Quick Note...Also, Published!

Bragging about my horse again. C'mon, it's been at least 2 posts since I've done that, right? We had our first ride in over a week tonight, during a perfect summer evening. We struggled a bit with our right lead, though in fairness to Miles I wasn't even planning on working on it. From the moment I got on, though, he felt great, walking forward, comfortable and happy. His old stride is back, and all my paranoia about the thrush not being his only issue was put to rest (for now). Believe me, I was imagining everything from sore heels to navicular.

Anyway, a really nice ride on a really beautiful day. He tries so hard, this one. I'm so lucky.

The Best Boy.

Also, we're entering our first show on August 18th, barring unforseen circumstances or 100 degree heat indexes. Time to put up or...well, you know. We will be showing under his race name, Masarin...a name I love more and more the longer I know this horse. It's so him.

Finally, our story got published in New Vocations' Summer Newsletter! It's funny, because it's so not word for word what I wrote...I imagine they had their own reasons for pointing out that even though he was a "failed" police horse, he turned out to be pretty spectacular. MAN, what I wouldn't give to know anything about his backstory...it kills me that I have no information about his life after racing (or even before that, other than what his race stats say.). Anyway, it was pretty cool to see our story in print, regardless...and we had the biggest picture on the page. Just sayin'....:)

Mahhhhvalous Mr. M

Oh, we've not done anything crazy in the last week or so-but Miles has become Mr. Steady, Mr. Reliable, Mr. Pull Me Out Of The Pasture After A Week And Ride Me...which is exactly what I've needed lately.

Also, this horse LOVES jumping. Loves it. When he's being a little lazy (or it's like today, 85 degrees and muggy), I can point him at our little crossrail and he instantly becomes forward (but not rushy), and is now consistently jumping the obstacle from a trot and cantering away. I don't care that it's a teeny tiny...it's added so much to our rides. It's been lovely.

The not so great news is that he's lost a bit of weight in the last few weeks. He's quite sensitive to bugs and heat so I'm pretty sure that's all it is. I've also not been at the barn nearly as much as I should be this time of year (though I would if I could have) to feed him his Speshul Miles' Mish-Mash of beet pulp, alfalfa and apples. He's been scarfing it up, and it's great because it gets some additional water in him as well. Our barn owner is aware and he's getting a bit of ration balancer in addition to his regular grain-which we've switched (again), from Purina Strategy to Tribute Kalm and Easy. I actually really like everything I've heard about this feed and their rep was great, so I hope it helps. Miles is also nowhere near as ribby as this time last year, but I don't want him ending up there either. I'll keep you updated.

Item! I've been blogging about Miles officially for over a year now. I had no idea I would have enough nonsense to write about for so long, but there it is. Posting has slowed down considerably in the last month or so, but I've found these things ebb and flow. Also, I suck at taking pictures-I need to remedy this because sometimes you can write paragraphs on the right photo:)

Item! Looks like Miles and I will be featured in New Vocation's summer newsletter. I think it's just going to be a blip among other updates from adopters, but still I'm so excited!!! Even though we aren't one of their "success stories" that have won tons of ribbons, when I was looking at horses a story like ours is exactly the kind of thing I would have wanted to read. You know, about a horse who busts all the "Crazy OTTB" stereotypes, who is full of life and love, sound and barefoot, and who is a true partner to his totally smitten owner. I'll let you know when it's out.

Thank you to everyone who sent a comment or an email in the last few weeks. It's been tough, but you all bring a smile to my face. Happy June Everyone!! It's my favorite month, especially to ride. Enjoy YOUR partner.

Cheating, A Bit

I don't have anything new or interesting to write on the pony training front...My husband, the dawgs and I had a lovely vacation up North. I missed my pony terribly (5 days! What will I do when I have to spend a whole week away from him!?), but we had productive, if very brief rides on Sunday and today (thanks mosquitoes!).

New Vocations posted on Facebook that they're looking for success stories about their adopted OTTBs to publish in their summer newsletter, so of COURSE I submitted ours immediately (I may or may not have had the willpower to wait until we got home to submit said story). While Miles and I have not won any ribbons or even competed for them, I could not be prouder of him and where we are than if we had.

