Seeing as how it is Thursday and I do not have any new pictures (it was like really cold today and I couldn’t drag my butt to the barn after a long work day) I decided to do a little #TBT and share some details and pics about the arrival of Rio in my life.
Post college Kelly (that’s me) taught beginner h/j lessons at a barn in town. I was quite lucky to not only make money while finishing school, but also get lots of free saddle time on the school horses. Although I enjoy riding all types of horses, the nagging desire to have something I could progress with was ever-present. I had an undeniable desire to develop a partnership with one horse, and continue my own riding education by taking lessons again, something I hadn’t done on a regular basis since high school.
After finishing school and getting my first “big girl job” in my desired field (healthcare) I went through several lease horses, all ending for various reasons after a time. I loved them all and always felt lucky to have something a bit more talented then your average school horse to have the opportunity to learn on, but the nagging desire to have my own was always present, and only continued to grow.
Here’s the thing about leases- they are GREAT for a lot of different situations. I am a very type A personality, (as it seems many horse enthusiasts tend to be!), and sometimes this directly conflicted with leasing. For example, the way you want a horse cared for might not exactly be under your control when you lease something. The lack of 100% decision making power was often very hard on my compulsive little brain. A “bad day” with leasing would be when something would happen with my situation that was out of my control. During these times I experienced extreme emotional lows and could literally bawl insane tears at the least provocation- I kid you not. I am THAT emotionally invested in horses. I would go through periods of relative stability- say a full month or two- and then the other shoe would drop in some form or fashion that would leave me a panicked, emotional wreck for a few days until the dust settled.
Long story short… I cajoled and bamboozled my sweet husband into thinking that horse ownership was a good idea (hee hee hee). And as the saying goes, “third times the charm!” Rio was the 3rd horse I PPE’d, and by far the best in my biased opinion. After a bit of financial juggling, hubby and I were able to make an offer and bring this sweet baby home! #dreamsdocometrue
Rio became mine on July 2nd 2016, and I was possibly the happiest girl alive that day. Here are some pics from the day we brought him home. Don’t worry, I know how hunky he is!
