I have something super, super exciting to announce. This is something that has been in the works since last winter - well over half a year of planning now - and it is finally all coming to fruition. Very soon now, I will be back in the saddle, partnered with an exceptionally fine and knowledgeable Andalusian named Dylan.
I have a friend from home named K, who is Dylan's owner. We grew up riding together in Michigan, and kept our horses at the same barn up until the time we both went off to separate colleges. I remember when K got Dylan - we were in college, and she came down to our school for an IDA show. She showed me a picture of Dylan, then only about three or so years old. (He is 14 this year, so this must have been in 2004 - when we were freshman). Over the years, she brought him up through the levels through Prix St. Georges. She then had her first kiddo, and is now on her second kiddo - and more kiddos will come! This winter, she reached out to me asking if I knew of anyone who might be interested in buying or leasing Dylan. Specifically, she wanted to know if I was interested - she knows me, knows how I ride and care for my horses, and thought it could really be a great opportunity for all of us.
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| The Dylan! Photo by Bob Langrish |
Fast forward to now. Many months of plans, hard work, organizing, drafting, and sorting through the details have brought us to this point. Dylan is coming to our place, and I will have the ride on him for the next few years until K's little ones are bigger. This is an incredible opportunity, one I am fortunate to have - have access to this caliber of horseflesh is a privilege, and I am incredibly lucky!
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| Photo by Calley Matherly |
I plan to use my time with Dylan to show and clinic, get my medals, further and finesse my upper level education, and play Barbie Horse with all that glorious, glorious hair. So much hair!! This is the perfect time and opportunity to do this: O has solidly earned her place as a driving horse, and Pax has many years under she has grown enough to be solidly started under saddle, so without him I would not have the opportunity to keep riding, learning, and showing until the little one is grown. This is the perfect time.
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| Photo by Linda Sherrill |
Dylan has been lucky in his life to have caring owners and caretakers who have always treated him kindly and well, and he is fine tuned and ready to roll. That is a rare treat for me! I have nothing to fix for once - I just get to enjoy him right from the get-go!
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| Photo by Wright Horse Photography |
This is an amazing, incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And I am so lucky!!
He should be arriving this week, although that has been a giant snafu in and of itself. Approvals is this coming Friday, so months ago we told the shipper that we needed him loaded and on his way by the 20th. That was a week and a half ago, and no word from the shipper until K called today and raised some hell. We've told them a zillion times that he CAN NOT arrive here on the 4th. He CAN'T. We will NOT be here. So of course, now they are telling us that he will picked up on the 2nd, and dropped off on the 3rd. Is that *really* going to happen? I guess we will have to see....!
