I Have a Horse

For weeks I have been shopping for a horse. I met Sham on Sunday and decided he was the one for me. He was up at the Meyer Horse Co. He is a 15.3 hand bay Quarter Horse. He'll turn 9 this March. Most of his life was spent as a working ranch horse in Wisconsin and later Iowa. Although there are some cows at Skriver, most his new life will be spent cruising around the trails. I think he'll like it.

Here is a little video from our test ride. Nothing too exciting.

This afternoon he was delivered to us. He came off the trailer with a little hop, and within moments, he was almost totally at ease with his new home. He rolled in the indoor arena. He ate an apple core. He ate apple-flavored wormer, which wasn't quite as good as the apple core. He was groomed. And he was really good for all of it. Surprisingly good. I knew he was relaxed when I met him, but this was more than I had hoped for. And through it all, he remained attentive and inquisitive.

After the indoor fun we took him out to the airlock and turned him loose. He sniffed many a nose over the fence, but none of the horses showed any signs of concern or aggression.

So we opened the gate to the pasture and let them mingle. Again he seemed right at home. He trotted over to the salt lick like he had been eating off it all year. He even pushed one of the mares away when she came close. Of course, others pushed him around a bit, but nothing big.

Over the next few weeks I'll let him settle in, start doing some ground work exercises, figure out his tack, and then start riding. It should be a great adventure.

Check out Robin's blog for another take on the arrival.