A little bit of backstory: I was surfing CL and looking at the horses that I can't afford when I noticed a 7 year old Thoroughbred mare with no price listed. I e-mailed and got a response so fast that my inbox was left reeling. The man explained to me that she was free with the stipulation that she not be used for dog food and get a good home, so I arranged to go look at her knowing I would fall in love and not be able to say no. So, one thing leads to another and now I have this skinny, 7 year old Thoroughbred who has a minor cribbing problem and whose tattoo is mostly illegible. I have no idea who she is or where she came from except that the previous owner said that she picked her up from a track in Salem, and she does indeed have a lip tattoo, so she is a Thoroughbred and she was probably raced.
The man I am getting her from... let's call him Bill... got in way over his head when his grandchildren told him that they wanted a horse. Nice man, Bill is, but he went out and got not one but 4 horses! Best grand-dad ever, but he doesn't really know what to do with them or how to manage them. Well, this is where I come in because instead of keeping Kizzy (that's my skinny mare) on the opposite side of town and paying crazy Portland prices, Bill and I worked out an agreement where I will come in and help set up the management plan for the barn and property and work with the other two Thoroughbreds to get them rideable and kid-safe in return for free board for my horse. (The pony is just fun, and I am an over-achiever.)
Now, that is why this blog has been created! I am going to use this to track my progress with Kizzy, the other two horses, and the pony.
My plan:
1.) Kizzy is a big, leggy mare. She is quick, and I have a feeling that with proper conditioning she could be a nice endurance horse. That isn't going to be her primary job, but I feel that endurance and Dressage compliment each other well and I love competing. Also, before I even think about riding her, she needs more weight. All of the other horses look good, and this man is by no stretch of the imagination neglectful or abusive, but she gets picked on by the other horses and doesn't exactly get the pick of grain or hay at the corral. In addition to being skinny, she foundered in the past, so I am going to have to watch that closely as well. That was one of the things I initially noticed, but she is sound and her feet looked great when I trimmed her. She probably foundered about 6 months ago and since then, Bill has only been feeding grass hays and oats. She's fine, but it is still a rehabilitative step that doesn't even involve training. No "free horse" is ever actually free, so I will put in the time and pay my dues for this falling into my lap. She is worth it on potential alone.
2.) Zam and Riley are also OT Thoroughbreds, but they are fatter and ready to get into serious work. Those two need to be worked. Hard. 5 or 6 days per week. I would also like to teach them to lay down so that "Rebecca" (Bill's daughter) can safely mount and ride. She has a developmental disability, and I want her to be SAFE when she rides. I will be talking to bill about a helmet and vest for her as soon as I know the horses better and can feel comfortable with her riding on lead.
3.) D.J. the pony... he is 3 1/2 years old and for sale. He will be training to drive a cart, but I will also be getting him comfortable jumping and being ridden, so the more training he has, the more expensive he will be. He is a VERY VERY VERY VERY nice Shetland who will be awesome for 4-H or Pony club. I am a big fan of this pony, and asked Bill to keep him around just because I know he has some potential.
4.) Rebecca. She loves those horses, and the more involved with them she can be, the better she will feel, the more confidence she will have, and the happier she will be. She will get to ride even if it means leading her every day. My goal is to have her able to ride independently with another person on another horse with her, but depending on the horses and her physical abilities that may or may not happen.
5.) The grandchildren. They all just want to play on the horses, and I'm looking forward to giving them lessons and teaching them different games they can play on horseback. They seem like a fun crew, and I like working with kids, so it will be a blast.
So... there is the plan. This is here to document it. Now you know the gist.
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