Monday 20 February 2012

The Decision....

And so, videotapes in hand (remember those?), I headed off to get a second and third opinion, on my first, second, third.. etc. horses - and ultimately, with any luck, to make a decision I could live with.

Realistically, my other option was to pack it in for the season, and start shopping again in a few months.  I was already struggling with less than perfect conditions - as we headed into winter, the horses were only going to get furrier and muddier, the footing lumpier, and the experience all around less appealing than it was. 

If that was possible.

The other issue was that word on the street is that people with nicer horses give up on selling for the winter, send the horses out for 60 days training, and try again to sell in the spring as started 3 year olds with price tags to match.  So, my window of finding a bargain - and being able to identify it as such, under a crust of snow and filth - was closing fast.

Although my pregnant friend has not been able to join me on many shopping missions, she was coaching me from the sidelines.  Based on the information I had provided to her, she had thought Don Donutico sounded like a good bet as well.  She was familiar with the stallion, and had heard decent things about him.  That said, she also thought there was some potential in the Viva offspring based on the limited information available on him.

And best of all - having been involved in equine genetics for many years - she had an exceptional understanding of one of the most fundemental principles of horse breeding, one that I think can be difficult for someone less experienced such as myself to grasp. 

You can have the world's best sounding horse on paper, and still wind up with a dog in the barn.  And vice versa.

So, we watched the videos, discussed, and decided. 

Ms. V it would be.







8 comments:

  1. Just wanted to say that I love reading your blog. Finally someone who puts it like it is and doesn't try to cover everything around horses with fairy dust. Keep the posts coming!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a pretty girl! I love your description of her moving in the arena, and can see why she appealed as a dressage horse. (No more Saddlebred comments here....loved the one I had.)

    So true about all the breeding and bloodlines. The paperwork doesn't mean a thing if the horse isn't good.

    I am looking forward to how this all worked out.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think she is just lovely, and I can see why you liked her immediately. What a good eye (on both of your parts)!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I agree- she's very pretty! And looks pretty smart from her eye.
    I love your blog by the way- not only is it entertaining, it also makes me actually think about some of the ridiculous things horse people do. I look forward to future posts as well.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've already been spotted, so I thought I would drop in and say hello. I'm the one who posted a link to your blog on Ukrainian message board :)
    I hope you don't mind.

    This blog is the best piece of writing about dressage world that I've read in years. Thanks and keep entries coming, please.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome timbuktoo. I can see where people originate from and your message board post is the craziest one so far - by far!

      Delete
  6. I just realized her "crazy breeding" end up being the same combo I am possibly interested in, with the sire being GOV instead of Hanoverian. I am fairly in love with the mare who is a National Show Horse and did well on her OldNA/ISR inspection. The stallion was an international dressage horse - though that in itself of course means nothing. The two end up very similar in types, and so the baby is likely to be similar to both if genetics don't do something wacky to it.

    ReplyDelete