Really, I just want people to know how exceptional these horses are, and I want owning an OTTB to be a "status symbol" of sorts, the way Warmbloods are now in the English world; even more-so because those that buy or adopt an OTTB truly save a life. When was the last time you saw a Dutch Warmblood at a livestock auction? Also, I personally think my breed of choice has more charisma, athleticism and personality in one hoof than many breeds have in their whole bodies. Hey, it's my blog, I can say ridiculous things like that:) I experience this everyday with my own horse and the other OTTB at my barn, as well as others I've had the pleasure to meet and know in person. Not to mention the dozens of blogs I read that highlight the pure awesomeness of Thoroughbreds, whether they are pasture puffs charming everyone around them, or walking their owners down a dirt road and through fields and woods, or competing at 3 day events. I also think it's actually happening; New Vocations posted on their Facebook page the other day that, for the very first time, they have empty stalls and are adopting horses faster than they are coming in. Whoo Hoo!!!

Anyway, without further ado, below is my submission, and I included the black and white picture to the right of Miles and me after the dressage clinic. I know it's not good, and it's pretty sappy, but I believe every word of it. I'll let you know if we get published-if nothing else, the lovely Dot Morgan, Executive Director of New Vocations, did reply to my email and thanked me for providing such a great home for Masarin (I like to think of this as Miles superhero name). I replied that I could only thank her for the opportunity to own such an amazing animal. I've never been so grateful for anything in my life.

.....................................................

I adopted Masarin (now Miles) from New Vocations in September of 2009, and he has been nothing but a joy to train and work with since then. He has been game for anything and forgiving of my mistakes, all while maintaining that "Joie de Vivre" I saw the day I met him. We have worked on everything from basic dressage to trail riding, and now jumping very small cross-rails, and he has risen to every challenge I've put in front of him. All throughout his training, he has never once offered a buck or rear under saddle, and his spooks are few and far between. I love how he is busting stereotypes about OTTBs left and right; not only is he sweet, calm, and a gentleman, but I ride him in a bit-less bridle and he is barefoot (he has wonderful feet!). Miles is truly my "heart horse", beautiful and willing and goofy all at once. He always comes to greet me at the gate, ready to see what we might be doing that day, and he makes every ride special.

Two of the best days of the year for me came this Spring, first when we rode in a dressage clinic and then a couple of weeks ago when we cantered our first cross-rail. He is only 10 years old, and I can't wait to see where we go next. Miles is a wonderful advocate for OTTBs, and I'll always be grateful to New Vocations for this amazing horse!

Miles' One Year (And Change) Anniversary

I'm a bad, bad horse mother. Actually, I'm just bad, bad with dates-birthdays, anniversaries, you name it (that Kyle's a lucky guy;). So when Miles' one year anniversary of coming to Michigan that marked the beginning of this long, strange, wonderful journey came and went on September 1st, I totally missed the boat.

Sorry Bubs. Here, have a meandering blog post filled with Odes to Miles.

Looking back to one year ago, of course, it wasn't all sunshine and roses. Who knows if I should have even thought about adopting another horse so soon after Ebony passed, let alone an OTTB? I questioned the wisdom of what I had done a lot in that first month, and of course I still missed Eb terribly. I tried not to compare Miles to her in those first days, but it was really hard not to as he was rearing up in the arena, screaming for other horses and looking anywhere but at me. Obviously, we worked through those issues, thank goodness!

It really wasn't just A horse I was looking for though, honestly. It was him. After seeing him on New Vocations website, I couldn't get him out of my head, and I never looked at other horses. Fate? I don't know about all that, but adopting him was certainly was the right thing to do, and in hindsight the only thing to do. I can't imagine having any other horse, or him ending up with any other owner. I'm still so, so grateful.

