Friday, January 15, 2016

The Three Year Hex

I have this weird feeling that I just can't quite shake right now. As an adult, I have never owned a horse more than three years. Period. I'm on my third (fourth?) horse. I've intended to keep each one forever. It doesn't work out.

Nikki (got as a baby, traded away for Izzy), owned ~6 months
Izzy (bad news bears for me), owned 3 years on the nose
Cuna (worse news bears for soundness), owned two years
And Courage and I have a three year anniversary in July.

I'm committed to this relationship, so I won't sell/trade him away because he's unsuitable like I did horses #1 and #2. I can only hope we don't face crippling and catastrophic lameness like #3.

But each case has been a little different and I'm just twitchy enough (and apparently superstitious enough) that I feel paralyzed. Or at least inhibited. I don't want to pay for lifetime numbers for him. I hardly want to think about plans and goals beyond this spring. I know I'm being weird, but it's a real thing for me.

At least until after July 27th of this year. That's our three year anniversary. That's when we start into untested territory for horse ownership and my adult self.

Crazy? Maybe.


Here's to many more with this guy! (And can it not be winter anymore? That would be ok.)

20 comments:

  1. I have a similar, yet opposite, problem. I've never sold a horse. The horse I owned before Miles was mine until the day he died, and that's how I wanted it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I still don't own a horse, but I hit the 3 year mark with Val as far as being his person last year, and it was really weird. I've always been a catch rider, or turning over sale horses for owners/trainers or as a consignment project. Val is technically a sale horse, but he was so green when I started him, and trainer isn't in a big hurry to get him gone. I've never gotten to experience what working with the same horse for so long is like. It's definitely different, and I get the being afraid to make any long term plans, because you just don't know when things will change.

    ReplyDelete
  3. yea i get those same weird superstitious feelings and am already there in that uncharted territory with isabel... and long-term planning is even further complicated by the fact that i don't actually own her... tricksy stuff. but hey, living in the moment is fun too (except when it's winter, boo)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gosh I had not realized - here's to many many happy sound years with the handsome Courage!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think we all have our twitchy superstitious moments with our horses. I'm a big bundle of twitchy and I'm a little surprised that the vet doesn't hide when he sees me (I think the fact that I pay my bill on time is the only thing saving me).

    I hope you and Courage have many many many more happy and healthy years to come.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have no doubt that you and Courage will make it well past the 3 year mark with no issues. It will be fun...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Totally agree on no more winter! I've owned Roz for almost 10 years but I don't think I've had any other horse much over 3.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dude, I get it. Foster is now my third horse that I gotten to this level (schooling 2nd seriously, jumping 3'3" courses) where I've been halted in my tracks, for one reason or another. Why can't I show at this level? WHY???

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm superstitious about labeling anything with horse names instead of my own because the very next day after I sharpied everything of Red's was the first day of the week of vet visits before I had to put him down.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've taken to labeling everything with my married last name. When Husband and I cleaned out the trailer for him to fix things, we found the fan I take to horse shows and it has Mikey's name and then my maiden name. Ugh. Hopefully I'm not jinxing Husband and I.

      Delete
  10. We all have our superstitions. It's crazy. I won't put a horse's name on anything. I only put my last name (oops on everything that's labeled "Mikey (Jan's maiden name)"). I remember when I found out a friend's chestnut OTTB died at age 16 from something (I never found out what), and I thought "Man, I'll have Mikey for so much longer than that" and bam, he's dead at 16.

    I'm sure you'll be hanging on to Courage, because as you said, he's not unsuitable for you. I'm not saying anything about soundness because I don't want to jinx anything. See? Superstitious. Here's to MANY more years together for you and Courage.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I hear you on the superstition part. You and Courage will be OK... I just know it!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Pay for your lifetime numbers on him! That will help get over this mental hurdle and cement in your mind that he's NOT going anywhere :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. I am staunchly anti-superstitious, so I say there's no hex! I mean really, it is statistically unlikely that three is the magic (cursed?) number in your case. There are SOOO many other possible numbers!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I hear you, I'm superstitious too. Wishing for winter to be over is two-fold. Better weather and closer to your three year anniversary! Hang in there :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have owned 3 horses for three years, and my three year anniversary with Estella is in May! So crazy!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Its a weird thing with horses. We kinda sign on with an idea of how long they are staying in mind (project flip or lifer) but we don't really take into account all the other things that happen; lameness, finances, or just ending up unsuitable for us. If you had this 3 yr habit with the same cause, it would be reason to worry, I think otherwise its just coincidental.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm pretty superstitious as well. When I was a kid three of my guinea pigs died on the 29th of various months so it got to where I dreaded the 29th because I thought that day was cursed. Now it just so happens that Hero's actual Birthday is January 29, so I guess it's not such a bad day after all. But I know exactly how you feel, waiting for the other shoe to drop almost.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I've had Yankee over 10 years now which is craziness. The rest I had anywhere from 1-6 years...weird to think about

    Here's to many more for you and C-rage

    ReplyDelete
  19. I feel you. I have never had a horse for more than 3 years. Most of them I had for around two. My first horse I did have for three, then the second one I had for less than a year. After that I got a little bit into rescuing and rehoming a few horses. Skye I had for two years when she passed away. Sydney I have had for two years now. It has not been without moments of me wondering if she is the right horse for me. Even now I wonder if she and I are ever going to find competition type that we both excel at. She is starting to look like a jack of all trades and master of none.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...