So Saturday was another auction day.  Very sad day all together as the highest selling horse that I saw was $850.  There were some nice broke horses going for $300-$500.  Near the end of the sale there were really nice horses going for less than $200 and a really broke pony that sold for $25!!*Sigh*

Anyway I have the need to vent a little.  I have a client who is 11.  She is an awesome kid and has worked very hard to become a terrific little rider, even with only the support of one parent (don't get me started on that).  She takes every opportunity she can get to learn anything she can about horses. Whether it is watching me ride or train, watching videos on line, picking horse peoples brains, watching others take lessons or reading whatever horse material she can get a hold of.  She is flat out a good, honest, hard working kid.  Don't get me wrong- all kids have their days where I want to knock them on the side of the head but she tries her best. 

A little over a year ago her family bought a gelding from me that we all thought was the perfect match.  And he was- until we went to a show.  Turns out he is SUPER gate sour, even to the point of rearing and leaving his rider in tears.  Her main goal was to show so we put him up for sale this past summer.  Since I had sold him to them I helped them sell him for no charge. 

We CLEARLY stated that he should not be shown.  Went in to depth with everyone that inquired about him that he was a great gelding with one major flaw that made him unsuitable for his current owner. 

One lady said that none of that mattered to her- she just wanted to trail ride anyway.  Came up and rode him that day. Loved him and bought him on the spot.  Even after encouragement from me to come up and ride him again before making a decision. They picked him up later that week.  I spoke to her a few times and they were pleased as pie with him.  About 6 weeks after they purchased him the new owner called because he was losing hair and wanted to know if that had ever happened before.  It hadn't and we chatted for a while.  She said they were thrilled with the purchase and loved him so much. I reminded her that if she ever had any issues with him to call. 

I never heard from her again until this past weekend at the auction.  The gelding was there and when my 11 yr old client went to talk to the owner she was chewed out about how she lied when we sold him.  Her biggest complaint was that he stopped backing off a trailer. 

I am sorry but after 6 weeks you were still thrilled and now 5 months later you are blaming an 11 yr old who hasn't seen the horse in almost half a year for his issues?  The things she complained about were NEVER issues when we had him.  Lady don't you think that it was maybe YOU since his only issue when we sold him was in the show ring?  Especially since after 6 weeks you were still so happy then things clearly went south after that? 

 

 

Also if you have an issue find an adult (such as me or the 11 yr olds parent) don't yell at a child you bully.  I would have been happy to discuss the issues if you had acted as an adult.  For heaven's sake I would have come down to try and help you work through his issues!! Instead you brought him to a sale and sold him for $185.  Don't you think it would have been worth an investment in a trainer to try and help you out? The other thing that irked me is she couldn't tell us what else he was doing other than not backing off a trailer.

 

For the future- Don't bully my 11 yr old student.  If you have an issue put on your big girl panties and come find me or her parent.  

I am a firm believer that no one person ever knows all they can about horses.  I have had people tell me that it is silly to take lessons because they already know what they need to know.  Then some are surprised to find out that I continually seek out opportunities to learn new things from different perspectives about horses.  I just got an order of 6 new books & DVDs from Horsebooksetc.com and was so excited that I stayed up for hours last night reading.  I was so tired by the time I went to sleep that I haven't even the slightest clue as to which book I was even reading when I finally decided to hit my pillow.  I know that I will read and reread and reread each one of the books that I have or purchase in the future.  Every time I read a book about horses or training or feeding or lessons or care I always seem to pick out something new.  My husband laughs because I read my horse magazines cover to cover the day they arrive- then save them to refer back to later.  Just because I give lessons does not mean I have even 5% of the total knowledge out there about horses.  There is ALWAYS more to learn.  Even the trainers and competitors that are currently at the APHA and AQHA world shows are always seeking out new information, new techniques and new ways to train or connect with their horses. 

Just because you can ride a horse doesn't mean you know it all.

 

So much has happened since my last post.

