May 30- the rest of the family

May 30- the rest of the family
And what will the new horse be getting into?  Here's the current lineup.

Candi and Grayson! We will celebrate our 20th anniversary this summer.  What else can I tell you about my favorite guy? We met in college, we are best friends, we got married, we are super happy. He's finished his first novel which I am expecting to be published any day now.  He loves animals despite his allergies. I love him even on my worst days when I honestly wonder about humanity in general. I am buoyed up by his intelligence and good humor on a daily basis.
Go read G's blog if you like!

Luna, our stunning 6yo aussie we got 5 years ago from CO Aussie Rescue. She has too much white, but can see and hear just fine. She's a total sweetheart who really wants to follow us everywhere. Even in my riding lessons. Smart and gorgeous, she's our supermodel dog. Loves the dog park, where she rounds up the labradoodles. Read Gray's blog about Luna!

Dante, our BIG cat, whom we got from our friend S, who fostered him for friends whose house burned down. Only 2 cats survived the fire. Dante is leery of strangers, breaks into food bags and snores like a freight train, but other than that seems to have no lingering troubles. The lap cat, he can be summoned from anywhere in the house by the cry of "Movie time!" or "Kickoff!"

Ezio, MY polydactyl kitten. He is a darling little crazy thing. He only wants attention when he wants it, despite the outcries of his many fans. Picked from a roomful of semi-feral kittens in Fort Morgan, CO. He is expert at keeping the towels in line and still announces acceleration with a strange "vroom-vroom" purr sound.

May 28- I can't hear you

May 28- I can't hear you

I'm ignoring everything today. Bad ulcer flareup last night. G is home with me today napping and watching the rain. Really sweet of him to take the day off and help me with my errands that I was hoping to fill up my day with so I wouldn't dwell and get depressed. Still, I do appreciate it.

I'm giving myself a break today since, as you may have guessed, I have not purchased or adopted a horse. New Vocations, despite being a very nice group it seems, doesn't adopt their horses West of Kansas. Which is where I am.

Doing a bit of a study on sickle-hocks and why some horses stand that way- habit or a sign of pain and stiffness? One horse in CO stands sickle-hocked in all his pics. Do I go out there to see him and try to get him to stand up straight? Ask for more pics?

Guess I will call some TB breeders tomorrow if I'm not heads-down listening to dream yoga instruction. Feeling very tired and cowardly and don't want to talk to anyone. So don't talk to me 'cause I can't hear you.

May 27- Motor Inn

Great long weekend- went to Arapahoe park on Saturday, talked to CANTER Colorado folks about some possible volunteering. Then watched a bunch of races and broke even as usual.

We did meet a gentleman watching the saddling paddock who used to train racehorses, watching his father and sister saddle their runners. He was super-nice and even helped me get deeper understanding of the racing form. Picked a decent winner after his coaching. Anyway, he still has several retired racers, so I gave him my card just in case he wants to cut back a bit. Not too hopeful but it was a nice to talk to a nice horse person.
I also wrote down some local owners so I can call later, one has horses for sale on their website but I know they are racing today so I'll call during the week. I took no photos unfortunately.

Gaming day with G and A yesterday- I GM'ed one of our Jedi campaigns. We ate a ton of chocolate and my favorite pistachios and G rotisseried a beef roast. Heavenly.

And then this morning a friend from the old stable sent this picture around:

Motor Inn, STB gelding in Ohio
Motor Inn fits my criteria- young and jumpable. He's affordable even with shipping (if my estimates are accurate) and he has such a soft and willing look. So I filled out a very long adoption form for New Vocations and sent it in. I don't know if my affordable Western-style stable will pass muster, but I have looked up a couple stables with pasture close to me just in case. Funny name but he could be Motor- like one of the Culver jumpers Kim rode.

It seems that the rescue route is difficult due to the caution rescues need to take in placing their animals. Getting Luna from Colorado Aussie Rescue was pretty difficult even though we are great caretakers- just ask all our happily spoiled animals.

But buying from an auction or private owner, even, has its risks. At auction you know only what you can find out for yourself about the horse, and a private owner has plenty of reason to hold information back. Who's going to buy a biter who also tends to colic and can't have shoes on his hind feet? Well, me, if no one tells me those things. That was B.J., "that yellow bastard", the jumper, barrel racer and parade horse.

