Look who showed up in my back yard! My good friend Christina has just bought a beautiful Clydesdale Thoroughbred cross. A bay gelding, he stands at a mere 17.3 hands and is 9 years old. A Fast Purchase (Because She's an Experienced Horsewoman) Last Sunday she was on her way to try him out, and a week later he arrived on my doorstep. A group of us went out to lunch the Thursday after she'd tried him out, Over our meal we discussed the video of Christina riding the horse. He looked sweet and calm, the perfect complement to her 18 year old Percheron stallion. In the truck on the way back from our get together, Christina got a phone call from the horse’s owner, accepting her offer. A quick back and forth ensued about when would be a good time for him to come to my place to live until Christina finds a house of her own with more pasture. Within five minutes she was the owner of a new horse which would arrive in three days. Note: I must point out that my friend is a very experienced horse person. This is not the way a beginner rider should approach buying a horse, as my upcoming book will explain. All These Feelings.... On Friday I asked her how she was feeling about her current status. “You should write a blog about the ten emotional stages of horse purchasing,” she replied. “At the moment I’m really nervous!” I, of course, happily volunteered for the task! The Ten Emotional Stages of Horse Purchase Once her horse arrived the purchase cycle was complete and we identified the following ten stages: 1. Excitement about the decision to buy a new horse It’s a big deal, planning the major purchase of such a large animal. This is not a snap decision, and involves a lot of budgeting and planning. 2. Anticipation about finding one’s potential equine soul mate Now comes the long search for suitable equine candidates: you make a list of horses to try out, eager to discover The One among their number. 3. Nervous thrill of trying him out You experience an element of worry mixed in with thrill at going to ride a new horse with the thought that he might be the equine buddy you’re looking for. When you do find The One, you make an offer (contingent on his passing the vet). 4. Hope that the owner will accept your offer The first hurdle is having the owner agree to the amount you’re prepared to pay. You’ve made a reasonable offer, either at the top of your budget or leaving you with a bit of wiggle room. But either way, you’re not certain that you’ll both agree on the final price of this horse. And that makes you want him even more. 5. Happiness when your offer is accepted There’s a sweet delirium when the owner says “Yes” to your offer. It’s almost as wonderful as getting your offer on a house accepted. You and your friends can now drink a toast to new ownership, providing the horse makes it through the next and final step. 6. Praying the horse passes the vet By now you’re so deeply in love with the horse that you’re in danger of ignoring the vet’s opinion if it’s a bust. Even though you know that a bad horse costs as much to keep as a good one, you’re prepared to make an exception for this one. But thankfully you have smart friends who are telling you that there are other horses out there and if this one doesn’t pass the vet, he’s not The One after all. 7. Hysterical excitement when he does pass the vet Now you can really, really celebrate! 8. Eager desire to get the horse home as soon as possible Enjoy this phase while you can, because it soon turns into #9. 9. Anxiety before he arrives: “What on earth am I doing?” This is the toughest phase of them all: you’ve gone through the depths of anxiety followed by the heights of euphoria, so it's inevitable you’ll crash again. What on earth am I doing? What if he’s the wrong horse after all? Supposing we don’t get on? What am I going to do – I’ve already spent the money! But fear not, it quickly lead to #10! 10. Delight when he arrives Once you get your new horse home, and start going through the business of settling him in, you’ll have less time to worry about your decision. The next morning you’ll wake up with a happy feeling and forget what's causing it. Then you’ll remember: Yay! I’ve got a new horse! And off you’ll go to begin years of fun adventures with your new equine soul-mate-in-the-making. Have you ever bought a horse? What emotional steps did you go through during the purchase period? Can you relate to the above stages or would you add/delete some? Go to my Contact Page and let me know! Now comes the hard task of integrating him into my tiny herd. There is already much to tell, but all will be revealed in my next post!
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AuthorHorses are my big obsession, and I'm constantly striving to get better, smarter and more in harmony with my equine buddy, Cruz Bay. Horse Blogs & Sites I Like
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