A wasted Sunday

Margie and I got up early, and hit the road under the cloudy skies of yesterday. Headed south to Olds to look at a 15.3 hand QH mare, with a pretty colour. We had seen pictures, and a blurry video, so she seemed worthwhile to take the drive for, as apparently pretty colours sell quickly around Edmonton!

The owner wasn't to be there, but the property owners were ok helping us. Apparently helping us just meant showing us which horse it was, but never mind. We pull up...and notice we just missed watching them collecting semen for AI in their yard...because apparently it was breeding day. Who doesn't want to hang around on breeding day? Soon trailers started arriving with more mares and foals for breeding day...lots of cute babies|!

But who wants to approach a man carrying a fake horse vagina to ask about the horse you are there to see?

So we waited a little, then the wife came over and told use where to find the mare. So we go to the barn, scrounge for a halter and lead rope....and pull out what looked to be a pony. Obviously the same colour and markings, but nowhere close to 15.3! Maybe 14.3? And not a bulky 14.3 either. So we took her out of the stall...and she was also a tad obnoxious with a weird hoof crack that was NOT just a surface crack as we had been told...so we put her back, and asked if the farm owners had anything for sale.

They did, and pointed is in the direction of a field to look for a Buckskin (Margie heard Mexican, and was curious  what a Mexican horse look like). So we go looking for horses in mud, grass and trees. And find a short palomino (why are the cute ones so short?), and a couple nice chestnuts, including one with lots of white and a grey mane...we liked that one. Further into the forest we found the buckskin, who was the unfortunate friend of a giant beast of a Quarter Horse who was a bully and a little worrisome to be around.

The buckskin was ok, but saddle scars on his shoulders, and a very small/common head.

We went back to ask about the chestnut we liked...and found out he was a well trained roping horse, so worth pretty good money...of course.

So we left and headed back to Red Deer to have lunch as we couldn't go see the next horse until 1:30ish. I was very excited about this one as it was advertised as QUIET and jumping well to 2'6". It has evented and done 4H. Good colour, and I thought pretty.

And she was pretty with a decent build. Kind of weird hooves, but nothing horrid.

Now the owner had told me when I made the appointment she had been hurt/bucked off her young horse, so couldn't ride. Something about soft tissue damage and a crushed hand... When we got there she said she could hack her for us, but I saw little point...after all, this  was an ALL CAPS QUIET horse. And for hacking she was. She felt oddly short strided on the grass, but listened well, and I felt comfortable enough to drop the reins to the buckle and wave my arms (one at a time of course) at the canter. I kind of liked her.

The I started jumping. Went to trot into a cross pole...but mare wouldn't trot, and burst to a canter two strides out. Seemed odd for a QUIET horse, but maybe she hates trotting jumps, or just doesn't do it much. So I thought I would canter it the other way, giving her the reins to lope over it. She did stay decent to it...but flung herself over knees down...and then jammed her fronts into the ground on the land and crop hopped/bucked. I lawn darted into the lawn. Ouch!

So then the owner mentions she hasn't jumped for 2 and a half weeks...other the hay bales she jumped her over the night before "to cool her out" This made zero sense to me, but then I just did smoke my head into the ground face first.

So I looked at her and Margie and said: "So if you jumped her last night, why can't you jump her today".

"Oh, it was just little hay bales. I don't want to get hurt again."

"well, if you could jump hay bales, why can't you jump a little today? Am I making sense here?"

So yes, the owner got on the mare...which is what I should have done in the first place...and I could have seen the issue that lead to me injury..

First, the owner has taught the horse to canter two strides out from trot jumps. I have no idea why. Second, she sits up in the air and gives no release. Exactly how someone rides a horse that is either very powerful (think Justice) or wants to buck on the land.  Third...there is something wrong with the horse...she jumped knees pointed down AKA is a leg hanger...a bad one. Over a bigger jump (which I didn't ask the owner to do) she swung her legs to the side.

So I asked if that is normally how she jumps, and got a wishy washy answer that she felt odd over the one jump.

So we left. And I struggled to bend my right leg enough to get my half chap off!

lesson learned...give sellers the 3rd degree before driving more than 30 mins and ALWAYS have them ride first!

Karen