Comment

Comment by Barnmice Admin on March 18, 2012 at 5:27pm

Congratulations to MagsNMe and Karey Welliver who have won our draw for new spring wardrobes for their horses!

Many thanks to everyone for sharing some really remarkable stories with us, and we'll keep you posted on lots more contests on the way! :)

Comment by Deborah Robillard on March 17, 2012 at 9:20pm

I met my horse Isabella (a Haflinger-Paint cross) while searching horses for sale on Kijiji.  My Mother, who had been a horseperson and long time horseowner, had just passed away about 6 months before and I had a small amount of funds from being the executrix of her estate and I thought, I'll either buy a horse or go on a trip.  While going away on a vacation was something nice to think about, the thought of my own horse in our paddock seemed much more appealing.  We had two aged horses, two elderly Thoroughbreds on our farm and while I loved looking after them and tending to them, I wanted a horse of my own but on a relatively small budget. As a rusty rider and a middle aged woman in her 50's, I was a little nervous going to look at horses on my own.   Each time I brought my boots, my breeches, my helmet and got aboard some nice horses but none seemed to be right for me.

I saw an ad on Kijiji showing a cute little Haflinger cross mare with a nice description but her owner lived about 90 minutes away from my farm and I was working at a job with crazy shifts so it was difficult to find a time that worked for both of us.  After several emailed attempts, I finally got in my car and drove to their farm.  They had Isabella (Izzy) tacked up and ready to go. Her 13 year old owner (who was changing disciplines) rode her and I thought what a lovely pair, they are so well matched! I hopped on her and thought I hope I don't embarrass myself but she was quite well behaved.  I bought her on the spot.  She is the light of my life.  Not to say she doesn't have her moments (she can be quite a brat and sometimes needs to be reminded who is the boss here). She is such a friendly, funny, intelligent little mare and I can't imagine life without her.  I am still a rusty rider, still a middle aged woman, but when I look out from my kitchen window into the paddock and see Isabella, my heart lightens and I smile.  I walk out to the paddock and she is right there, winnying to me, sidling up to me so that I can scratch her "scratchies."  The best investment I ever made!

 

Comment by Cindy Bauer on March 17, 2012 at 9:20pm

The story actually starts when I purchased my first horse. I was a very excited young girl that had many hopes and dreams for my ‘perfect’ first horse. After getting the horse home we soon found out how many physical problems came with my ‘perfect’ first horse. Throughout the next few weeks we finally determined that she had a severe case of ringbone that would most likely shorten her life and definitely shorten her riding career. I was devastated. The perfect first horse was sadly not going to be able to do what I was hoping and dreaming for. I decided that I would keep her and work with her as much as I could (within her physical limits).

 I was not looking forward to the approaching show season as I knew I would not be able to show with all my friends. A few weeks before our first show, I was at the barn grooming my horse when the barn owner and my trainer came down to the barn after going out to lunch with a friend. They went into the office to talk, but I just kept grooming my horse. Soon they came out and approached me with a story and a picture. At lunch they had found out through their friend about a horse in need of a new home. They explained they had a once in a life time opportunity for me because the horse in the picture was in need of a new owner immediately.  She was a very well trained all-round quarter horse mare that was in need of ‘a little girl’. Her name was Cookie and I immediately feel in love with her picture. The barn owner knew this mare very well and believed we would be a great match. I had to decide that night whether I wanted her or not. I wasn’t able to meet her before deciding, but it felt right. The next day she was delivered to our barn and I immediately felt a connection with her. She was beautiful, sweet, kind, and very well trained. We went on to show at all levels and do very well. She is my best friend that is always there for me. I feel extremely lucky to have gotten the opportunity to own her and couldn’t imagine my life without her.