May 24- Washington 9

May 24-Washington 9

Today I am very sore from my riding lesson. Reggae stumbled and threw a shoe, and though we stayed upright and together it was quite a jolt. After the lesson I got to demonstrate my shoe-pulling technique. I think the shoulder/hip soreness I have today is more related to the farriery than the riding. But it was nice to have a balance test and pass it.

I am finished with my ulcer meds and now just have to slowly work normal foods back in and see what I can handle and what I can't. Luckily chocolate was never on the forbidden list. But having any painkiller at all off limits has been tough. Still looking at ads and auctions, Arapahoe Park racemeet starts this weekend and maybe we'll get to go if our own straw-bale carrot garden, and The Great Hollyhock Apocalypse at A's house go well.

G recalls his "best bet" of last year was a Grey QH filly wearing blinkers for the first time- fast workouts but nothing in her first couple races. And as she came down the stretch in last place, watching the cheering crowd all the way, we tore up our tickets and predicted a fine career where curiosity would be a plus and not a minus. Parade horse, perhaps.

Ok, after work I had a message from CANTER CO, and I'm going to Arapahoe Park to meet them and talk about doing some volunteer work.

And the bridge collapse in Washington did 9 horses some good. The kill buyer couldn't get around the downed bridge and sold his load of horses to Rolling Bay Rescue.  7 Tbs and 2 Appies looking for new homes now. LINK to Pictures and video. I'm waiting on more info on the 2yo TB gelding or the younger-looking Appy mare to see if I'll try for one of them. They actually have several nice-looking OTTBs, so if the prices stay in my range including $700 shipping maybe this is my breakthrough.

Two of the rescued TBs. I think the starred one is the gelding.
I love in the book Chosen by A Horse, Susan goes to rescue a STB mare, but a different one strolls into her trailer and she takes that mare instead, making a profound friend. I hope I can be as flexible when fate calls.

May 22- if wishes were horses

May 22- if wishes were horses

Officially gave up on Mr. With It today, who will go into ranch training at Gate to Great and might be available again in the summer. He is a beauty, I know he is the right horse for someone.

Mr. With It, soon-to-be ranch TB

Bad ulcer night. Ate too many normal foods and paying the price in abdominal pain.
Did find another Colorado rescue, they have a handsome bay roan Mustang gelding there in riding training. Looks like he is already pending adoption, though.

Stud Muffin, green-broke and stunning Mustang
I just want Lissa back.

How do I go forward from this moment?

May 20- Our Medalist

May 20- Our Medalist

Our Medalist being ridden by volunteers at New Holland Auction, PA
OK, I am researching this slightly skinny but sound fellow who is at New Holland being brokered through AC4H . Now that I have some expereince with their system through sponsoring New Reigels Joy (see earlier blog post) I hope maybe this one will come together.

I feel kind of stupid doing this at all as the Arapahoe Park meet starts this coming weekend and there are sure to be cheap horses here in Colorado sometime soon. The CANTER CO site is listing almost nothing but horses from the trainer Billie got Abbodon from, and I don't want to go there since he was in such deadly-terrible shape.

Billie and Abbodon

But if the numbers match up I'll try it. This horse is $600 plus $80 vetting plus a health certificate form somehow. I've set up a job at uship.com and if I can get a good price for shipping I'll go for it. I have all week to decide on this guy before the auction.

May 19-Superman is a cosmic dandelion

May 19-Superman is a cosmic dandelion

Thanks to H for posting this on FB today.
Now all you can do is wait. It must be hard for you, but there is a right time for everything. Like the ebb and flow of tides. No one can do anything to change them. When it is time to wait, you must wait." - Haruki Murakami

Still waiting on the horse front, and while I'm waiting we're doing a LOT of yardwork. Be thankful, Luna-dog, this lawn is for you. Anyway, Saturday I spent a while weeding to test my new weeder, and I left the dandelions on the lawn planning to weed more Sunday. And on Sunday every uprooted plant had gone completely to seed overnight. It's like the dying planet sending forth one final seed to see its fate into the future. When I told G, he said where's my Kryptonite?

