Tuesday, June 24, 2014

So Much More Than Money

Still makes me melt
My boys have meant a lot to me. I was thinking about how they came to me, and I just thought it would be fun to do a quick survey to fill out in the comments.

Horse Name:
Age When Acquired:
Experience/Training at the Time:
Purchase Price:

One per horse, obviously. I'll go first!!

Horse Name: Hakuna Matata
Age When Acquired: 17
Experience/Training at the Time: Kick-ass novice event horse who'd been hanging in a field for the year.
Purchase Price:$1500 with extensive trial period.

Not so very long ago
And we can't forget the little man!

Horse Name: Absolute Courage
Age When Acquired: 8
Experience/Training at the Time: Washed-up race horse
Purchase Price: Free (as in, I cleaned stalls for his trainer all summer)

I'm curious to hear about everyone else's horses! I just love the stories and facts of how we get together.





44 comments:

  1. Horse Name: Fiction
    Age When Acquired: 4
    Experience/Training at the Time: Time on the track + one year of sitting in a field = incredibly green walk/trot/canter baby.
    Purchase Price: $1500

    ReplyDelete
  2. Horse Name: Phoenix
    Age When Acquired: 8 and 21
    Experience/Training at the Time: First time started nicely over fences but not finished, second time well schooled but out of shape and with some health issues to fix
    Purchase Price: First time $8,500, second time $1

    Horse Name: Stampede
    Age When Acquired: 5
    Experience/Training at the Time: Broke, pushed too hard too fast until he started having meltdowns, then left in a pasture for over a year
    Purchase Price: I have no idea how to quantify this, it was a weird deal involving discounted board at the place where I bought him as part of the purchase price. Included a long trial period.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is so awesome you got Phoenix back again. I have one horse I sold and I always wondered where he ended up. I had first right of refusal but the owner packed up and moved across the country. :( Kudos to you!

      Delete
    2. I'm forever grateful that I got him back! Obviously I had assumed I'd never see him again although I did know the people who bought him (and it turned out still had him) had promised to keep him forever. Somehow Phoenix just ended up back where he belonged and just in time to save his hooves (farrier said he wouldn't have made it more than three months in his condition).
      After my experience though I don't think I could sell another horse once I've gotten attached. They deserve nothing but the best and I want to make sure they get it! Luckily my husband has been warned and didn't run away. :)

      Delete
  3. Horse name: Women No Easy
    New name: Riley, aka, Irish Goodbye
    Age when acquired: 4
    Experience/Training: Bred to race with no starts, was sitting in a stall for 60 days getting pooped on by pigeons. Former owner was at the track picking up others, asked about his breeding and he became a part of that deal. I met him after his let down period and he had been ridden maybe 2. He could WTC (green as grass) and had hopped over an X. He was LAZY when I met him and his 3rd ride post-track and second ride with me was a hunter pace where he loped along on a loose rein and jumped anything I pointed him at. He was, in all ways, the right horse and the wrong time.
    Purchase Price: $3500 (due to his his really good breeding, Emily would have had people fighting over him) so she offered him to me first, she sweetened the deal by throwing in some training and a very, very fair payment plan so that he could be mine. He has turned into such a gem and has so much potential and is not the lazy 4 year old I sat on last year!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Horse Name: Promises to Keep (Promise)
    Age When Acquired: 4
    Experience/Training at the Time: About 6 months worth of very inconsistent saddle time
    Purchase Price: $5000 payment plan (but, this included the saddle and bridle being used on her at the time, too)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Horse name: Vanity's Ghazal (purebred Arab)
    Age when acquired 2 about to turn 3
    Experience/Training: he was halter broke.
    Purchase Price $1500 with a payment plan so we could afford him. 23 years later and I can't say I regret getting a completely green horse as a completely green rider but I wouldn't recommend going that route to anyone else. :)

    Horse 2 Name: Too Many Whyz
    New Name: Keep It Low Key (Loki)
    Age when acquired: 5
    Experience/Training 2 years as a race horse (21 starts) Had been with my trainer for 5 months and been ridden a handful of times.
    Purchase Price: $2,000

    (Great idea btw!)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Horse Name: Caradino
    Age When Acquired: 13
    Experience/Training: Imported from Germany as a 4 year old, failed miserably as a children's hunter pony, and was then shipped off to a college program where I met him. We fell in love. He failed at college, too, then sat around doing nothing for 2 years, and then I adopted him.
    Purchase Price: $25 "adoption fee"

    ReplyDelete
  7. Horse Name: Henry
    Age When Acquired: 6
    Experience/Training at the Time: he'd done the baby greens a couple times as a 5yo, then had some dressage training, then sat in a field for 10 months
    Purchase Price: $900 (hence the blog name...)

