The Adnostic

Millbrook, my cranky old man, had to be retired. My trainer had put him on stall rest since January and injected his hocks to no avail. We just couldn't keep him sound. So he's on indefinite stall rest and daily turnouts, and hating every minute of it, and I was left without a horse.

Until last Saturday.

My trainer had approached another boarder who had recently retrained her jumper to be an equitation horse (I know this makes no sense to the lay, but if you're actually interested I'll be glad to explain the nuances) and didn't want to sell him, but had to get a new horse to do the jumper division. She asked if I could possibly use the horse for my lessons and the owner agreed.

I saw the owner's husband, Ralph, on the way in and thanked him profusely for the opportunity. He said that the situation made sense. They got some economic relief from supporting two horses and felt that I would take care of the animal much the way Jacque, the owner, would. I almost cried and had to walk away quickly in order to avoid any emotional overload.

Then I had my lesson. The horse took some getting used to. He's a very sensitive guy and I was afraid we wouldn't get along, but as soon as we started jumping I knew we were clicking. He was very cautious about the fences and was always a little sticky off the ground on the first approach, but glided over the obstacles smoothly by the second time around.

He's going to take some getting used to, but I'm very glad to say that I have a new (gelded) man in my life. I hope Katanga and I will be good partners until the day I'm ready to buy my own horse.

PS: If you know anyone with a pasture who is looking for a large horse to go trail riding with, then have I got a deal for you!