I couldn't be more pleased with where we are at this stage, a year later. I feel like we finally know each other, really, really well, and we trust each other (more or less-I haven't pushed those boundaries too far, admittedly. No trail ride yet, in other words. I'll get there!). Trust is pretty important when you're dealing with a 16.2 beast. It's funny, I always forget how tall he is now (again, I'm just used to him), until there's a new person at the barn, or someone asks, "How tall is he??" This is amusing to me because I'm used to being the person with the little quarter horse, and also because he would be about average in a barn full of hunter/jumpers or dressage horses. Surrounded by mostly stock horses and Arabians though, not so much. So yes, trust is a very, very good thing.

I love how respectful he is on the ground, and I'm proud of that-I've worked really hard with him to ensure his manners are what they should be, particularly because he gets led in and out of the barn a couple times a day by other folks. He's great about respecting my space, though he's still a little mouthy. He's never bitten, and it's all in "good fun" (I know, I know, not the ideal type of fun, particularly for humans). He just likes to mouth the lead line, or my jacket, or whatever is closest. I admit I think it's cute, but he will stop when I ask.

This brings me to the next thing I really adore about him-I don't think Miles has a malicious, mean or manipulative bone in his body. Of course he's not perfect, but in all instances whether on the ground or under saddle, he tries, and usually tries hard (that first week or two notwithstanding. And hey, I'm going to give him a break on that). I hate writing stuff like this because I'm superstitious, but he's never offered so much as a cow hop under saddle, let alone a real buck or rear. The one time I came off him we were outside the arena, he spooked, and simply wanted to get OUT of that area, and I was left behind. Hey, you can't have everything:) Still, I'll take that over a horse that wants me OFF their back. Miles can be lazy, but that's it. I am a FAR from perfect rider, but he puts up with me and lets me go at my own pace. He stands like a statue for mounting, isn't girthy and never avoids the bridle. Cripes, I don't think he even swishes his tail when he's annoyed. He's just a good-natured boy, who gives me the benefit of the doubt and likes working and hanging out with me in equal parts it seems.

Most of all, he is my sweet, sweet pony. He loves to (gently) push his head into me and just stand there while I rub his face. He's always looking to me for reassurance or just to see what I'm up to. I've never had a horse that actually looks back at me while I'm riding him, but he does, occasionally, just to check in I think. He's perfectly happy to leave his buddies to come with me, and he doesn't mind when his buddies leave him as long as I'm still there. These things didn't happen all at once, or all at the same time, but now it's all routine. It's a nice feeling.

Is he a "10" mover? No. Is he clumsy? Yep. Does he have OTTB moments? No doubt. Is he a ridiculously hard keeper? HELL Yes. Still...

I'll never get tired of his adorable face and those sweet nickers when I walk up to his pasture from the car. It's what keeps me making that loooong drive to the barn every day I can, even if it's not to ride. How could I let this face down?

Happy Anniversary Bubs. Thanks for an amazing year.

PS-I won't make this mistake twice. Your birthday is in October, and will include party hats!

It's Official?

Today I sent my last update on Miles to New Vocations. Three times a year they require current pictures and a detailed explanation of the horse's health, activities and any problems the adopter might be experiencing. All updates are also forwarded to the horse's donor, though I have no idea who this is in Miles' case. If this last update is satisfactory, he is officially mine!

Suffice it to say, this particular update was glowing...I wrote about our progress in training, what we've been up to, our bit experiments and fun with hackamores. I was also very, very honest (ugh, I hope not to a fault) about the challenges we've had with his weight. I told them I was too lax about tracking it up until 3 weeks or so ago, but things are much better now and that particular mistake won't happen again.

And things are better. My boy has gained approximately 25 pounds in just over 2 weeks. Hooray!

There's no reason not to start riding again now. I had every intention of getting on him this week, and especially today, but then I got to the barn and caught up on some REALLY good barn gossip (if there is such a thing...it was really more like interesting information:). Before I knew it an hour had passed, and Miles' still needed to eat his beet pulp, which depending on his mood can take up to 45 minutes alone. Ah well. Tomorrow then. It's supposed to be hot (shocking! I'm so sick of talking about the weather), but after all our time off I'm not anticipating doing much more than a pleasant little hack.