Recently discovered Second Stride TB adoptions, some nice looking-horses there but I'm not inspired. I wonder how long it will take for me to get inspired again. Here are 4 super-looking geldings that I am not in love with. Check them out:

Jabulani	Lord Mike
Sever	Prideofthechapter

May 17- and then life went on

 May 17- and then life went on

 I never got a call back from the broker about the 6 OTTB horses in Ohio. I feel like I did everything I could short of flying out there and going door-to-door. And I guess I'm still going to feel guilty for a while. It's hard to just move on when there's no closure, but that is a lesson I certainly need. I feel saddest when a victim's body is never found, when that final certainty and goodbye isn't possible. Anyway, it's possible that the 6 horses were bought by a trainer who is working with them now and in a few months or a year they will all reappear healthy and costing a ton of money as trained jumpers or dressage horses. But it's more much likely they went straight to Canada and were butchered within 48 hours.

Joy or no joy, the world is still beautiful. That's what I decided walking my dog yesterday. We watched the Paint foals play in the green grass and nap with their heads on the prairie dog mounds while we hiked.

I had a good riding lesson with Reggae. I was pretty stiff- sometimes half my lesson is just me getting my hips and shoulders to loosen up. I'd better keep doing the morning Tai Chi, leaving that off has been a mistake.
Reggae is odd to ride in some ways, once he decides to change gaits it takes a full second for him to complete the change. So once I can feel him starting to try to canter, I try to give the release. But it's taken weeks to get the feel of it and trust that he will continue to accelerate into the trot or canter without maintenance of pressure. I also discovered that Reggae has done the reining exercise of canter down the long side of the arena, stop, turn and canter back. I cantered down, stopped and turned back, and he struck right off into the canter off my leg pressure for the turn! I was pretty impressed, he came out very balanced and just cantered off easily. He does canter better from a back-up, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Put that on the list of things to do more of. He is already getting stronger in his back.

I looked at a ton of photos and did a little research on a few horses but I'm just not inspired. G hinted that cheap horses in other states might end up being good bargains even after shipping. It looks like CANTER's Southern California or Arizona horses might be worth checking out.

Arapahoe Park's meet starts Memorial Day so soon there should be racehorses for sale here. CANTER Colorado has just started a retraining program and they have one horse. Maybe I can be their first buyer.

May 15- Mr With it and LightspeedtoEndor

May 15- Mr With it and LightspeedtoEndor

“Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”--Winston Churchill

With these inspiring words in mind I await the call from the broker, who said today was the probable last hope for the 6 OTTBs including Empire Pass. I am seriously updating my will to include provisions for all my animals so my heirs whoever they might be will know my wishes and care for my beasties.

I  (long pause) am not sure I really feel like going forward searching for a new horse. But I am going through the motions, e-mailing some people, collecting phone #s.
Gate to Great has one nice affordable gelding they have not started training yet, Mr. With It. He goes into training in 2 weeks, so I have a time limit. He's very green, and his astrological chart suggests he'd be a spookier type of horse.

Mr. With It on arrival in SD last fall
And I found out LightspeedtoEndor is for sale. He's a bit older at 14, but I remember him from an article about Western riding TBs, which article I thought was on offtrackthoroughbreds.com, but I can't find it right now. Perhaps it was on The Paulick Report.  I would really like a black gelding above all things. And he is in Colorado, even if it's quite a drive from me.

LightspeedtoEndor at the Colorado ranch
Aha- I seem to have a guest. A significant jumping spider has found his way in through the cats' window and seems to be in agreement with them that my desk is the best place to hang out. He's too big for a dime but would probably fit on a nickel. Black with grey stripes, very handsome. Where is my phone? Must still be up in the kitchen charging- darn, no picture.

Okay, time to walk the dog and get ready for grocery shopping and work. Must hit the bead store for beads and string for a protection bracelet for my friend M who is having surgery on her broken heel. Can't find my bead stuff yet in the garage, where everything form the move is still piled high.

What success! Got cats in and the spider out, after  he came right down my monitor to be collected on the track list for Jack Kornfield's audio program.

May 14- hope and loss

May 14- hope and loss

I really thought this blog would be about horses. I guess the ups and downs of horses are my life.

Still no gains on Empire Pass and his 5 stablemates. I have met some really wonderful people both in Ohio and Kentucky, and in Canada, who help horses and some who were lifesavers for OTTBS Canuki and Cactus Cafe.  I've been warned that the broker I'm talking to is the same one who said he hadn't seen these two when they were already halfway to a Canadian slaughterhouse. Some think the horses have a chance, some don't. I feel I'm falling to the despair side today.

