Gotcha Day

Four years ago today I made a scary decision of offering to purchase a 3 year old untrained andalusian stallion from Florida, sight unseen. It flew in the face of everything I thought about purchasing a horse. It was all business, and based on the breeders understanding of what I wanted to do with the horse. The breeder had 20 colts and fillies of the same age to sell, and my Q was the least dressage flashy and the most in-your-pocket of the bunch. And his conformation made him well suited for working equitation or western riding.

We did fly down to meet Q and the breeder before we had him shipped from Florida to Quebec in the spring. But by then the wire transfers and vet checks were done. It was more like an arranged marriage kind of meeting.

It actually turned out to be smart, because once we got there and saw all the other horses, I was in awe of the tremendous beauties also for sale. Had I not already made and executed on my (rational) choice, I might have made a different choice ... and who knows where we would be today.

And, I often rationalized in those first few months that if the “fit” did not work out, I could easily sell a (very rare in Quebec) andalusian colt for what I had paid, or close.

Well, we all know how it worked out four years later. I credit my husbands confidence, I credit the breeders wisdom, I credit my courage, I credit Qs amazing personality, and I credit all the people who helped me along the way.

The day we met, the groom brought Q into a square paddock with me tagging along. He passed me the rope, left and everyone watched us from outside the paddock. I tried to run my hand down his leg, but he folded his body down on me like colts do when playing. I touched his very muscular (testosterone) neck and tried to lead him. He balked like a mule. I then aggressed him backwards by moving into his space. He threw his neck up, moved back, eyeing me with great caution and suspicion.

And we then proceeded to walk around the paddock on a loose line, Q tagging at my heels, head and neck relaxed, while I was telling a story gesticulating with my arms swinging all over the place. The breeder and Broker told me that they never thought he would relax so quickly. I guess he got my number from the get go.

And its been true love ever since. Q, my heart horse.

The pics are from his first day in the snow, after the long trip north. March 2016. And his 3rd birthday.







Comments

  1. Happy Gotcha day!!! He's very handsome. I laughed at the arranged marriage analogy. It definitely worked out! My dear friend, Karen, had Johanna pick out her stallion in Spain and she didn't meet him until he arrived here in Canada!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! It was such a daunting experience ... I do not recommend it to anyone who isn't prepared to resell the horse if the personnalities do not mesh well.
      And thank you for all of your comments! It makes my day!

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  2. I feel like I've missed photos of Q recently. I mean, full body shots. Post some?

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  3. Absolutely stunning. I'm glad you made the decision and that it worked out so well. Feels like fate <3

    ReplyDelete

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