ISO

Some people have expressed concern that I am already horse shopping.

"It's only been a couple weeks," they tell me."Take some time. Allow yourself to grieve."

"Don't rush into anything."

"It has to be the right match."

"There are lots of horses out there. Be selective."

I get it, but also, if I had followed any of this advice, Olive would have never happened.

She was one hundred percent a knee jerk reaction to grief. I was doing just fine riding other people's horses. I didn't think I needed one of my own until Lucy died.

That's when I first started talking to Michael and Shelly about Olive. I met her in June. I thought she was cute, and I liked her vibe, but I wasn't in a hurry. After all, I still had Stealth.

Then he died, too.

After that, I was like, "Pony, pony, bring me a pony. I need a pony right now." 

Like magic, Olive appeared on my doorstep.

I didn't vet her. I didn't ride her. Except for videos - all of which were at least two years old - I didn't see anyone ride her. 

It was exactly the wrong way to buy a horse. I knew that, and I did it anyway.

I already knew she was the horse for me.

Here's why: In my lifetime, I have ridden literally hundreds of horses. I've ridden big horses and little horses, old horses and young horses, expensive horses and cheap horses. I've ridden many breeds and dabbled in many disciplines. I liked nearly all of them, but only a few were horses I would want to own.

I have a really specific sense of what I want, and also, what I don't want. 

I'm not worried about falling in love with the first horse I see. Much the opposite. The real concern is that I will be too picky and won't be able to find anything I want. Given my budget - which is pitiful, Olive's last day was expensive - this feels like a real possibility.

Because of this, I am actively pursuing a variety of options. As much as I want a horse of my own, I'm also open to other, short term arrangements. I don't want to jinx it because nothing is official, but it's likely there will be a palomino head hanging over Olive's stall door by the end of the month.

As for the forever horse... Well, I want one like Olive, but with bigger feet and a saddle shaped back. Although I would really love another mustang, breed is less important than size and shape. She should be small and round, and definitely a mare. Color is flexible, personality is not. I want a smart, friendly horse who enjoys being groomed, going for walks, wearing costumes and posing for pictures. Younger is better than older, and ideally, she would be started under saddle but green is fine. She doesn't have to be fancy, but she should be sound, reasonably athletic and possess more than a little sass and spice. It would be great if she loaded and trailered well. And, oh yeah, did I mention that she needs to be cheap?

If you happen to know this horse, please send her my way. The Olive sized hole in my heart can only be filled by another horse. I can not wait to meet her.