I have been lunging him this last week. He actually gave me a couple MONSTER bucks the first time I worked him, and Miles never bucks. Silly boy. Guess he needed that outlet more than I thought-unfortunately, I can't help but think some sexual frustration is part of it. He and LaShore have swapped pastures with the older sweet haflinger stud, which means Miles is now right next to a harem of sex-ay mares, and the gelding who lives with them and lurves them. So far, it's "okay", though I was less than thrilled when I turned him out the other day and he ran over to the fence, squealed at the gelding, and then pawed at the wire fence and actually hit it. UGH, MILES, you damn fake stud! I yelled at him, he looked at me like, yeah?, and then proceeded to graze like everything was cool. So, I'm sure things will be fine now that they're settling in, but I really, really don't want to get a call saying my horse has cut himself all to hell on the electric fence.

Anyway, it's been a long time since my last post as there's not been much on the Miles' front to report. My old dog Mojo did go to the vet last Monday, where he preliminarily diagnosed her with a tumor on her thyroid. Monday was a very bad day. THEN, said tumor shrunk, literally overnight, and Mojo's blood work all came back normal...very, very good signs, but then what is this thing on her neck?? Vet was reading to me out of a textbook when he called me...yeah...that's all I'm going to say about that.

I'm hoping it keeps shrinking and goes away, but unfortunately it does not seem to be-after the initial reduction, it has stayed stable in size. It's still there, but she's not making all those weird guttural noises and is acting perfectly normal. If it gets bigger or anything changes, back to the vet I suppose. She IS 14 years old...who knows what weird things can pop up on ancient dogs.

Cat-Butt also seems to have the equivalent of a cold the last week or so. Thought she had a hairball or something, but then the sneezing and runny nose and flemmy whatnot started this weekend. Why why why always on the weekend?? Ugh these animals...I want to stop worrying about them already! Kitty is up to date on her shots, and I remember she had something similar some years ago...when we took her to the vet, she was fine and he couldn't find anything. We'll give her a day or two more and if it's still bad it's her turn for vet fun. Still reeling from the 300 plus vet bill on Mojo, so I'm hoping Kitty's immune system kicks into gear like, now.

On a more pleasant note, here are the pictures taken of Miles this afternoon that I sent to New Vocations. Not the best, and they are off a cell phone, but I'm finally starting to see the improvement with my own eyes. I will take it!

Doing his best quarter horse impression...what the heck, Miles? Beefcake!

Still not as much muscle as I would like to see, but not so horrible considering he's been on temporary layoff, as it were. His face is cute here...his bleached out coloring (on his body, but not his neck, natch), not so much.

Final pic...ribs a bit more visible, but still a vast improvement. I think he looks quite cute and compact here...I need to get back in that saddle already!

The Time I Bit The Dust, Or Why I Worry About Letting Miles Down

When I adopted Miles from New Vocations, they told me he was fine in the arena, but what he really enjoyed were jaunts around the farm, and apparently he even walked down to their paved road, which is very quiet, for a nice ride. He just really, really loved getting out of the arena. Anna Ford rode him for me when I went to see Miles at their facility in Ohio, and while she didn't demonstrate his skills outside the arena, their ring is set up in such a way that there is a sand/working arena, as well as a grassy area attached in the same enclosure. Man, that facility is gorgeous.

Anyway, Miles clearly demonstrated a difference in the two areas. In the sandy area, his walk was a bit sluggish, his trot and canter a little tense, but as soon as she took him onto the grass he extended that stride of his into a beautiful free walk. We talked a bit and she told me this was his "happy walk", and he is most interested and "alive" under saddle outside the confines of a sand ring.

Therein lies my dilemma. I love love love this horse, and want him to be a happy boy. I honestly don't believe he is necessarily unhappy in our work currently-as mentioned earlier though, lately his natural inclination is not so forward:) There is no tail swishing, balking or any behavior I would consider problematic-he's just happy to jog and lope along if I let him. Luckily, one of the things I love about him is that when I do ask him to go forward, he will, with no snottiness.

