“I shoulda been a dancer,” I said to the two-year-old Andalusian filly.
I’m called upon more and more frequently by kind folks who swear they own my next perfect horse. They own the “fixer upper horse.” You know the type—the project horse—over weight, hanging out back behind
the barn, living on a sliding attitude scale. "I have a horse you should take,” they exclaim, “I think he would make a great (add the flavor of the day)." If I took every free horse, I would have to be a superman to get them all trained and cared for. Instead, I just smile and wave.
"Let 'em live free," I reply 'tween my toothy grin. While I truly believe every horse should get some “down time”, some horses never get to experience the “up time.” They spend all their days doin' nuttin. But don't judge me when I tell you I recently broke my own rule and took on a project horse…well, there is this thing called fate.
With the fate of the horse in question, I listened to the heartfelt care and concern coming from the other end of the phone, "She's never been ridden, is eighteen years old, and was left in a round pen with a short lead line to catch her when I found her." ...Yeah, I had already judged the conversation, "Let 'em live free." But oh no, this time the Morgan breeder in me had to ask the question, "What is her pedigree?" Did you ever hear the line from the Dylan song, "What's a sweetheart like you doin' in a dump like this?” I had to wonder about why this sterling pedigree ended up down this nowhere road.
Your Horse Doesn't Care
18 / Sport and Trail Magazine
behind the barn, living on a sliding attitude scale. "I have a horse you should take,” they exclaim, “I think he would make a great _____ add the flavor of the day_____." If I took every free horse, I would have to be a superman to get them all trained and cared for. Instead, I just smile and wave.
"Let 'em live free," I reply 'tween my toothy grin. While I truly believe every horse should get some “down time”, some horses never get to experience the “up time.” They spend all their days doin' nuttin. But don't judge me when I tell you I recently broke my own rule and took on a project horse…well, there is this thing called fate.