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Comment by Linda Mullin on March 14, 2012 at 3:06pm

Well I threw a prayer up to God for a 5 year old, dark bay, Morgan.  Honestly a few years later my sister buys this three year old, dark bay Morgan.  After two years with this horse she has to get rid of it due to a divorce!  Yes, I get the phone call, "Linda do you want Sammie?"  My sister knew nothing of my prayer, so I just ask her is she is sure she wants to do this?  Yes she says, and after I say, "yes I can take Sammie for you, but if you want her back at any time she is still yours." I hang up the phone and scream, yay!!  God is good. My beautiful morgan (of six years now) has helped me through some tough times, I am so blessed to have her in my life, and my sister hasn't wanted her back!!!! 

Comment by Meagan minutolo on March 14, 2012 at 2:45pm

I found the love of my life Cody my first horse when I really wasn't even looking. Someone bought me a gift certificate to go trail riding as a Christmas gift at a local stable. Cody was the horse they put me on. I did not choose him but as soon as I rode him I fell in love with him! I continued to go to tue stable to trail ride a few days a week for a few weeks straight and continued to fall more and more in love with this beautiful gentle giant. He is a paint draft cross with the sweetest personality! I knew I needed to have him!! He was not for sale but with much convincing and debating I bought my Codeman and it was the best decision I ever made!! I have had him almost 5 yrs now and he is the reason my life has been so great!!! He has been my lucky charm and has brought so much joy to my life as I'm sure I have to him! I took him off the hack line and he is now the most spoiled and happy boy!! He has grown so much and we do everything together!!

Comment by Madonna Decker on March 14, 2012 at 2:32pm

I saw an add of a Canadian horse for sale in the HorseTrader. I called the owner and we went to see this horse. the owners were not at home so we went and looked at the horses. there was a beautiful black horse in the paddock who came up and just stayed with me, played in the water trough, wanted to be petted etc. I knew it wasn't the one that was for sale as this one was 16'3" and the one we were looking at was 15'3' according to the ad. Lo and behold, Seamus sold himself.  He was the best hunt horse ever. He did hate jumping but everything else about him was amazing. He was my 50th birthday present to me, my first ever horse. 

Comment by Laurie on March 14, 2012 at 2:30pm

I found my horse online while looking for a saddle for a friend - something just spoke to me. I went and rode her on a super windy day past a flag pole, away from all her friends and she didn't even fuss.  I bought her as a trail and hunt horse, but she has become so much more - 5 years ago we started eventing - something I hadn't done since my teens. This year will be our second year eventing at Prelim level - she's a blast!

Comment by Kim Knott on March 14, 2012 at 2:23pm

We found my daughter's newest equine partner through an ad on Craigslist.  He is a 5YO OTTB that raced on at Assiniboia Downs and Portland Meadows under the name of Barb's Goober.  The first picture was taken   on the day we brought him home, the following is a current photo taken of him a couple weeks ago.  He has been with us now for a little over 5 months.  He was not what we expected to find when we drove down to Portland to meet him but there was never a question that he would go home with us that day.  A further investigation into his history told of an orphan foal who went on to be a racehorse with reputation on the track as being difficult to handle.  He came home with us as a clean slate and we have worked closely with our vet, equine dentist, farrier, chiropractic, massage therapist and trainers to bring him back into good health and hopefully onto a career in eventing.  He is proud, arrogant, bold and quick to an opinion but underneath this lies an inquisitive, softie that will do just about anything for a carrot.  He is now lovingly known around the barn as Haughty and upon meeting him I'm sure you would agree the name is well suited to him.  He has been a challenging horse to work but has taught my daughter and I a great deal in the short time he has been with us.  It has been rewarding to watch him blossom, regain strength, work out the soreness and bruising in his body and feet.  Haughty is a softer horse mentally, learning to trust, understanding that there are no fights in our way of handling him.   Positive firm reinforcement is kindling his desire to go to work for us, rewarding good behavior is lessening his tendency to a quick opinion. We still have a ways to go but we look forward to this new relationship.  They say the difficult horses have the most to teach, Haughty is certainly one of those.  He has taught my daughter to listen, to take steps back, to work on individual pieces of the puzzle.  Whether or not Haughty becomes an eventer, there is no doubt he will forever touch us and leave us better horsewomen having known him.  

Comment by Ann Stutsbury on March 14, 2012 at 1:55pm

It was summer 1987, a dear friend in the US begged me to take one of her sister's many Arabian horses. The owner could no longer care for the horses for a number of reasons. I was reluctant but wanted to help. I was not sure about an Arabian and I had no idea what I was getting into. My husband & I hooked up the trailer and set off to the US. With all paper work in order we headed for the Canadian border with a  2year old Arabian mare. Hope had never been in a trailer before and shared a feild with a donkey. With a few carrots and some TLC, she loaded in about five minutes. The hay bag filled with fresh hay may have also helped. Hope travelled really well to the border, passed her entry test and travelled relaxed to Pickering. The deal was that I was to care for Hope until her owner was in  a position to take her back. Sadly, her owner was killed in a car crash in Denver on New year's Eve of the same year. I agreed immediately to keep the beautiful little Hope. Hope is now in her 27th year and I hope we will have many more years together.

