Yesterday we went to look at candidate 2 in our hunt for a new horse. This time we looked at “Misty”, a 7 year old (her birthday is today!) spotted Tennessee Walking Horse. She’s quite beautiful. Unfortunately although I took a ton of photos while we were there, the one below is best. She’s on the right. The filly on her left is hers. Her owner feels he’s too old for his horses now and he has a disease that impairs his balance. In fact he told us a story of how he fell down a hill on his farm and couldn’t walk on one of his legs. Misty came to investigate and put her head down so he could grab on while she slowly pulled him up. She then walked slowly back to the barn while he leaned on her.
So here are the pros and cons:
Pros:
1) She seems to be gentle
2) She’s beautiful – spotted like a paint with a multi-colored tail, mane and hooves. Her mane is almost twice as long as Valentine’s.
3) Her owner is a pretty well known TWH trainer, though he hasn’t been doing much these last few years due to his age and health.
Cons:
1) She’s not registered, though the owner has her notes so maybe it can still be done. I don’t know enough about the process.
2) She’s FAT. Apparently she’s not pregnant but she clearly is a chunky monkey. The owners wife says he feeds her twice a day and their pasture is beautiful so maybe she’s just eating too much. I just want to make sure her weight isn’t indicative of a health problem.
3) She’s been ridden but not in a few years. Our friend Shari is going to ride her this week for us. I don’t really need another project horse.
We plan on riding Misty and Snowball this week, once the hay has been put up. It’s going to be near 100 today in east Tennessee and it’s quite humid. Hopefully it’ll cool down some before we ride.
So what do you think of Misty?
We also bought a horse trailer this weekend! We’ve been busy! I think Mikki is writing up something about that so expect to hear about it in a day or two.
what a pretty girl! She is probably just eating too much and not getting any exercise, with work I am sure she will slim down. As for not being registered, if she rides well and is everything you are looking for, I wouldn’t worry about it. Good luck!
1) She’s not registered, though the owner has her notes so maybe it can still be done. I don’t know enough about the process.
***Registration does tend to protect your ‘investment’, but in the last few years horses hvae not been the greatest investment anyway.
In my opinion, if a horse is conformationally correct, is experienced, calm and has no vices you’ll still do well if you ever have to sell in the future.
And one plus with the paint colored horses, is that they are popular and flashy. Most people like flash and flashy horses have more opportunities, especially in shows, parades, etc.
2) She’s FAT. Apparently she’s not pregnant but she clearly is a chunky monkey. The owners wife says he feeds her twice a day and their pasture is beautiful so maybe she’s just eating too much. I just want to make sure her weight isn’t indicative of a health problem.
***The owner admitted he hasn’t worked her for a years, and she still gets fed twice a day and has access to a lush green pasture. So barring what a vet reports on her health, she probably just needs a diet and regular exercise.
3) She’s been ridden but not in a few years. Our friend Shari is going to ride her this week for us. I don’t really need another project horse.
***I hear ya on that one. Hopefully she’s been well trained and has a good memory and everything comes back to her while being ridden.
Don’t hold it against her, though, if she seems a little rusty.
The picture doesn’t show her whole body, but her head is gorgeous! If you do end up getting her, she’ll be providing some wonderful eye-candy when you gaze into your pastures! hehe
Congrats on the horse trailer, too!
Congrats on the new trailer. You will LOVE having mobile horses. Hopefully whatever horse you get will be nearly as bombproof as Sinbad. Probably a good idea to go with another gaited horse. Whenever I ride with one, I’m left in the dust and the gaited horse winds up circling a lot.
Between the two, I’d go with the older one. A 3 yr. old is going to be too green and possibly started too young if she’s not too green. Started too young = lameness issues down the road.
Let me ride her, Bill. I just watched a cowboy movie, so I know how it’s done.
She is beautiful! You should get her!
I TOLD you! He’s tring to give me a heart attack.
Come on out, Pop! We’ll even saddle her up for ya.
First, I have to say Pop sure knows how to crack me up! I think you need to ask him to be a ‘guest writer’ here on Our First Horse.
As for candidate number 2, she’s a beauty alright! She looks a lot like my mare. Same color, same amounts of color as well. Beautiful! I’m partial to paints though.
But, if you’re concerned about her ‘value’, if you ever end up in a situation where you need to get rid of her, she’s got a few things going for her. First off, she is a paint, a lot of people like the flashyness of a paint. Second, it sounds like you could get her registered. Third, if she’s been trained by someone well known in your area, that’s another big plus.
If she was trained well when she was being ridden, she’ll remember. I don’t know how well she’d do on her very first ride by your friend, but a few rides would certainly give you a good idea of her abilities.