E and I devised a plan of sorts of how to get Kerri another horse with out the full cost.
Monkey would be leased out (on farm, my pony does not leave my site unless he is vacationing at the trainer's). This reduced cost of Monkey's livelihood would leave me with a little wiggle room in which to obtain a Thoroughbred.
Kerri would foster a TB from Canter New England, enjoy the process of turning said horse around and working with him and perhaps fall in love and adopt said horse.
How, you wonder, would this save me money? Two very large mouths to feed. No increase in income.
Well, dear reader, it works like this:
Canter is a 501c 3 charity. Therefore, the foster family is given a tax deductible contribution form for upwards of $20/per day which is more then the cost of a month of board.
Canter takes care of the foster's vet bills (to E's delight, as he stated "I don't MIND you having another horse, it's just that they cost SO MUCH when they break", having been slighted by Monkey's $5,000 bacteria run-in)
Canter takes care of shoes for the foster (Sophia's shoes were $180. She had lady-horse high heels thanks to arthritis, no hoof wall and ZERO heel).
So this all seems like it would be a no-brainer, yes?
False.
I came THISCLOSE to having Monkey leased by someone I knew, who rode him a few times to test drive his personality and ability. Alas, Monkey made a liar out of me and kicked his Monkey-heels up frequently. The rider, while having decent hands, could not jive with the pony and things fell through. My thought is that, while Monkey is a wee little horse, he's got a big-horse trot and even I have a tough time getting him on the bit and under himself. I was hoping upon hope that the rider would be a great match for him, and him for her. I'm not 100% why the rider chose to not lease him-personal obligations, perhaps, but I was slightly let down.
There is a little bit of hesitation to have someone I do not know lease my horse. Even on farm under the hawk-eyes of my barn companions, myself and Aunty Sherri. It takes time to train a horse properly, and about 1 hour to undo or confuse the beast and force everything back to square one.
Equestrians tend to over-rate their riding ability ALL THE TIME. Someone who has been bopping around on school horses for 5 years does not a good rider make. Don't get me wrong-school horses are great (and I find myself longing to get on a push-button made horse frequently, when Monkey resists whatever lesson I am trying to teach him) but they have their place. We all started on them. We assume that most, if not all, horses were easy, pleasant and smart until that day we get on something that tosses us like a pizza at Domino's and we nose dive into the dirt and question how good we REALLY are.
Back to the subject at hand-
So, last time I attempted to lease my pony out, a girl showed up at my barn to try him. She would not tack him up, and left that to me. I knew right then that she was not going to be leasing my horse.
(grooming and tacking up is the best way to figure a horse's personality on the ground).
I told her not to hand on his face but to have nice, even contact with the reins and move WITH the pony. If you hang onto his face, he will fight you.
So the girl (who said she was "advanced") gets on my pony. Monkey darts a worried look at me and walks on. My saddle is quickly being devoured by this girl's butt. I can barely see the cantle.
"Um, what size saddle did you say you rode in?" I ask, because I know the banging of the pommel on her baby-maker cannot be comfortable.
"Sixteen" she answers. This girl is a dumbass. My saddle is a 17.5, and I am not a skinny person. My butt does not eat the saddle.
Meanwhile, Monkey's got his head cranked straight up and ears tipped back. He's walking short-strided and all sorts of hollowed out. He sends me another pony-look, this one more of the "Get this bitch off my mouth or she's going airborne"
I tell her to relax her hands. I can see the white knuckles from the other side of the ring.
She walks him around 2 more times. Monkey is not really relaxed. This is not going to end well.
I tell her to ask him to trot.
She rides up to me, still walking, dismounts and hands me the reins:
"He's too green for me." She says and leaves.
Sherri and I laugh about this every time we recall the day.
So I'm a bit nervous to lease my horse out would be the moral of the story.
The fact that I want to throw my body on the ground and kick my feet like a neurotic 2 year old is because, GODDAMNIT! I want to get my ass back in the show ring and jump my little heart out. I want to event, show jump, fox hunt and finally join the USEF and the USEA and get myself and my trusty mount points and make something out of my equestrian life. I glance longingly at the horses for sale on line and my inner 15 year old cries that I cannot have them. I want them all-the TB's, the warmbloods, the solid-paints with snappy knees and pricked ears. (but pass on the appys, please).
I've thought about slipping out and bringing the trailer to the track and scoring me a TB for next to nothing, depositing him at the trainers and leaving E none the wiser. That sort of behavior would make me a Very Bad Wife, and certainly grounds for divorce. I would not do that. (oh but I want to, I so very want to)
I've thought about selling my Camaro, which will celebrate its 20th birthday in 2012. This milestone will increase its value significantly. If I wait, I can most likely get enough to purchase A)A new trailer B) A new horse. But I will not do that. I will wait. And wait. And wait.
I've thought about the 100 ways I can finagle the price of a OTTB (under 1k off the track), trainer's fees ($1,000 a month) and still maintain my current lifestyle. It's not really feasible right now. E and I have bills to pay off from our former businesses (still...and still...). I could cancel HBO and cable, get dial-up internet, feed the dogs and cats Walmart brand food (!!!) and sell my trailer and Camaro, my 7 saddles and so on...and maybe, just maybe, I would get that OTTB and 3 months of training.
Sigh...
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