Comment by Horses At Heart on March 14, 2012 at 1:44pm

18 years ago...

I was ready to get a horse after a10 year hyatus and my husband at that time said he had some friends who raised horses.  He didn't know if the were Appaloosa's or Arabians (he didn't know anything about horses).  Arabians are my favorite breed, but I was not looking for an Appaloosa.  So we went out to visit them, and much to my surprise they were Arabians - we lived in an area that was primarily into Quarter Horses, Paints and Appy's - and a very 'divided' area when it came to horse breeds other than that.  There were some lovely mares, one of which had a stunning chestnut filly.  I met her when she was 8 weeks old.  I paid for her the following week and brought her home when she was 5 months old.  She is the most amazing horse I could ever imagine owning so LUCK was definitely on my side when I took the chance to see if this person raised Arabians or Appys!!

Comment by DebraBenanti on March 14, 2012 at 1:40pm

Through my deceased partner, love of my life is how Beau and I bonded for life.  Looking for love in all the right places, upon meeting the love of my life in a gym parking lot, when I started a conversation with him and mentioned that I was looking to buy a horse, his comment to me was " Buy a saddle, but don't buy a horse"  . He had 3 Missouri Fox Trotters in Vermont.  The day he introduced me to all 3 of them, Beau was 6 years old.  Beau is now 21;  hit by a car in '02, we fixed his broken leg.  Colic surgery in '10: we saved his lilfe again.  My other half passed away but our horse lives on. 

Comment by Nancy Little on March 14, 2012 at 1:37pm

Very much the luck of the Irish.

A few years ago, I saw an ad for a horse lease.  Big 17.1 hand Irish Draft.  As I wasn't in a position to be able to follow up on that lead I drooled a little, dreamed a little and put it aside and went on with life.  Zip forward to 2011.  It was January, managed to find a great home for the mare that I owned who had developed a chronic lameness, she was destined to become a mother, just not with me.  What to do.  Horses had been part of my life since I was three years old.  At my age, I didn't want to start fresh, didn't want to hit the show circuit, but wanted a horse that I could have fun with, that was big, sane, did a little of this and a little of that.  Trully a companion horse.

 

Went back on line to search through the ads.  Left hints with everyone I knew that might have a good lead.  One morning, during a break at work, I'm trolling the web and what do I see, an ad for that loveable Irish Draft.  I don't know why or how he had come back on the market but I couldn't get an email out fast enough to see if he was still available.  He was.  After several emails going back and forth, I arranged a time to meet up and see what this ID was all about.  A road trip to Bracebridge with my best friend.

Hence my first meeting with Hank The Tank.  All 17.1 hands of him.  He was furry, out 24/7, and huge.  But what a sweetheart with the kindest eyes.  You know what the selling point really was?  While were standing their yacking, a huge clump of snow came off a giant fir tree and landed on his butt and he didn't move. He was barefoot (I was salivating over the cost of blacksmith bills) and he was a dark dark bay.

 

Tank arrived at his new home just after Valentines Day in 2011.  Nothing I had fit him.  What I was saving on blacksmiths, I was paying for in custom tack.  He had a 30+ inch noseband and his girth measured a full 64 inches to get it done up on my jumping saddle. Custom halter, bridle and girth.  Now lets talk blankets ... I had a library of 84's but none of them fit The Tank except for my old Bucas rain sheet which thankfully did the job for the rest of that winter.  And yes, we are desperately in need of a new wardrobe for the coming year ... size 86 please.  :)

Comment by Victoria Ayres on March 14, 2012 at 1:35pm

Since I was 10 years old I have wanted a horse.  I took riding lessons til I was 19 (falling in love with many of my school horses and, of course, always wanting one of my own).  Unfortunately I was never able to afford to own my own horse and through the years, rode, trained, taught, worked on breeding farms and did just about anything else that had to do with horses, except own one of my own.  When I was 49 I decided that, for my 50th birthday present, I would get myself a horse.  Auction after auction, "horses for sale" articles, everything I could look at for that special horse, but nothing.  Finally, one day I went to a horse auction and saw a pretty palomino (this was the one!).  I bid on her but someone else wouldn't give up and I couldn't afford to buy her so I sadly stopped bidding.  Sitting beside me was a young lady who questioned me about what I was looking for.  "A nice, safe, palomino".  It's what I have wanted for 40 years!.  Lo and behold, she had one at her farm for sale.  She showed me a pic and I the next day my husband asked if I wanted to go a see it (as I couldn't stop talking about it).  We stopped in at her farm and I immediately fell in love with him!.  My husband bought him for me the next day!  There had to be a lucky charm with me that day (and a wonderful partner) to find the perfect horse and an answer to the dream I had had for 40 years!  The luck continued as I was able to buy my Falabella Miniature horses (which I had also wanted since I first saw one in a book at 10 years old) and was also able to rescue a donkey (who loves everyone and guards all the horses!).  Sunny (my palomino) is the most patient, loving horse I have ever met.  He is only 6 (yes, he was just gelded and broke for 3 months when I got him, but he was just so sensible!) and I have had children on him.  I will go a lie on his back in the pasture, just for the heck of it.  We haven't done a whole lot and, hopefully, he will continue to have the decent, sensible, quarter horse temperament about him forever!  

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