When I take him out of the arena though...yeah, I have to admit he is a happy boy. He marches right along, just like I saw him do with Anna. I took him maybe 200 yards down a trail by himself a couple times, and he was great. I've not yet had the opportunity to take him out on a real trail ride, because I refuse to do that with just the two of us on our first time, though I'm sure we will have the opportunity to go out with someone's steddy-eddy trail horse this summer, hopefully soon. I should really be proactive and arrange it.

Blah blah blah...so the real dilemma is that I've fallen off Miles once, and of course it was outside the arena. It was March, before we had started cantering, and I was just starting him into "real" work, so I probably shouldn't have been doing ANYTHING outside the ring at all since we were still getting to know each other under saddle. It was a silly, stupid thing really.

We were just walking outside the arena (in a corner that, for some reason, Ebony never loved either), and there were some parked horse trailers and brush maybe 50 feet away (I'm horrid with distances). Anyway, he stopped. He didn't feel nervous to me at all, so I let him. He apparently saw or heard something and gave the classic sideways TB spook. Now, there were no witnesses, and y'all know how fast these things FEEL at the time, so all I can tell you is that spook put me totally off balance without either one or both stirrups (can't remember now). He was cantering/galloping (remember, this was before we had done more than walk/trot!) and he wanted to get out of there; I remember trying to do a half-assed one rein stop. At this point, I *think* I'm sort of half on/half off. I'm DEFINITELY telling him "whoaaaaa, whoaaaa" though I know my voice is pretty shaky. I'm thinking to myself "don't pull back on both reins, don't pull back on both reins", so I know I did that right. Sigh, one thing right.

If he had stopped , we would've been fine. However, every time he would slow a bit (I think he may have even trotted in there), my being off-balance freaked him out all over again and he would again adopt the "get me the hell outta here" mentality and start cantering/galloping-my no doubt poorly executed one rein stop was at least keeping him in the general area, which looking back on it was exactly the place he didn't want to be and maybe I should have just let him canter away like he wanted! I admit though, his canter/gallop scared me and all I wanted him to do was slooooooow down. Ebony and I had really struggled with our canter also, so I hadn't ridden a real canter in years at this point.

A fitter, stronger, more confident at-this-whole-cantering-on-my-horse Sarah probably would have stayed on. A Miles who actually listened to the word WHOA (no matter how shaky it may have sounded!) would have definitely prevented a fall. As it was, after approximately 5 or 10 seconds of this nonsense, I of course bit the dust. Thankfully, I wasn't seriously hurt, but falling off a 16.2 cantering (galloping?) thoroughbred onto hard ground doesn't leave you totally unscathed either.

Whatever, I was definitely sore (and holy hell do I still need to see a chiropractor at some point), but I got back on that little shit (I'm channeling my feelings at the time, of course;) and worked his ass in the ring, and then rode him out to that same area and walked back and forth a couple times. I got off, cooled him, and put him outside, then went home and proceeded to take some Motrin with more wine than I care to admit. Hey, it worked.

(Annoying Helmet Plug-I most definitely hit my head on the ground when I fell, and it bounced. My helmet didn't crack-though I know I need to replace it anyway. It's still the most important piece of equipment I'll ever own, and I won't get on a horse ever, ever again without one. I will never judge other people for how they choose to ride, but I hope more and more people who ride without one realize how easy it is for something bad to happen, and how important every single person is to SOMEONE else. End plug!)

So how is this all relevant now? I admit I've only gone past the scene of the crime on Miles once,
maybe twice, and I was less than super relaxed. I really, really want to trust him outside the arena, and I'm getting better, but I don't know that I still have the carefree attitude I had before he pulled his Hot Move. I hope to some day. I WILL some day.

Also, he's an OTTB-I really, really, REALLY want to canter him down a trail, or even just out in the grassy fields that surround our barn. And I WILL, no matter what, someday. I'm just...less than gung-ho about it right now, since our first experience cantering outside the safe confines of a ring was unexpected and kind of a disaster.

