel really secure. Pretty much everything else I've sat on since her has felt like a narrow, skinny, small TB.
And that feeling makes me ride a tad.. conservative. It took me a few laps to get comfy, but once I figured out his balance and how to still communicate without shouting as him, we did just fine.
I tentatively popped over a cross rail, then vertical, then a figure eight of a couple jumps, then some oxers.... all without disaster.
In fact it was more than not a disaster, it was really easy. Where I'm nervous, this horse isn't, and where he needed help, I am confident. He was a really, really easy ride, but still wildly out of the budget.
So we hopped in the car and started talking numbers. Trainer loved his suitability for me, I loved how cute he was over fences and the idea of a horse that could take me to the 3'6" and maybe do the big derbies (how FUN).
So I texted The Boy about blowing the budget, and he (politely) responded that "we live in a great school district, so buy the damn horse."
We discussed numbers a bit, came to what I thought was a borderline offensively low offer, and we tucked it in our back pockets as an option.
Then we headed off for two more stops (with three more grays..), which I'll dive into in another post. The days were so long I can't even cram them into one post!
