New Kid On The Block

LOF Magical Mable

When opportunity knocks and you're half-asleep and still wearing pajamas, sometimes it's still in your best interest to invite him in to chat.

My dear friend, Trayce Dierks, at the Ilse Schwarz clinic earlier this month, said, "We have this great four year old prospect at the farm..." My response at the time, "Trayce, don't tempt me!" Resistance is futile, apparently.

After repeated sleepless nights where I was unable to get this gorgeous mare out of my head, I finally drove up to Tryon, just to sit on her and see what I thought. Imagine my surprise to find a four year old who can already walk/trot/canter, perform flawless flying lead changes, literally float across the ground at all gaits, and boldly approaches jumps. I thought to myself, but I'm not in the market for a horse right now, right? Wrong. One week after attempting to avoid Trayce's temptations, I found myself driving this mare home in the pouring rain.

Tristan took an immediate dislike to his new adopted sister, but the good news is, he doesn't have to like her. And I really, really, really do like her. She's not perfect; on the ground she's unaware that humans are not things to be bulldozed over (thankfully fixed with a nice rope halter), and she's definitely green as grass when it comes to a connection under saddle. Honestly, I think I would have still bought her simply to enjoy watching her prance elegantly in the pasture.

I'm excited at her potential. She's already so balanced and lovely at 4, I can't wait to see what she can do in consistent work. She has all the makings of an incredible competitor. To top it all off, she is just my size (a hair under 15.3) and a perfect temperament for me to feel comfortable working with such a young prospect. We have a long road ahead of us, but the opportunity of working with a horse of this caliber doesn't come around everyday. This is me, seizing the moment.

***UPDATE***

I made the extremely difficult decision to send this talented youngster back due to financial difficulties on my end. It was hard to say goodbye, but this will give me more time to focus on Tristan's career over the next couple years, as well as building a life for myself outside of riding.