    Horse Name: Sadie
    Age When Acquired: I made her!
    Experience/Training at the Time: non-existant. Literally.
    Purchase Price: The stud fee was $1100, but by the time she was born I had about 5k into her between vet fees and mare care and all that.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Fun topic! :)
    I'm a bit of a hoarder but here goes:

    Horse Name: Apollo
    Age When Acquired: 8 years old
    Experience/Training at the Time: A very weak 30 days undersaddle and recently gelding (at 8 years old!)
    Purchase Price: $1900

    Horse Name: Mystic
    Age When Acquired: 6 months
    Experience/Training at the Time: Halterbroke and foot broke with minimal handling otherwise, she was orphaned at 1 month old
    Purchase Price: $650 (from a rescue organization)

    Horse Name: Henry/Harfleur B
    Age When Acquired: 6 months
    Experience/Training at the Time: Nada! And terrified of people. He was in a feedlot awaiting shipment to slaughter within the next few weeks (or so said the shady organization I got him from)
    Purchase Price: $250

    ReplyDelete
  9. Name: Simon
    Age When Acquired: 6
    Experience/Training: WTC and could jump, but not started properly and very rough around the edges
    Purchase Price: $0

    ReplyDelete
  10. Horse Name: Carlos
    Age: 5
    Training: Race Training Only
    Price: Free

    Horse Name: Ramone
    Age: 4
    Training: Saddle Broke. Then sat for months and months.
    Price: Not free but much at all.


    ReplyDelete
  11. Horse Name: Logic Lane (Guinness, or Pig)
    Age When Acquired: 11
    Experience/Training at the Time: Low level hunter/jumper, some limited cross country schooling experience.
    Purchase Price: $3200, including delivery from Lexington to Cincinnati.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Horse Name: Bohemian Spirit
    Age When Acquired: 6
    Experience/Training at the Time: Unsuccessful racehorse, TV show horse (equine actor, if you will)
    Purchase Price: Free

    ReplyDelete
  13. Horse Name: Confetti
    Age When Acquired: 16
    Experience/Training at the Time: Bit of driving training. Solid English WTC under saddle, good jumper, minimal trail experience (plus a year of trails with me riding). Great ground manners. HIstory of bolting and bucking; spooky and sometimes high-strung. Originally trained Western.
    Purchase Price: Free.

    Someday we'll get a proper bill of sale. We've joked I could give her previous owner a quarter and we'd all be happy with the deal.

    I should really write up her history sometime!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Horse Name Suzie ("Quick Little Coosa")
    Age When Acquired: 21
    Experience/Training at the Time: Dude Ranch Horse who was a brain-fried barrel racer before.
    Purchase Price: Free

    ReplyDelete
  15. Horse Name: TCA2 Andor aka HAFL
    Age When Acquired: 2.5
    Experience/Training at the Time: not broke
    Purchase Price: €1,200

    ReplyDelete
  16. Horse Name: Houston B
    Age when purchased: 4.75
    Experience/ training at time: green, jumping small courses
    Price: significantly less than they were asking

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is fun!! Great idea!

    Horse Name: Chrome (breeder named him after a country song)
    Age When Acquired: 5 months
    Experience/Training at the Time: Halter/lead broke (but would barge into you so we had to work on whoa), picked up feet perfectly, could stand tied and could be touched all over. Didn't like fly spray, but would stand for it. Was a tad bit hard to catch and didn't know how to lower his head or back up really. Had never had a bath. Coming home with me was his first time ever on a trailer and he walked on with no hesitation. Oh and he was perfect for vaccines and deworming.
    Purchase Price: $1200

    ReplyDelete
  18. Horse Name: Reveille
    Age When Acquired: 2
    Experience/Training at the Time: Halter broke, kind of saddle broke
    Purchase Price: $900

    Horse Name: Apollo's Double
    Age When Acquired: 8
    Experience/Training at the Time: Race training, jumped around Novice once, dressage training, general retraining by redheadlins
    Purchase Price: $3500

    ReplyDelete
  19. Horse Name: Prince of Thieves
    Age When Acquired: 16
    Experience/Training: Supposedly at one point did A/O jumpers, no clue what he did before that. Was doing pony club and winning every 3'0"-3"3" jumper class around (I had NO clue of any of this when I bought him, haha).
    Purchase Price: $4000 (included some tack)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Ooh, fun.