I know I'm a stronger rider than when we had this incident, and I think Miles might actually listen to me if I said WHOA now, no matter how shaky my voice is or how off balance I might be:) In fact, I'm pretty confident I wasn't forceful enough with my one rein stop, and that won't happen again, I hope. We have practiced both this and obeying voice commands since then. I have to say though, if I hadn't learned that skill, and if I hadn't had such great instruction from my last trainer who impressed upon me that pulling back on both reins in emergencies can escalate a bad situation into a horrible one, well, let's just say there are worse things than falling off the side of your horse as they gallop away (like rearing, still one of my greatest fears).

Sooooooo, this ridiculously long rambling post is really just me trying to work through a few issues. Am I being fair to Miles by keeping our work focused in the arena thus far? I do try to get him out every week or so, but I honestly don't trust him enough to do it much more than that, and we don't go far. I think, after our silly show next week, I'm going to make this our next goal-even if I can't get a trail partner, I can still take him around the farm and down the trail for a few hundred yards, especially with his new shoez! I can't wait to feel his power as we gallop down the trail-I don't think I'll have to keep him forward then:)

It will happen. We have so much time, all the time in the world, really. If you want to know an embarrassing secret, one of my favorite phrases to whisper to Miles is "Be patient with me. I will be patient with you". We are partners, fumbling our way through each others' strengths, neuroses, passions and weaknesses, one ride at a time.

Do You Want Your Own Miles (And Really, Who Doesn't)?

Introducing Explosive Rocket at New Vocations.

Now, I don't know anything about this horse other than what is posted here on his site. However, he shares the famous Mr. Prospector as a grand sire with Miles.

Look at that head! Look at those EARS!  It's uncanny, I tell you.  Man, it's a good thing I'm not independently wealthy:) Dammit, WHY is that?  I want this horse.  His description:

"Rocket is anything but explosive! This grandson of Mr. Prospect is a very well mannered and fun loving horse. He is a happy horse who simply goes around and does whatever you ask. Rocket only raced 2 times and was retired in January due to sustaining chips in his knees. He had surgery in February on both and was given a good prognosis for flat work and some lower level jumping. Now completely rehabbed Rocket is being schooled on the flat and is doing extremely well. He would be a fun horse for someone wanting to do dressage or lower level jumpers, he also would be a nice pony club prospect. He has a good mind, is very willing, and teachable. He gets along well with his pasture mates, has good ground manners, stands for farrier, bathing, etc…."

Someone adopt this sweet boy, and then start a blog so I can watch his progress. Yeah, he's got a wonky eye, but I think that just makes him that much cooler. I like the freaks, y'all should know that by now.

How Does One Become a Thoroughbred Person?

So, looking back on my previous blogs, it looks like I've started 90% of them with the word SO. This is the last one, if I have anything to say about it. If I slip, y'all are allowed fifty virtual lashings with a wet noodle.

Since I've started this blog, I have been absolutely OVERWHELMED by how much amazing writing there is on the interwebs about horses, dressage, OTTBs; I had NO idea, honestly. I've always been a slow learner, no doubt about that.

Anyway, it makes for great inspiration for blog topics-unless you guys want to hear more bitching about the weather, or maybe the bugs?? Yeah, I thought so.

I started riding at a hunter barn called Fox Brush Farm - A wonderful, non-snotty boarding/training facility, which emphasized safety over everything else. I started with weekly lessons, progressed to leasing horses and working there as much as I could, and then they helped me find Chami, best first horse ever.

Fox Brush had every breed of horse imaginable, though most of the lesson horses were Quarter Horses, Appaloosas, Paints or crosses thereof. Thoroughbreds? They were for the advanced riders ONLY, or they were training horses. I might lead them to and from their pastures, but none of the kids (I was there from ages 7 to 14) actually RODE them. I don't think that's so unusual either-a lot of people seem to start off their riding careers with similar experiences. Of course the Thoroughbreds were ridiculously beautiful, but they seemed so...HARD to me, with their athletic bodies and gorgeous heads that were usually perched on long, sinewy necks held high, high in the air. I had never been a rider brimming with confidence, so it was totally fine by me to keep riding the other horses, while leaving the "hard bodies" to people with more drive and experience while I admired them from afar.

