White On Rice

Houston has always been that one horse that I always struggled with letting go. Even when I knew we weren’t making progress or things weren’t fun in the saddleย I still loved the big goober.

“Quitting” that November a few years backย obviously didn’t work and here I am 3 years later about to be the owner of not one or two but THREE horses.ย Houston and I are like white on rice. Letting him go 2 years ago literally ripped my heart out. Then I got him back last March and was super excited. He howeverย mentally just wasn’t up to jumping anymore. His form had drastically deteriorated (it wasn’t spectacular to start with) and he was so anxious about jumping that I made the decision to find him a dressage home. Originally I was looking for a lease but the seemingly perfect situation cropped up inย a friendsย barn.ย In September Houston went to Alabama to be a dressage king – I sold him with a very clear contract that he would come back to me should anything happen.

Everyone likes to think that their horse is being sold to a forever home but here is the thing… The only forever home that you can guarantee is with yourself. Unless you are personally the one that is committing to pay for the horse until its dying days it isn’t set in stone.

On Monday Houston’s current owners let me know that for a variety of reasons Houston was no longer the right fit for their family. Only their youngest daughter wants to ride at the moment and Houston while a decent choice to be shared among the three ofย themย isn’t the right full time mount for theย tiniest of his charges. He is reportedly very good for her but she needs somethingย more suitable to her size and that is probably aย pony that will build her confidence. This left me with 2 options. Buy him back or let them sell him to someone else. Thankfully I have the best husband in the entire world. He said that Houston keeps coming back to us for a reason and we need to just get him back and commit to keeping him for the long haul. This will mean a change in my show plans for the foreseeable future asย we adjust toย the day to day expensesย but honestly I am just happy to be getting him back home. Now everyone that is my friend needs to kick the sh*t out of me if I attempt to try this out again in the future. So not worth it!

I had already entered 2 schooling shows prior to this development and those will probably be our only adventures this spring with an aim for a rated HT sometime in the early summer maybe. We will see what the finances allow. Maybe Huey will get to go play around in the dressage court too! He should be getting delivered on Saturday. Fingers crossed it is uneventful!

28 comments

  1. Sarah says:

    I don’t blame you a bit for this. I’ve often thought of what I would do if I came across the two I sold before I went to college. Even though they weren’t the fit for me at all, I still feel some sort of responsibility to them. So glad your husband is understanding of this, you got a good one!

  2. Shelley says:

    Oh my goodness. Kyle is right there’s a reason he keeps coming back to you. All these horses you guys need to get a piece of property of your own!! ๐Ÿ˜‰

  3. Rhiannon says:

    Welcome home, Huey! If someone was ever meant to have a horse in their life, I think you’ve gotten several pretty clear signs that Huey is meant to be yours and he is very lucky to have you. I’ve always admired Houston from pictures and maybe someday I’ll be lucky enough to meet him and the entire EAH crew. ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. avery says:

    Oh this is exciting. Clearly for a reason! Tell your husband again that you love him and we will all keep you in check if you try again! Can not wait for a report of his return!

  5. Susan says:

    Kudos to the family for honoring their contract, too. You hear of so many people blatantly disregarding them. I’m currently trying to sell a horse and am so worried about hin going to good people.

  6. JessicaM says:

    If I had room he would be more than welcome to join our herd here. You’re a great horse mom and advocate for that gorgeous boy. Hope he travels safely!

  7. Stacie Seidman says:

    I’m glad you have such an understanding hubby. It’s a bummer and exciting all at the same time. Maybe you’ll find someone to lease him on property or something to help with expenses.

  8. slickchick17 says:

    Good on you, girl–not everyone does right by their horses. I realize that for some, it’s not financially possible to give their horses a forever home, but for those that can afford it, and CHOOSE to make the sacrifice, I really respect that. I think an on-site lease is a good option, you are going to have your hands full with a job and 3 horses!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.