    Horse Name: Misty (shown as Mistaken) previously known as Sissy and registered as Henny Penny
    Age When Acquired: 6
    Experience/Training at the Time: Ranch horse broke
    Purchase Price: $2500

    Horse Name: Gold Jet Away (Jetta)
    Age When Acquired: 2
    Experience/Training at the Time: Halter broke only
    Purchase Price: $750

    ReplyDelete
  21. Horse Name: Lady
    Age When Acquired: 9
    Experience/Training at the Time: She was a thoroughly western trained horse with more than a few years of barrels/poles and endurance competitions behind her. And one foal. :)
    Purchase Price: 500 even

    ReplyDelete
  22. Horse Name: Koda (was called Shocker... sigh)
    Age when Acquired: 7
    Experience/Training at the Time: pleasure/recreational riding horse, wtc and some lateral work, not started over poles or fences. Being used as an advanced beginner lesson horse
    Purchase Price: $2,000.00
    *Canadian price!*

    ReplyDelete
  23. This would come up when I own my two most expensive horses!
    Horse Name:Butch
    Age When Acquired:12
    Experience/Training at the Time: Fullwire hunter, SJ to 1.25m with a pro, wouldn't jump 90cm with old owner but he and I get on ok.
    Purchase Price: NZ$7000 plus my boss forgave some of his training costs.

    Horse Name:Kate
    Age When Acquired:10
    Experience/Training at the Time: Full wire hunter, SJ 1.30m
    Purchase Price: $9000

    ReplyDelete
  24. Horse Name: Lyssatra (Kika)
    Age When Acquired: 2 & 11months (technically 3)
    Experience/Training at the Time: Didn't know how to be lead
    Purchase Price: €3,300 from breeder including delivery

    Horse Name: Tantassig Nancy (Nancy)
    Age When Acquired: 3
    Experience/Training at the Time: Trained under saddle with some hacking experience & some arena work.
    Purchase Price: €2,000 from breeder (my aunt)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Horse Name: Dakota
    Age When Acquired: 6 months
    Experience/Training at the Time: Halter broke
    Purchase Price: $600

    Horse Name: Echo
    Age When Acquired: 4
    Experience/Training at the Time: Think she had gone through yearling training at a TB farm, but she was a pasture ornament since.
    Purchase Price: $0

    ReplyDelete
  26. Horse Name: Wiz
    Age When Acquired: 3 (3 months away from being 4)
    Experience/Training at the Time: I had been a working student and had taught him how to lunge and sat on him once or twice before sticking him out in a field for a year before I brought him home.
    Purchase Price: $0.00

    ReplyDelete
  27. Horse Name: Mightybobbymagee
    Age When Acquired: 5, though I've pretty much "had" him since birth
    Experience/Training at the Time: A year of racing, a year of let down that involved some hacking by a not-so-great rider, but mostly sitting around being lame. Literally unsound. I make good life choices.
    Purchase Price: $600

    ReplyDelete
  28. I have had several horses over the years and I'm currently down to 3 so I will limit it to them.

    Horse Name: Lightly Frosted
    Age When Acquired: Weanling/Yearling
    Experience/Training at the Time: Not a damn thing. Green as grass and wilder than a March hare, but at the same time he was timid, shy and scared to death. Total hairball including mats and clumps. He has certainly grown up over the years and is my driving pony. He's stellar at it, though we still have our days...
    Purchase Price: $400


    Horse Name: Mad About Me - aka Mommy Mare
    Age When Acquired: 5 y/o
    Experience/Training at the Time: OTTB with a year off due to knee injury. Recently brought her back under saddle and OMFG! She is so FUN to ride!
    Purchase Price: $250, sight unseen, only 3 days before she went to the KB auction. Best horse purchase ever.

    Horse Name: Patience aka Aruba
    Age When Acquired: 10y/o
    Experience/Training at the Time: Broodmare who had been to a 3 day clinic as a 3y/o and first time under saddle was doing w/t/c
    Purchase Price: Free

    ReplyDelete
  29. Horse hoarder right here...
    Horse Name: Independent George
    Age When Acquired: 9
    Experience/Training at the Time: Fancy schmancy, stakes winning racehorse, with more exciting life experiences than I'll ever have. He was then retired and put to pasture for a year before he came to live with me.
    Purchase Price: Free

    Horse Name: Duke
    Age When Acquired: 13 (hubby had him for 5 years before I met him, but Duke was 13 when we started dating)
    Experience/Training at the Time: Trail horse with plenty of wet saddle blankets in his past.
    Purchase Price: Free to me (hubby paid $850)

    Horse Name: Pistol
    Age When Acquired: 18
    Experience/Training at the Time: He was an impulse buy sold to us as a super broke trail horse. Turns out he had major emotional baggage to work through...fun times.
    Purchase Price: $575

    Horse Name: Nugget (but is pending a name change)
    Age When Acquired: 13
    Experience/Training at the Time: Extensively trail ridden, had been in parades, worked cattle, worked at a kids camp, showed, been there done that.
    Purchase Price: $1500