I don't feel much up to looking at horses right now, but Gate to Great has a shipment from Lexington, and a local gal has horses coming from OK, so maybe next week I'll start looking more. I would still like to visit Gate to Great in South Dakota and go to the Custer Battlefield, where my great-grandfather survived the Reno Hill battle.

Freelance proofing today at Sounds True. Maybe more news later.

May 13- searching for Empire Pass

May 13- searching for Empire Pass

Empire Pass is also the name of a mountain pass in Colorado, on I-70 near Georgetown. You can probably guess which one I think is more beautiful.

Okay, so I was able to reach the son of the trainer. But he couldn't recall who he'd sold the horses to.
Having gone through the death of my father Christmas of 2011, and my sister's subsequent family-rending breakdown, I know that this is a terrible time to be tracking stupid meaningless stuff like anything that has to do with anything but your father.

So I started asking the local rescues about the brokers. I was able to get the biggest local broker on the phone, who everyone says knows the area very well, and he was very nice and agreed to look for Empire Pass and sell him to me if he found him. The price has gone up from free, and shipping is still looming. But I really still want my horse.

Weeded the whole front yard, planted some veggies in our little garden patch, and went for a nice hike at Chatauqua with G and A and Luna the dog. Nervous energy made good.

Good wishes from my trainer and drumming friends. I guess today I need to tell my mother. Happy Mother's Day, sorry I'm really stressed.

I was hoping to enjoy a few more years perhaps, of not crying into my breakfast. Still hopeful those days will return. No matter what happens, I have done all I could afford to do. I have not given up, and I still hold out hope that all 6 may be found safe.

May 11- still no Empire Pass

May- still no Empire Pass

Nothing happening today. I got up early and created a Dayton, Ohio Craigslist ad with EP's picture offering a reward and a slated price I'd like to pay.

From some FB advice I was ready to call Sugar Creek again and try to get the owner on the phone. But I contacted ACE Rescue in Ohio but they told me TBs don't usually go through the auction. They are housed at the broker's and then either dragged to another auction where the buyer fills his trailer, or shipped straught to the slaughterhouse. My hopes are getting very low.

I did get with NetPosse and file a report, citing a verbal agreement and asking to purchase the horse. I wasn't entirely sure it would pass muster, not knowing the verbal contract laws in Ohio, but it seems to have.

I'm going to call again and see if the ex-horse owner will give me the recipient's name and #.
Without it I'm out of options unless he appears at another sale or a rescue finds him at the plant.

May 10- Empire Pass

May- Empire Pass

I was worrying about Empire Pass's back. I called the horse chiroprator who used to work at Bipolar Acres (real name changed), and talked to her, and then found a great article about a jumper, who in the photos has exactly the same roach back. So I stopped worrying.

On Facebook, OTTB Connect asked for owners of TBs descended from Kentucky Derby winners to send in pics. So I sent them Empire Pass's photo- he's a grandson of Sunny's Halo. Soon some one from CANTER Ohio contacted me with more info about the day they took that photo. I was keen to hear anything about his personality and how the horses were kept so I could plan better. This super-sweet gal sent me a short video of EP trotting in the turnout ring, super smooth and calm. She really wanted him but didn't have space, and described him and the mare there, Shiny Bird, as very friendly.

G and I went to OBX for vacation. I showed off the pics and video and got my hopes up. We went to see the wild horses on Corolla, which were very nice-looking small shaggy horses.

  Wild horses on Corolla, Outer Banks
I made an appointment to get trailer wiring and brakes put in my truck. We came home exhausted but ready to get a little recovery time and then drive to South Dakota.

Then Gate to Great posted on FB that they had room in the trailer coming from Ohio. I messaged them wondering if my horse was still slated to come. Friday morning I found out that the bereaved son had sold all 6 horses to someone locally who promised to find them all good homes. Couldn't wait one more week. Gate to Great had already paid for the shipper, but I hadn't paid my part. H was getting horses shipped from Lexington, KY if I could buy one in one day. I did look at CANTER KY and Craigslist for Lexington but wasn't inspired to make such a commitment.