Comment by Kixizi on March 17, 2012 at 9:01pm

Last year I was looking for a horse after a very bad leasing situation. I was looking for a younger jumper prospect that was still somewhat trained. I spent a few weeks searching via online horse classifieds and finally found some prospects I thought might work. I grabbed my trainer and we headed a few hours away to start the search. I spent a whole day riding horses that didn't know anything even though their ads had said otherwise. The first horse bolted with me twice, the last didn't even know how to stop! I was discouraged, but on a whim called up the number of on one of the other ads I had. I hadn't initially planned on looking at this horse because he wasn't exactly what I was looking for. The owner just happened to be at home and was fine if we came and looked at the horse. I rode him that day and he was a dream. I came back twice more after that and each time fell more and more in love with him. I still have him and probably always will. It is crazy though thinking that if I hadn't decided to call the old owner after that bad day of prospect searching I may have never found my horse.

Comment by Katy McFarland on March 17, 2012 at 8:59pm

On my 12th birthday, I recieved one simple package. In the package was a leather halter, with the name "Aero" engraved on the side(the name of my dream horse). I was stunned. I had begged for my own horse since I could speak, but due to the military, we were constantly moving around. We had just settled down on some acerage. Just enough to have a horse. So, the following day we went to a horse rescue where I could choose my horse. We went to meet Boogie, the very definition of my dream horse. A blazing red chestnut Thoroughbred with four stockings and a blaze. He was perfect, but while we were there, a trailer pulled up. And out stepped 3 horses. And that is when I met Aero. She was muddy and scraggly. She was the complete opposite of my dream horse....SHE was bay(I had always sworn to myself I would NEVER own a bay) and only had 1 leg marking. I was told she was just 3 years old and pure registered Thoroughbred. She was with two others the farm had recieved at an auction the night before, but the farm had no papers on them. My heart was set. I had to have her. She was the one. I begged my mom, and she made what most people would consider the wrong decision. She willingly forked over the money and the filly was mine. Aero had a tattoo, and I was determined to find out about her past. For a painstaking 3 years, we contacted the Jockey Club with every possibility of the numbers in her only semi-legible tattoo to no avail. And then one night, I was watching random, old race replays, and found a mare that looked exactly like my Aero. With very distinct  facial markings, there was no mistaking Aero with any other horse. So, I researched the horse in the race, "Lady Brave Heart", and found her to be from Indiana,my home state, and the same age as Aero. Her last race was also just 1 month before I got Aero. But, the only issue is that Lady Brave Heart was listed as a chestnut with the Jockey Club. I contacted Lady Brave Heart's trained to inquire about the mare and he confirmed that indeed, Lady Brave Heart had been misregistered. He also confirmed, through pictures, that my horse was indeed Lady Brave Heart. Lady Brave Heart had failed on the track, never placing higher than 6th in 8 races, because of a breathing problem, but she had a tremendous pedigree, so her trainer sold her. She and two other horses were sold to a man, but the man took the horses and their papers and never paid their trainer. The man then sent all three horses to auction, and they were on their way to slaughter when the rescue farm recieved them. And so, it was all by luck that I got my beloved Aero and that she was saved from slaughter and that her old trainer agreed to officially sign her over to me, even though he personally never recieved payment :)

Comment by Jamie Keegan on March 17, 2012 at 7:41pm

About 6 months ago I was looking for a lease horse, I found a 4 year old TB mare that was for free lease and on a whim decided to go check her out.  I always said I never wanted a mare or a baby horse, but as the saying goes,"never say never." when I got there to see her I had a gut feeling that I needed to take her home, even though at the time I thought it would only be for 6 months to a year. After talking with the girl that owned her for a while, the girl asked if I wanted her; she was in school and had no time to work with Piper.  Of course I jumped on the offer and brought her to my barn 5 days later.  I decided to take this young mare home on a gut feeling, I never even got to ride her, I just saw her lunged for soundness.  It was one of the best decisions I've made, something I probably would have kicked myself for years over if I hadn't gotten her. 

