With horses, one is never enough

After the crash through the fence, the mules next door were pastured farther away from the gossip fence. OReilley was feeling lonesome, so it was time to consider a pasture mate. The landlord wouldn't allow a goat, "Climbs fences.", he said. So we started shopping for another horse. What an experience!

First, there isn't a mall for horses. Farms and ranches are far apart. Second, we aren't in Amish country, so buyer beware! I'm told that the Amish are so honest, they tell you everything good and bad about a horse. In contrast, everyone turns slicker than a used car salesman when offering their horse for sale. Oh the platitudes!

There's so many considerations: breed, age, conformation, training, color, attitude, purchase cost, transportation, saddles and tack, etc. I plumbed the internet forums for ideas, read books to get caught up with the intricacies. I found as many opinions as there are "experts" times the phases of the moon. The only constant I saw was that any horse would cost more than it's purchase price in time due to the cost of maintenance. In the process, I started to find cost justifications. We could offer rides or training to offset our expenses. Perhaps we could have riders trade for chores, etc.

Melissa had her ideas too. She wanted to start a horse therapy program. She wanted a cowboy barn. She wanted to breed the perfect horse. She even has an ultimate dream of a medieval bed and breakfast castle with all the ambiance and romance of knights and ladies.

In short I was thinking of one more horse. Melissa was dreaming of moving back time to when horses were extremely useful in everyday life.

In other words, this wasn't going to be a hobby. We needed a plan to make a going concern of horses.

For the love of a horse

Early in the Spring of 2004, I met Melissa. She had moved from Corvallis Oregon to take a job as an Apartment Manager in Tigard. She had a sadness about her. Obviously, she was away from her family. But moreso, she was away from her horse, O'Reilley. It was easy to tell she was a horse lover. Her decor, collections and favored topics of conversation were all about horses.

I learned her plan was to settle down in the new job, then find a way to board O'Reilley where she could see him daily. In the mean time, as she had no car, I thought of taking her on a 90 minute drive down to Corvallis for a visit. It's been a few weeks since she's seen her horse. I knew it was an offer she couldn't refuse. The date was set!

At the barn, I was introduced to O'Reilley, a 14.3H chestnut Polish Arabian gelding. He was handsome, fit and regal descendant of the Russian Tsar's breeding program. Quickly, I was briefed on how to act safely around a half-ton former race horse. I began my relations by brushing and holding his halter while Melissa tacked up for a ride.

Bribing O'Reilley with a carrot seemed, in my estimation, to have spared me the test of wills I had felt certain to loose. His eyes, whinny, head tossing and slight pransing were supposed to mean that he was excited to be out of the stall and to go out on the trail. Comforting thought considering that his hooves seemed to have been aiming for my toes!

After a bit of longeing to loosen O'Reilley, Melissa mounted and took off on a trail ride!

I was waiting by the car, across from the other end of the arena, about 120 feet distant from where Melissa and O'Reilley returned from their trail ride. Melissa's smile was so radiant and so disarming, I booked another date! Next time, I was going to try my luck at riding and not falling off Kismet, her sister's Arabian mare.