We looked at a horse over the weekend. Go us.
The Downsides
The owners would rather lease than sell. As a result, the price was, shall we say, optimistic.
Too short. He might have made the advertised height if you mohawked his mane. This is a problem as I am no longer skinny enough to look good on little ones. I look okay on Mathilda, but she’s a doublewide.
A few mannerisms that could have been greenness or could have been a problem needed further investigation.
He was a cute enough with a nice, if stubborn, look in his eye. I got no problem with attitude. Previous Horse exuded ‘tude. However, the rest of the package was unexciting to me.
The Upside
I finally figured out what I want to see when I go look at a horse. I want a horse who knocks my socks off. Socklessness is not necessarily a result of flash. I have been enchanted by a chunky Quarter Horse [Moses Delivered a Gift] and a curmudgeonly cart horse [“Just George”, Horse Illustrated, February 2011]. In short, I want to see a horse who makes me think, ‘Yes, this is gonna be fun.’
Life is too short to ride uninteresting horses.
Prior horse shopping posts.
Virtual Brush Box 
Attitude? Fine! But not THAT kind of attitude! Be wary when anyone says, “You don’t want to have to fight with this horse.” Translation: they like a good fight. I’m so past that stage of my life. Took some getting used to, but my not being feisty anymore isn’t a bad thing. Bombproof is more fun now than battle-ready!
But why not lease a horse you don’t want to own? If you get him out competing, you’ll be in immediate proximity of people who will be selling the sort of horse you might really want (not to mention the actual horses themselves). Then, lease horse goes back to his unexciting life.
Not this specific horse, nor this specific barn, but I am not opposed to leasing in general. My first 3 horses were leased. OTOH, they were pay the bills & ride leases, not pay 33% of the purchase price lease.
Agree – only get into percentages when it’s a consistent winner at Advanced (documented) and you are looking for a babysitter who can take you through Intermediate safely. Otherwise, stick to upkeep-cost type leases!
You will know it when you find it. Sometimes it is not what you were expecting. I have seen plenty of people buy the “pretty” horse only to sadly find no connection. Go with your gut I always say! The part about doublewide made me laugh and almost spit out my coffee!! Good one.
Without devolving into the whirlpool of bleakness that was last year’s blog, going with my gut got me Rodney. We all know how that turned out.
re potential coffee spit-take: I’m so proud.
Thanks for the kind words about Moses! He was a horse-of-a-lifetime find and really did have a magic all his own. And he had a personality that wouldn’t quit.