That would be me and Louie. I probably would have kept him and learned a lot more from him if he had been physically capable of doing what I ask. Although he is one of those horses that even people who love him get frustrated - I've never seen him with a rider when HE looked truly happy so he may just be one of those horses - he doesn't like being brushed and especially after owning Regal, who will follow you like a dog and loves any attention you give him, it was hard for me to enjoy a horse who didn't like being groomed/handled on the ground. Regardless he taught me a lot (more to do with life/what I learned when he almost died than anything about riding) and I'm glad he has a good home.
Contrary to what I'm sure people think Regal and I DID NOT bond instantly or anywhere close to it. Despite how safe he is there were still times when a tiny 15 year old and a 17 hand ex race horse were NOT a good combination. No one who knew us when we were showing in the amateurs would have ever guessed (but really if you can't ride a horse well after 8 years then...) - we've both changed a lot from where we were then and there was a lot of growing up for both of us - in retrospect, despite the loss of athleticism on both our parts (he used to course 3'0, I used to ride more than one horse a day, etc) our amateur years were our best - most consistent and more fun - probably because I appreciated it so much more by that point - each horse show was like a gift that I never expected to have.
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Date: 2008-11-09 07:44 pm (UTC)Contrary to what I'm sure people think Regal and I DID NOT bond instantly or anywhere close to it. Despite how safe he is there were still times when a tiny 15 year old and a 17 hand ex race horse were NOT a good combination. No one who knew us when we were showing in the amateurs would have ever guessed (but really if you can't ride a horse well after 8 years then...) - we've both changed a lot from where we were then and there was a lot of growing up for both of us - in retrospect, despite the loss of athleticism on both our parts (he used to course 3'0, I used to ride more than one horse a day, etc) our amateur years were our best - most consistent and more fun - probably because I appreciated it so much more by that point - each horse show was like a gift that I never expected to have.