    Pony Name: Princess Rainbow Sparkles
    Age When Acquired: 18
    Experience/Training at the Time: grand kids pony
    Purchase Price: Free

    ReplyDelete
  30. Horse Name: Armani
    Age When Acquired: 3
    Experience/Training at the Time: 2 momths under saddle, minimal groundwork
    Purchase Price: $9,500 and a bargain at that ;)

    Ruckusbutt

    ReplyDelete
  31. Horse Name: Parker
    Age When Acquired: 4
    Experience/Training at the Time: Track broke/raced
    Purchase Price: Free

    Horse Name: Penny
    Age When Acquired: 7
    Experience/Training at the Time: Training Level Eventing
    Purchase Price: $1200

    Horse Name: William
    Age When Acquired: 3 1/2
    Experience/Training at the Time: Backed unsuccesfully
    Purchase Price: Free

    ReplyDelete
  32. Horse Name: Miss Tea
    Age When Acquired: 6 months
    Experience/Training at the Time: None
    Purchase Price: $300

    Now 8 years old and has been my great teacher in horses and life!

    Horse Name: Shiraz
    Age When Acquired: 6 months
    Experience/Training at the Time: none
    Purchase Price: $300

    Now 1 years old and loving watching her grow! She has "butterfly feet" and prances like a queen dressage diva already!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Beefheart
    4
    Racing training only
    We traded the owners' training bill for him.

    Winndelynn
    Bred her
    My fiancé owned the mare and I had a free breeding to the stallion for training him.

    Windtalker
    6 ( but I had ridden him from the fall of his three year old year until the spring of his five year old year).
    1st level dressage
    Private treaty (it's a long story)

    Essentially, they were all cheap. I think I love them even more because of that.

    ReplyDelete
  34. This is fascinating!

    Horse Name: Walker
    Age When Acquired: 6 years
    Experience/Training at the Time: professional trained Western Pleasure, had been showed/trained a little in Trail, Hunt Seat, and also did Halter/Showmanship
    Purchase Price: $4500 (which may have included shipping from the other side of the continent...I actually honest to god can't remember)

    ReplyDelete
  35. Horse name: Fawkes (Admiral Dumyat)
    Age when acquired: 7, but almost 8
    Experience/Training: retired racehorse living the sweet life in a field
    Purchase Price: $800 donation to a TB rescue (how awesome was his owner?).....and $1800 cross country shipping!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Horse Name: Sam (Samoa Star)
    Age When Acquired: 13
    Experience/Training at the Time: years of dressage, XC owned by a trainer, 2 years hunters with AA plus child (lease) w/ pro rides.
    Purchase Price: $9,000

    ReplyDelete
  37. Horse name:Steady Smiler
    Age when acquired: 10
    Experience/training at the time: kick ass race horse. 75 starts $322,000 winnings. No training outside if that. Purchased him 2 months from his last race.
    Purchase price: $800

    ReplyDelete
  38. Horse Name: Hadassah
    Age When Acquired: hmm, 0?
    Experience/Training at the Time: Experience limited to successfully exiting her dam's uterus and nursing within the hour. She had a lot going for her though: her sire was out of Fagers Star out of Dr. Fager (Horse of the Year, Champion Handicap Horse, Champion Turf Horse, and Champion Sprinter). Her dam was out of Moon Deck, out of Top Moon.
    Purchase Price: $550 breeding fee.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Horse Name: Wilbur
    Age When Acquired: 5
    Experience/Training at the Time: 90 days H/J training- had been chilling in a field because he was too slow for the owners to use as a barrel racer
    Purchase Price: $10,000 (admittedly overpaid- but it was true love)

    Horse Name: Ellie
    Age When Acquired: 7
    Experience/Training at the Time: Endurance riding- she had quite the 2013 record)- 90 days H/J training (sound familiar?)
    Purchase Price: $12,000 (I stole her)

    ReplyDelete
  40. Horse name: Venus Dancer (Beauty)
    Age When Acquired: 5
    Experience/Training at the Time: I believe by the time I bought her, I'd put 6 months of very slow training into her, and she could confidently walk under saddle. When I met her, she barely knew how to be led.
    Purchase Price: $1500 (overpriced for a green, barely started, unregistered Morgan, but I would have paid anything for this horse!)

    ReplyDelete
  41. Horse name: Jasper
    Age when acquired: 6
    Experience/Training at time: Wild Mustang. Could halter him if you approaced very carefully.
    Purchase price: $0
    Price if I were to ever sell him: $1 billion dollars .. muuuhahaha!

    ReplyDelete

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