I am not longer at the hospital.  I was very unhappy there and have moved on to greener pastures.  I am now working for ASPIRE Therapeutic Riding Program.  I am having a fabulous time planning events, working horses and helping with class.  I am also getting things ready so that I can take my exam in the spring to become a certified instructor through P.A.T.H. Int.  I am really looking forward to all the different things I will get to experience and do with ASPIRE and the people here. 

I also have had a few changes in the herd at home.  Titan is still top dog and Elsie and Mace are still around but other than those three a few things have changed.  Elsie finally had her foal, a little bay stud colt with a white face and stockings on 3 legs.  We call him Vegas. 

I have 2 other new additions.  The first came to me at the end of August.  Someone contacted me and said she was looking for homes for a few of her horses.  Her biggest concern was that the horses go to good homes.  I went out and met with her (she is lovely) and met all of the horses.  One big sorrel gelding caught my attention, Oliver.  He has a beautiful floating trot and is very personable.  He is a breeding stock paint and can be registered but isn't currently.  He is 5 yrs old and other than being loved on he has never had much done with him.  I brought him home and began working with him.  About 2 weeks after bringing him home I hurt my knee and was unable to do anything.   I didn't want to lose time with Oliver so I contacted Bob Smith, the owner of Natural Elements Horse Training.  After talking with him and some of his previous clients I decided that he was the right person to work with Ollie.  Bob is doing a fabulous job with Ollie but that is another story for another post.

My other new addition is called Floatin on Assets, aka Penny.  She is a breeding stock (solid) paint and is 3 years old.  She has has quite a lot of success in the show ring for halter and lunge line.  Penny is turning out to be a very fun girl to work with.  She has 90 days training as a 2 yr old and not much riding this year at all.  She is a VERY nice mover and is quite content to go slow.  I am finding out that although she had those 90 days of training I believe a lot of steps were missed as she is a bit jumpy and gets confused easily.  We will be going back to the basics and doing some ground work before I put a lot of time in on her back.  It is very interesting to me how different people train.  Although I see her as well started, I do believe there were key steps that were missed.  Others may look at her and think she is just naughty... will keep you up to date on her. 

Maggie has been sold to my neighbors.  Their 12 yr old daughter showed her all summer and did very well.  Their 6 yr old is just learning to ride and Maggie will be the perfect mount for her to gain confidence and improve her abilities while having fun and being safe.

I will try to be more up to date with my postings- they have been sporadic at best until now...

I thought that since I won't be having any horse makeover news to post I would start posting one really good deal on a product that I really like (and actually use!) every week. 

 

For today I chose The Robart Pinchless Reiner Bit.  I LOVE this bit.  For those of you that went to the Iowa Horse Fair this is the bit that Dan Grunewald uses and recommends.

 

 

I was having a lot of problems with Maggie being heavy on the forehand. Not being able to rock her weight back to her haunches really hindered her ability to use her hocks properly.  She always felt like we were going downhill. I could get her super, super slow but lost all quality of movement.  When I attended the Iowa Horse Fair this spring I watched a clinic given by Dan Grunewald.  He talked about the independent action of each side of the bit and how that allowed him to lift one side of the horse.  After talking to him for a while when the clinic was over I decided to give the bit a go.  It has been amazing.  Maggie can rock herself back onto her haunches and really drive herself forward.  With the joint in the middle I am able to continue to have the bit function as a curb when one handed but have the lift I needed to get her shoulders out of the ground and up into my hands. 

This is also the first curb type bit Maggie has ever used (before I was riding in a snaffle, tom thumb or a Billy Allen snaffle).  I had no problems transitioning her to it because I can ride two handed if I need to.  There isn't that automatic stiffness that comes with a more traditional curb action bit.

If you are having problems transitioning to a curb, problems with stiffness or (like me) problems getting your horse to lift their shoulders I would give this a try.  I am not promising anything but it works great for me!