After a rough start to her life, she has turned out to be an amazing girl with a big heart and plenty of attitude, but I love it.  She was originally a rescue TB off a farm in NY; she along with many others were starved, which ended up stunting her growth quite a bit.  She is only 14.2-14.3, but a perfect match for me.  We are working with a trainer towards eventing and hope to enter into and event by the fall or early next spring.. I have already taken her to a dressage test for experience, the first show shes ever been at, and even though she was very excited, we still managed to score 3rd and 4th in our classes.  I will do everything in my power to keep this sweet little mare safe, healthy and happy for the rest of her life, and cant wait to see what the future holds for both of us.

Comment by Erica K. Frei on March 17, 2012 at 5:51pm

Continued...

A few months of reposting the ad and one day I had a voice message on my phone from a man who had bought him for his wife to trail ride on - and he was so excited to have found my information because they were having a lot of problems and didn't know where to turn. I tried to answer their questions and help out in any way possible over the phone and through email. She needed a quiet point and shoot horse, and he was trained to the lightest aids in collection work. In the end he would get confused by her signals, stop and refuse to move. No harm done to the rider, only frustration.

I met the horse of my dreams for the second time when he offered to sell him back to me, saying that he felt the two of us were meant to be together and it would open up a stall for him to find the perfect horse for his wife. In selling him back to me he even offered to at a financial loss on his price.

I drove 12 hours in the opposite direction of where I first bought him, and the time passed like minutes. He came home just a week after my birthday this last October and had the timing been any different I would not have been ready to bring him home. Everything happens for a reason, I'm still sorting out all the reasons that I had to lose the horse I love for that year and a half, and to worry about whether he was okay or not. Neither one of us are the same, I did not bring home the same horse who left here but I'm not the same rider either.

Each and every day I am thankful for having him back in my life, for knowing he is happy and healthy. Thankful to hear him whinnying to me every time I pass by his pasture and to see him standing at the gate staring at me even after we've already gone for a long ride.

I have owned, trained and ridden many horses over the years, but this is the one horse who owns me and always will...

Comment by Erica K. Frei on March 17, 2012 at 5:41pm

 

I met the horse of my dreams not once, but twice. The first time was in 2000, I was looking for a 3-4 year old gelding to buy as a project horse. Ideally one that was within a few hours away and priced low. Those plans went out the window the second I saw his ad and his picture. I knew right away that I had to have this horse - despite the fact that he was a long yearling, stud colt, more than 12 hours drive away in Canada none the less and well out of my price range. Somehow I managed to convince my parents to pack up the car and drive 12+ hours across the border, a feat I'm still not sure how I pulled off...

Miraculously my parents agreed before we turned around and drove home that they would fund my complete adoration of this little stud colt. A couple of months later we made the drive back up with our trailer and brought him home.

Together we learned a great deal, he taught me so much as a rider and equestrian that the list is endless. We learned Dressage together, competed in shows, rode in exhibitions and demonstrations for the breed and more. He even made the trip cross country with me as I spent a year as a working student on the west coast, without a single neighing complaint on his part. We tackled Classical Dressage and likely to the great horror of my mentor and trainer he learned to lay down, rear, Spanish Walk, and stand on a pedestal.

Our favorite past-time in the summer became long trail rides, exploring wherever we could go.

And then life changed. I had this wonderful horse all the years I grew up through my teens and to my mid-twenties, but when my family had a disastrous crisis it came down to me having to sell not just a horse, but all of my horses including the one who stole my heart all those years ago. The most painful thing was watching the trailer pull away with him in it as he headed to his new home. He stepped right on like he always did, looking eager as though we were going to go for another trail ride on a beautiful July afternoon.. She agreed to keep me updated, to let me know if she ever had to sell him or could not keep him because maybe in the future I would be in a position to buy him back from her. At the very least I just wanted to always know he was doing okay.

Two weeks later she had a sales ad up on Craigslist reselling him for a considerable profit over what she bought him from me for. I felt so guilty for not seeing that she was merely a horse dealer and not the person she projected.

For almost a year I had no idea where he was at; she would not return emails or phone calls as I inquired about his whereabouts in case the person he was sold to had any problems with his training. Nothing, just silence. I decided to put up an ad of my own on Craigslist just saying that I used to own this horse and if the new owner had any questions or issues and wanted to talk to me they could reach me through phone or email.

