Horse decisions..

You'll give him a home....Wont you..lol

Keri Arbel my friend's famous words....

It been years since I owned a horse, so long that a few months ago, I rid my self of all my spare tack... for , why do I need what I will never use thought I....

Dressage saddle, Australian stock saddle, reins, bridles the lot, even a lovely leather pair of boots...mmmm bad days thoughts..

So the story was this Belgium Warmblood from Holland, w was the top show jumper at 5 and 6 yrs old over 1m30cm's had been sold from Holland to Scotland I think, only prob was the man hadn't got the funds to complete the deal. So this sweet tempered Warmblood had been hanging out in a field for 6mnths awaiting travel back.... They decided to send him back but he missed the vetting to get back on the boat, and his vaccinations ran out in June... So for one reason or another his owner in Holland told the Arbels to find hi a good home... they gave him a weeks stay as room was tight on there professional yard, so after that he would have gone to Beeston sale... not a nice place..

Keri knew he was too nice to send there.. she explained to me his story and how sweet tempered and bombproof he was... he arrived last Thursday, and I arranged to meet him Friday....

Now I do need to point out here, I really wasn't looking for a horse and decided that if he wasn't any good to me this wasn't about to start my search for another, it was a one hit deal go for him or have none..

Well it was love at first sight, he had a really dopey gentle eye, a dirty coat, dark bay, with a white blaze and white socks.... huge 16.1hh and very flabby, we made a pair really, as i'm flabby and unfit a size 16 on the way to 16 stone..lol.. well over 15 anyhow..i'm awaiting my surgeons report on my very poorly hips, I have been told I need a double hip replacement before the age of 40, I'm 37... I also have a cyst in my hip joint and had no idea if I could ride ever again.... Also nursing a shoulder injury and bad back, with very low peak flow performance in my lungs...

So this day I met him... Well i'd been a week into my gym member ship so had done 1 hour in the gym, doing weights, cycling and marched 8km on the machine.... then swam 40lengths of the pool, dragged my self to the side and felt quite dead... i had planned just to say hello and come back for a ride another day.. but you know once a rider always one.. So something made me get on...

It was a long way up and I was terrified about getting on and riding a horse infront of Ran Arbel, who is a professional horsey person, Dealing in very expensive horses and proper riders....

I'm a nobody...... and a nervous one at that, as always aware of my short comings...After watching Kiah his lovely daughter test him who found him very ploddy and slow, I got on, and rode around the there amazing school... he really was bombproof not a buck at all after all that rest... we clicked his ears listened to me, the feeling was brilliant, what a moment, I tried a trot, a bit of a disaster, I have lost all of my lower leg control and the ability to post correctly to the trot...mmm not cool so I went up a gear, much more comfortable,  every time #i went around I looked at the jumps and dared my self to pop over, well I thought i'd aim once but didn't quite get it right so pulled out, I was very impressed he listened and went around.... 2nd try, we hit our stride and popped over.... I cantered around very self conscious, Catching a glimpse of Ran looking from a distance... well that was enough to make me nearly fall off..... Om my goodness so embarrassing somebody watching and judging me...

I slowed down after checking out all of his buttons... and walked him round slowly as he was unfit... everyone watched for me to land in a heap when I dismounted, so I mustered all my energy and will power to try and dismount elegantly and just about managed to hold it together on landing..

YAH ... I WANTED HIM... he was perfect for me, really well schooled... the right size for me, and just perfect.. we went in side to discuss the plan....