Cora was sold on Friday to a lovely family from Wisconsin.  I know that originally I said I wasn't going to sell her privately but I changed my mind.  I purchased her for $200, put $90 and some elbow grease into her and sold her for $500 less than 2 weeks later.  I believe I made the point I wanted to make.  Just by presenting your horse properly and to the right market you are able to get more of your horses value when you sell. 

I do believe that Cora is worth more than $500 currently because she was a very cute mover and very personable.  However since I didn't not put much time or training into her and I wanted to sell her quickly- I priced her lower. 

This just goes to prove that with a little time (and FOOD) horses that are presented properly are a much quicker and more profitable sale. 

There will be no horse makeover project in June due to my wedding reception and family coming from all over the world.  However check back in July as I will once again be combing the auctions for a misrepresented project!

I didn't know what to call her so I went from Pepsi to Grace to Cleo to Hera and have finally landed on Cora. It is original but not weird. 

I did work with her yesterday on being saddled and bridled and she was pretty good for both.  Didn't take long at all for her to get used to it.  We even went for a walk (me on the ground) down one driveway and up the other while saddled and with the headstall on.  She was lovely.

I also worked on starting her on the lunge.  She is currently walking circles well and we will start trotting later this week. 

She was trimmed by my farrier today and she was a very good girl.  Her hooves look much better and she actually seems to move better as well since she isn't tripping over herself.

 

As for money spent on her already: 

I went to the auction yesterday and was happily surprised at what I saw.  The horses for the most part were presented much better and at least groomed.  Their feet were still deplorable. 

I purchased my project for $200.  She is a 2 year old, registered APHA tobiano mare. She happens to be Titan's half sister.  She has the same build as he did when he was 2 and seems to have a similarly sweet personality. 

 

 Her registered name is Special Candy Bar but she doesn't have a barn name so we will need to come up with one.  She is on the thin side but not skin and bones.  She could use some TLC in the grooming department (which I have to admit that today I have already spend about an hour grooming her).  Her hooves are in very poor condition being over grown and very cracked/chipped.  I started her on Focus HF this morning.  Her coat is dull and has a lot of dandruff with a few patches of rain rot.  To help improve her skin I put her on Smartshine Ultra.  She is also on a weight builder (Smart Gain 4) just to help her bulk up as her hips jut out and you can see her ribs. 

I am really excited to get started with her but already see a flaw in my 'rules'.  I don't think I can in good conscious have a two year old on my property and not put any training on her.  So I have decided to go ahead and put 30 days on her.  Also if the perfect home happens to pop up I would be willing to sell her privately. 

I am getting excited as the auction is only 2 weeks away.  I have a special pasture set up as I don't want the project horse in with my horses just in case it is carrying something. 

In other news-

One of my clients has begun making western show shirts/jackets and they are BEAUTIFUL!  I will be listing some here on my website as well as on Ebay.  They are hand made and ONE OF A KIND.  Keep you eye on the website as I am hoping to at least get some pictures up this week! I can't wait for her to make mine!

I have been doing some research on local sales and have decided to buy and sell at 2 different sales.  This is mainly because of the condition of horses at the 2 sales and the average selling prices.  The sales are held within a week of each other.

 

Sale A (the sale I attended that began this project):

 

Sale B (a little further away but a much larger sale at a more respected sale barn):

 

When selecting a sale for your horse be mindful of the kind of buyer you are looking to attract.  Different things you can do to insure that your horse brings what he or she is worth include:

 

For the purpose of this experiment the Horse Makeover horse will be purchased at Sale A and sold at Sale B.  This will only give me 3 weeks between purchase and selling.  Sale A is on May 21st then the next Sale B sale is June 11th.

 

I figured I needed to set some ground rules before even getting started. 

 

Rules:

Horse Specifics:

 

I will need to think of more but thats all I have for now.  Let me know if you have any good ones! Tomorrow I will be posting about different sale barns in the area as I try to decide the best place to purchase and the best place to sell.