A while back, Olivia posed the question, “what is your perfect horse?” I thought about this a lot and kept coming to the same conclusion.
My desires are simple — I like thoroughbreds that can jump well. I prefer a gelding, and something in the brown category, probably 16hh, and something with genuine streak of wanting to try. I thought about what if money were no object and I could import or breed something with tons of scope and an amateur-friendly attitude. What if I could get one that doesn’t colic and never goes lame. Or if I could have a young one with proven success in competition and we could go over to Europe and blah blah blah.
That’s a lot of ifs, and I hate flying … don’t think I am not drooling over Diarado progeny at this point, but I also recognize dreaming within my limits is ultimately much more satisfying because I can live those dreams.

My severely-biased reality is this: I have my dream horse. For a little while, after I sold a very successful adult/children’s jumper, I lost some interest in riding and all interest in competition. I was simply happy to hack around on whatever sale horses needed some exercise and my interest in jumping waned. I didn’t feel like I would have a budget to accommodate horse ownership any time soon. I didn’t want to quit riding, but I didn’t want to go anywhere with it, either. And then I rode Eli, just one idiosyncratic TB in a string of sales horses. He carried a lot of baggage, reacted melodramatically to just about everything, and sometimes became difficult to handle even for the simplest tasks (like picking out his hind feet …). Even so, we clicked. He reignited my interest in really riding, jumping, I even started to think about horse shows again. I still remained in riding limbo for a long time, but Eli stuck around long enough for me to informally half-lease him. Then, in my opinion, circumstances became such that he needed an owner. I am that owner.

He fits my simple dreams of a bay thoroughbred gelding with a nice jump and decent gaits. I am grateful for the opportunity to own him, and I look forward to whatever adventures we end up chasing down the road. What more could I ask for?
I love this and feel exactly the same way. If money were no object and someone could promise me a horse that would never break… sure… that’s what I’d go for. But I love being able to look at Brantley and say, “I did that.”
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Yep, totally know what you mean!
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oh those boots are orange’y LOL but man no one will ever mistake them for their own boots. LOL I think Eli is PERFECT FOR YOU and your dream horse. But i do think Sadie hint hint is carrying a Diarado baby or am I wrong? Two birds with one stone (Or two horses)….
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Lol oh I know Sadie’s cooking a Diarado … brainstorming winning lottery ticket numbers hehe
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Hmmm sometimes when you’re not looking, the right person, horse, dog, finds you.
My mare I got for a song, is everything I could want. Quirky, heart, brain, and willing.
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True, it’s happened more than once
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I feel the same way. I honestly believe that I landed on my dream horse, and while I may not have had the finances to campaign her as much as I wanted, I still believe that we have all the time in the world for that.
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It is a very satisfying feeling ๐
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Love this post!! I also love when quirky tb’s find their person who appreciates them for what they are.
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Thank you! I think I might be a quirky tb addict.
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So sweet!! I absolutely think that you are Eli are the perfect pair.
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I’d buy him again in a second ๐
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