I finally have a horse of my own again. For several years, the only horses I’ve been feeding were my wife’s barrel horses. One is the old girl who has earned a comfortable retirement, and she can’t be ridden anymore. The other is the new prospect, who is still very young and extremely green. I am old enough to know what the ground feels like when you hit it from six feet up, so I’m not too keen on saddling up that young horse.
So I’ve been horse shopping for a while. I finally found one that seems perfect for me. He’s big, he’s only 10, and he’s level-headed. He’s not apt to pitch me into the dirt or kick me across the corral.
I was supposed to drive down and pick him up last Thursday, but my truck decided to have driveline issues on Wednesday. It was looking like I’d have to go longer without a horse of my own, but the lady who was selling him offered to deliver him. That was good for two reasons – one, I didn’t have to wait until my truck got fixed to go get him, and two, because she brought him to me, if push comes to shove and I absolutely have to get to town, I can ride him in. It’s a first-world problem, for sure, but when you’re a family of four drivers who is down to one working vehicle, sometimes you need a horse in case of emergencies.
I’m happy to be a horse owner again. I can finally just go for a ride in the pasture or down the road, or I can trailer him up to the mountains and take a trail ride.
But more importantly, when hunting season rolls around again, I’ll have a horse I can pack in and out on. I’ve been doing it all on Shank’s Mare for far too long. I’ll be glad to have a horse to share the load on future outings.
