Work: unclear. Rain.
Gloomy weather to match my gloomy mood. I’m feeling old, unproductive, purposeless, and all those other doom clouds that travel in packs. One obvious reason is that this is the longest I’ve gone without riding since I was 14. One obvious answer is to be grateful for all that I have, bloom where I am planted, live in the moment, etc, etc. As this enlightened attitude has yet to take hold in my life, I don’t see it happening by this afternoon. Another obvious, if more concrete, answer would be to get a third horse. This has been the plan all along: one fancy show horse for me & a husband horse that could double as my second horse, not as talented but fun. A sports car & a truck if you will.
When one goes horse shopping, sellers want to know preferred age, size, breed, training, budget. My answer is, it depends. Age and cost are linear functions. The higher the number, the more I better like the horse. A non-Thoroughbred might be fun. Get a Morgan or an Arabian to cross-show in jumper classes at breed shows (do they even have these?). I used to show with a woman who did this with a Quarter Horse and earned herself a big-time belt buckle. Finally, I’m not as interested in specific training as in talent & mental outlook. These attributes are hard to list in a classified ad or see on a video.
What is your best tip for horse shopping?
Virtual Brush Box 
Never, ever drive your truck and trailer to “just go look at a horse.” 😉
all my horses seemed to just fall into my lap, figuratively speaking. arabians are wonderful, but i’m highly biased there. morgans do well as everyday horses as well as show horses. actually both breeds are good at a lot of things, but for a calmer horse you might think about a quarter horse.
It’s funny you say this. I am in the process of selling my “truck” so I can buy a “sportscar.” My little 12yo TB is custom made for easy riding, but not hot and zippy enough to get me to Prelim in eventing, where I want to go. I wish I could keep two!
RR has it exactly right.
Have never to this day met hubby (um, have I?) so not sure what dimension of beast you’re envisioning, but if you want present saddles to fit, I wouldn’t stray too far in the direction of Morgan/QH. Think three-quarter bred; a little dash of Clyde can be very stylish and calming, still be a weight carrier if hubby requires that, and something you can take hunting without fear of breaking it. I have been hankering after a “commercial” (Clyde/Hackney cross) for that purpose for years. One of these days when I come to my senses and ditch the TBs.
I guess my best horse shopping advice would be to test ride a LOT of different horses, preferably in the kinds of settings you’d like to use it for. So if you want an off road truck then you’d do well to test those prospects off road. If you want an arena truck then test those trucks there. If you want an SUV then put those trucks to the test by driving them through a variety of different terrains. If you want a luxury vehicle then be sure those models offer a smooth ride no matter where you go. The biggest mistake I think I see people making … well heck, there are quite a few mistakes …. but one of the biggest is not testing the truck in conditions that simulate the conditions or situations you plan drive in. There’s there’s really no sense in test driving a Mercedes if you’re planning to drive the power lines, you know what I mean? I don’t see this so much as trying to narrow it down to a specific model as much as I think knowing what’s under the hood and matching that to your goals will improve the chances of suitability.
I also think it’s a good idea to try to leave your emotions out of the equation, but I’ll be damned if I can figure out how to do that! 😉