A few months of reposting the ad and one day I had a voice message on my phone from a man who had bought him for his wife to trail ride on - and he was so excited to have found my information because they were having a lot of problems and

Comment by Amanda Van Koughnett on March 17, 2012 at 5:10pm

My story is a little different. I had the privelege of owning 4 horses, but the hassle of boarding. The people boarding them told me I was no longer allowed on the property, all to my confusion. My pets were actually being abused, but I had to do things the right way. As I was breaking through all the red tape of civil court, he sold my horses without my permission. I looked and looked, and am still looking for my lost 4-legged friends. Luck has reunited me with one of my lost souls. She is now currently very happy and healthy, and with a companion. I pray this luck holds out, and brings me and my missing friends back together!

Comment by Debra McDaid on March 17, 2012 at 4:12pm

I was looking for a yearling out of the sales that season, I had talked my husband into letting me have a horse again after almost 11 years of walking away from racing which was our livelhood, our pastime and our entire lives passion.  I was a show rider, coach and trainer before I met my husband and over our early years together we had went full time into his passion of racing since racing payed better than riding when I didn't have my own home base, and we were doing better trucking track to track multiple times each season, with no way to stable the riding horses at the track I had to sell them offf which was harsh.  But as I came to own standardbreds and to truly understand the breed, I grew to love them as a breed more than any breed I had had perviously, and I have had quite a few different horses go through my hands over the years.  So when he agreed (after 3 months of not asking again) he said we could go ahead.  The choice of a standardbred for me was simply by this time the only one, so that was what we set out to do.  I had some money from Ireland from land there, and we set about looking for a colt or filly.  My husband had pointed out that if I was going to get a stb, than it might as well be a racehorse, as then it might at least be able to pay for itself.  So as I looked at the sales we had stringent guidlines, it had to finish 16 + hands, it had to be big and strong, and needed to resemble a WB or a TB/WB, it had to be a tough minded horse that would have the courage to carry me anywhere at any time, it had to have an awesome pedigree to have a chance at being a champion on the track, and it had to have the right make for a pacer as well as the conformation to make it as an eventer.  In simple terms whatever I found had to have the chance at being a great show horse, and a great stb pacer as well... my poor husband had to find this paragon of virtue out of what was for offer and he had 13500 to do it.  Oh yeah, and he is a farrier, and it had to have perfect feet too!!! lol

So we started watching the video's of the yearlings, and we broke it down to 2 in a sale in the states that we would look at, we couldn't make that sale in the end, and were glad we didn't as they went for way to much, and when I got a look at one of them a year latter I'm glad I didn't go down to get him.  Then that left only 2 maybes for the last sale of the season or I was going to have to wait for another year.  The two horse I like went for 100 000, and for 70 000, that left me with the 'poor' sale the following week.  To say I was down in the mouth was to put it mildly, I had waited for 10 years, now I was to have to wait another year, and who knew what would change by then.  Then on the Monday when I was at work, my husband told me one of the big studs had not put their yearlings online yet, and that the horse that he liked best on paper in the entire sale was yet to come on the Sunday, that he had just eyed him up on video, and that while there was no way in a million years that we could afford such a horse, that we would go anyway, just to look at him if I wanted.  So on the Sat. viewing day we went.  We saw this colt that fit everybill we could come up with, he didn't miss ticking a box on our very, very long list of wants.  We at this point were glad every other horse had not worked out, and yet we went home that night with heavy hearts.  The Sunday came bright, and we trundled off to watch this colt go to someone else.  When it came time to bid my husband took the honours, I was way to tense, we were going to spend every penny we had but knew that this should be the horse of the sale, he was flawless.  So as the bidding started high, took no bids it dropped fast, then at 2000 we jumped in, then it went to a nemisis of mine for some 20 years for 2500, and then it came back to us at 3000.  The auctioneer pushed hard, listed every point on the colt that he could, and then low and behold he went to me. 

To this day i

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• …
• 12
• Next ›
• Page