I went to the shop and left my truck, then adjourned to a coffee shop. I started to wonder if I could find Empire Pass. CANTER Ohio people suggested the local killer auction, Sugar Creek. I called them but wasn't able to get any help. No one has time to go search through the doomed horses looking for an axe-shaped blaze. I contacted a rescue that sometimes goes to Sugar Creek and posted on FB looking for someone willing to go out and look for Empire Pass and his 5 stablemates.
Now I'm waiting. Sugar Creek auctions tonight, Friday night. If the horses are not there, they may be on their way to New Holland auction in PA. They also auction on Friday so perhaps these 6 have another week. Or maybe the person who picked them up is a trainer and they are all perfectly safe. But I would like to know. I still want Empire Pass if I can find him. I will buy him from whoever has him, no questions asked.


Empire Pass- where are you?

April- Abbodon and Empire Pass

April- Abbodon and Empire Pass

So, in April I started exploring CANTER more seriously, and while I talked to a couple owners on the phone nothing really came together.
My friend Billie went to the city to look at a few horses and ended up bringing back the sick one (so familiar, nurturers unite!) who she renamed Abbodon, since he came out of the abyss. He was colicking and beginning to founder. Within a few weeks he started putting on weight and walking, so wish the big guy luck.

Abbodon at PVF indoor. Already looking better!

I was thinking about going to see a horse called Great Thor, terrific name! Since G and I were going to NC to see his folks it would be on the way to the airport. I had pencilled in a visit with Lisa and Thor at Turning for Home.

Toward the end of the month I then found Gate to Great, and through talking to them found they were bringing a load of OTTB horses from Ohio, and had a space in the trailer. The owner had died and his son was wanting to reduce overhead. So I had 3 horses to choose from, and I picked Empire Pass.
I spoke with the son and he didn't know much about any of the horses but described this gelding as "easy to handle, no trouble". Sounds good to me.

  Empire Pass, hopeful prospect.
I found Empire Pass's birthdate and breeder and ran an Astro.com match on him. I've just started using this tool as a hint for compatability. He seemed like a nice fit, esp with Jupiter opposing Ascendant which should help us think alike and understand each other. This is one of the keys matches I had with my soul-horse, Lissa.

  The much-missed Lissa.   On April 24th, almost Empire Pass's birthday, I agreed that he would be my choice and would come to South Dakota with the Gate to Great geldings, and then I would rent or but a trailer and pick him up. I was still a bit nervous since the owner wouldn't let me send him a deposit or anything. But I hoped that it all would come together.

March- New Riegels Joy

March- New Riegels Joy

If I had written a diary about Sirah, her choke episodes and subsequent retirement. it would have been shakily scribbled on the backs of vet bills, stained with tears and blood, and needing to be disinfected. And who wants to try to read that?

I was so burned out I imagined I'd spend the summer leasing one of Jo's horses, perhaps doing a 3-day lease with 3 different horses for the experience. I did ride Reggae, Sugarfoot and Lucky with this in mind but it never came together. Mostly due to the vet bills issue. CSU vet hospital is pretty serious about getting paid on the spot- which is my only complaint, the vets there were awesome and saved Sirah's life.

But in March I started using Facebook to watch auction horse rescue sites. And I ended up sending the money for a STB mare, New Riegels Joy, to be rescued, before I had really figured out what the cost would be to bring her from NJ to Colorado. Turns out another rescuer was interested so I paid the "bail" for the horse to get out of the killer's pen and she adopted the horse.

  New Riegels Joy, I hope you are safe in your forever home
$580 and I don't even have the horse. What is going on in my head? Luckily I have the best husband in the world and he saw this madness as the need for a horse gaining ground faster than expected.

The Backstory- Welcome to Candi's horse search

The Backstory

Hi, I'm Candi and I'm starting this blog to track my efforts in getting and training my new horse. I'm 40-something, 4 if you must know, living in Colorado, USA and riding mainly English, though that varies depending on situation and whim. I'm a beginner animal communicator and have been around animals all my life.

In February 2013, I retired my Arab mare Sirah, and sent her back to her breeder for retirement after several very scary episodes of choke. It seemed it would be a very long road back to riding and she really wanted to live out her days at pasture.

Thusly, I have been looking at horses online and wishing the right one would arrive magically at the perfect stable for me.

I have two choices of known stables- I was at PVF for years and like the people but the prices have been brutal with the hay shortage. My trainer Jo Belasco is at DC, which is a non-fancy place with minimal amenities, but is cheap and pretty close to home. There are plenty in the area, of course, but I think at first I'd like a stable that is familiar to me, since the horse will be new to it. Hard to say to your horse, "Oh we can go over there safely" if you don't know if it's true.

Sirah and I before choke problems.