Work has been busy, busy, busy these days!
I finally told J and E about my decision to send Brig back. I was surprised at how supportive they were. I told J first. I expected him to tell me that Brig was a commitment and I need to follow-up for life, like a dog or cat. He told me that he understood and couldn’t blame me. And, that made me feel better. He pointed out all the time, money and heart-ache I’d gone through and that Brig is a better and healthier horse for it.
I think E was a little surprised at first. She had a lot of questions, especially pertaining to her future as an equestrianne. She’s 14 so no big shock there! The barn owner wants her to continue coming out to ride the pony so there won’t be big changes for her. Also, she realizes that with me saving so much money each month we’ll be better prepared for a house with property and she’ll be able to get a horse of her own.
I will miss Brig and as we get closer to the date, I feel a little down. The only negative here though is that he’ll be missed. I know he’ll be OK and like J said, he’s in a better place. He actually looks really good. He’s shed out and due to all the grass, he’s shiny, dappled and a little fat. His feet are a bit better, but only after his left front was quite sore from being bare for a week while we waited for my farrier.
My farrier, while smart, I’m not sure I’d use again. Brig’s foot was pretty sore and he was acting up a bit, but the way he cowboy-handled him, I was not happy. He has a thoroughbred and he should know they are not horses that you can treat that way. At one point, and I’m not sure if the shoer smacked him and Brig had enough or if his foot was sore, but Brig flipped out on the ties — which he never does. This is a horse who can be tied for days. He reared, he backed, it was scary. The farrier’s ego is huge and I know that if I confronted him, he’s fire me as a client. Anyhow, he was quite sore the day of shoeing, less sore the next day and barely sore the next day. Today, he’s doing OK.
J and I are in the process of figuring out what we need to do to purchase a home with property. We’ve looked at a couple places in our price range and they are OK. We are just at the price point where we can get something, but not everything. So, the house might be nice, but there is no shop or barn or maybe the barn is nice but the house needs work a and a garage. Sometimes it’s the right price, but not a place we want to live. It’s always something. But, home prices are rock-bottom right now and even if we sell our house low, we’ll still make money and have a decent down payment.
If the mortgage broker will ever get back to me, we should know by tomorrow what we can do. I think we’ll have to place our house on the market while we do a small handful of improvements (finishing some started projects) and I need to pay down my credit cards (Brig’s credit cards, but he defaulted on them and I co-signed!) which will be easy now that I’m not responsible for board and horse feed. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think that will be the plan.
I hope you can find a place soon! I know what it is like selling a house, and buying a house on property. It is so worth it in the end though.
Sorry you have to send Brig back.
Thanks for leaving the comment about Brandy on my blog, I know it will take alot of consistent work at the lope to get her to slow down, and not lean. Unfortunately, with our weather here, it rains all fall, winter and spring, so I don’t get to ride much. I don’t have an indoor arena. I do all my training and riding in late spring and summer. She is doing so well though, for not being worked much through the winter! I am very proud of her, especially with everything we have been through together.