Of course, when I (cough *my parents* cough) bought Chami when I was 14, she was technically an Appendix Quarter Horse (TB/QH cross). Let me tell you though, that mare sure looked and acted all QH. She was gorgeous to me, but she had that big 'ol QH butt and was an air fern-looking at food too long was not good for her waistline. Even at only 8 years old, she was a steady-eddy almost always, unless she saw a herd of cows (Serious cow-phobia. No horse is perfect). Anyway, I figured she was a fluke and got most of her QH mama and little to none of her TB daddy. Naturally, anytime she acted like a ninny I blamed it on the TB side:)

I didn't begin my voyage to being a "Thoroughbred Person" until I adopted Ebony a few years ago. Old stereotypes about TBs still danced in my head at that point. Granted, she was in her mid to late teens, and about as easy a keeper as you could find, but she was DEFINITELY a TB. Very, very sensitive and opinionated...you had to WORK for her respect. However, she didn't really have a serious spook in her, which was why I adopted her (well, the "free" price tag helped;). Again, I never was nor will I ever be brimming with unbridled confidence. She could balk, she could buck, she could be mad as hell at me...but man, when we finally figured each other out (I stopped forcing her to live in a stall half the day and do arena work ALL the time, and she figured out I wasn't going to tear her mouth off or beat her up for doing something bad, although she also couldn't get away with doing whatever she wanted-I think she had seen it all before me!), we had such great, great rides together. She was never overly-lovey, so any little gesture she offered me was pretty cool. She kept me thinking, always, when I was with her. After Eb, how could I go back to the stock horses? ;)

Enter Miles, who I'm obviously totally smitten with. After Eb's passing, I looked on DreamHorse and some other sites for horses of all breeds, but the sites I kept going back to (and the horses that inevitably caught my interest the most) were, you guessed it, Thoroughbreds. After reading Miles' New Vocations profile and watching his video, I couldn't think of any reason NOT to go see him. Also, at an adoption price of $400-come on, I'm still pretty sure I got away with highway robbery.

Of course, he was everything I wanted, and everything I didn't know I wanted. Now he is NOT perfect...I'm still a little ticked at him for dumping me back in March when he gave just enough of a spook to put me off balance, and then would not simply WHOA so I could right myself, but that's another blog! Mostly, he has become my best friend, who lets me know exactly where I stand. He's so, so excited to see me when I come out to the barn-when I get out of the car and he can see it's me-well, I'd really like to get it on video some day:) He can be lazy but will never be the kind of horse you have to nag or really get after to be forward. He listens to me on our rides and even if he doesn't understand something the first time, once he really "gets it", he gets it for good. Smarty Pants. He can get anxious but gives me the benefit of the doubt that I won't ask him to go somewhere or do something unsafe or that we can't handle together. He looks to me to keep him safe. He is mouthy and obnoxious. He's my boy:)

So am I a Thoroughbred person? I suppose I am. I still want my Andalusian one day! Also, I will never be super excited to ride a spooky, reactive horse-though one great thing I've learned is that OTTBs are often MUCH less spooky than other horses, because they have SEEN and LIVED through the kind of loud, high-stress environments that would cause a full-on meltdown in many other horses.

I think a lot of horse people would tell you a TB's heart can't be beat (har har), and usually they are talking about their courage as athletes. Of course they ARE athletic-and though as a lowly pleasure rider this has never been my #1 priority, I admit I love Miles' gorgeous muscle-butt, and his awesome, solid yet gracefully long neck. "Heart" is more than athleticism and the courage to tackle a cross-country course, though-it's also that joie de vivre! A love of living, and curiosity in all things-from your pasture mate to your handlers to that crazy girl who comes out and rides you and babbles at you and keeps kissing your forehead. Man, Miles has that in SPADES, and I think a lot of Thoroughbreds do too.

Yeah, count me in. I'm a Thoroughbred person.

I wish I could capture a picture that does him justice one day...the big pic at the top of this blog is the closest I've got, and I didn't take it! Still, this face is what gets me, every time I see it.




