There's a new guy in my life. It's the first time in 25 years with horses that I've owned a gelding. I know everyone says that mares are temperamental and hormonal, but I find the relationship with mares to be similar to my friendships with women. There is so much more to their behavior besides a "boys will be boys" attitude. They bring something different to each day and I have been fortunate to find mares I could connect with at the deepest level.
But in the last few years I have had the great fortune to meet and get to know several handsome geldings owned by my students. I am now riding a couple of them every week, giving me the opportunity to improve my own riding. I'm using one of the geldings, Twister, as a lesson horse for my experienced students. I really do enjoy "hanging out with the boys" and it is a nice change to have one of my own. He was given to me by his owner who had decided to get out of horses altogether after trying to sell him for almost a year. Waverley,( I call him "Wave") born on the fourth of July, is a 6 year old Arab with long lanky athletic features, a quiet playful temperament and big gorgeous feet. That last characteristic was especially important because I have continued to trim my own horses and just love having a "low maintenance" critter that I can trim easily. It has taken a while to get him to pick up his feet quietly, but I need to remember that the horse's feet are his primary source of escape and taking one away for even a second can be disconcerting. Even after 9 years, Chanty would only allow me to hold her back foot for as long as it took to pick the dirt out, then quickly took it back.
I took over full care of Wave about 3 months ago during which time we have been getting to know each other. The first thing that you notice about him is that he puts his nose and lips on everything, including me. He is sweet, but is unaware of horse and human boundaries. He is very playful and has spent more time moving the big ball in the arena than any other horse at the stables. His original owners described him as one who could get along with any of the horses and it's true. I introduced him to my other Arab, Image, a 16 year old mare, and within moments he was engaging with her in a soft, polite way. He's not pushy in a demanding way and does not defend his position aggressively. He's been ridden before but because I was not able to see it for myself in person, I decided to have an experienced trainer who makes a living starting new horses, ride him for the first time.
She used the word "cool" to describe him and rode him at walk, trot and canter with a fluidity that I cannot wait to experience for myself. He may be the first horse I've owned, since Rosie, over 25 years ago that I can ride without concern for lack of experience. Wave is still maturing mentally and emotionally and that will improve with time but it looks like he has the physical prowess to perform at many levels. At my age I'm not looking for a high level dressage partner, but it would be nice to have a healthy horse to take to horse clinics, trail rides and maybe an open show in the future. Who knows? For now, we're going to take our time and enjoy each day. The picture up top was taken on a beautiful January afternoon here in the NW with sunshine and mild temperatures. We walk to the end of the driveway and sometimes over to the park, where someday he and I'll will ride together. I look forward to it. A new adventure, a new day with the new guy in my life.