What about you? Is there a breed that you naturally gravitate to, or are you more individual-horse specific? If you have a favorite breed, what about that breed "gets" to you, or do you love most? I love hearing what other people's passions are, and why!

So it begins....

So, I've got this blog....

I suppose I should start from the beginning. I'm old enough to be offended when people ask my age, but I still get carded. I live with my beautiful husband in Michigan's capital city. Our household consists of 2 extremely loyal (my wording for needy) golden retriever boys, Lebowski and Samual, as well as Mojo, our older-than-time-itself lab (maybe pit-bull) mix, matriarch of the herd. Do not laugh-Mojo takes her role VERY seriously. In addition, we have 2 cats, 1 with all her legs and one with only 3. This is extremely funny to me, particularly because "Three Legs" can outrun any of our animals, maybe Miles included.

Miles. The reason for this blog (ugh, I know there's a really cool French saying for that).

I adopted Miles from an amazing organization called New Vocations. They transition racehorses to new careers and adopt them out...you can see Miles' page here, when his name was still Masarin. If you want your own OTTB, I HIGHLY recommend them~they have amazing horses and are very honest about each horse's strengths and weaknesses. I really did get a helluva deal:-) This was September of 2009.

The first 3 weeks of September after the trailer dropped him off to me and his new home were....not great. My next post will detail my previous horse experience, but I had lost my last horse a month before, and I know I was still reeling from this experience. Ebony was also a thoroughbred, a mare, and I loved her very, very much. She was fatally kicked (probably) in a freak pasture accident, and I was with her as she was euthanized. I'm so, so grateful I could be there in her last moments, but it was a horrible thing to go through. I still miss my girl.

Anyway, I hadn't planned on getting a new horse so soon, but I did. It was a combination of intuition, timing, his Internet description, talking to the folks at New Vocations, and I'm not ashamed to say I had a rather poignant dream about Miles that led me to drive down to Ohio to see him and then adopt him. I can be a fruit that way sometimes.

So, those first 3 weeks...my barn owner will laugh if she reads this. He was underweight. He was studdy as all hell. Yes, he's a gelding, but I'm pretty sure he was gelded after he was 6 years old (when he stopped racing), so he had, um, issues being next to mares, being alone, being with another gelding, being with a (very tolerant and very bitchy, we tried both) mare, everything. I was really despairing on finding a turnout situation that would work for him, and people with horses know how important it is for a horse to feel happy and secure in their living space. He was still going into a stall at night at this point. During this time, work in the arena was out of the question. Any time I tried to lead him away from the barn there was rearing, kicking, crowding, you name it. He just wasn't ready. Of course, looking back I shouldn't have been surprised. Who knows what happened at his previous home. He was also a RACEHORSE-that kind of behavior is usually worked around instead of corrected, and of course there's the whole "running at full speed on a regular basis" aspect to life that I wasn't giving him.

Finally, we found something that worked...Miles in a small pasture alone, with mares on one side, and a very sweet Haflinger stud on the other. I LITERALLY could not work with him until this balance was found. I went on a short vacation for 3 days after we put him there, and when I came back, he had become the horse I now know and love. He was relaxed, attentive, sweet, a little pushy (though we took care of that right quick), but curious and such a ham. In other words, he was the horse I had adopted 3 weeks before, finally!

Things got even better a couple weeks later, when he found his soul-mate in gelding form. The barn owner talked to me about trying the "new horse" and Miles together in a pasture, and I agreed that it might be a good match...hoo boy was it ever! His name is LaShore, owned by the lovely Judy. Miles and LaShore really are ridiculously cute together...more on them later. They make great pictures, should really have their own sitcom, and I'm so happy they have each other.

Anyway, in October of 2009, I took my first ride on my new horse, and thus began the journey. I've never been a journal keeper-believe me, I've tried! Since blogs are what all the kids are doing nowadays, I thought why not-I'm not particularly funny, witty or interesting, and I'm still trying to find my voice, but I want some kind of record of this exciting time. I've also been reading some AMAZING blogs by other riders, and they certainly inspired me to start...I hope to post their blogs here soon, once I get the hang of everything. Thanks again, everyone (anyone?), for reading!