My new boarder is laying-up her six-year-old Thoroughbred until we find out what is causing his issues.  Now you know that none of us can go very long without a rideable horse so she’s horse shopping.  She bought her current horse off the track three years ago and has been trying to fix him ever since.  This is her baby and she loves him dearly.  She’s brought him along in his training since the beginning.  He’s her dream horse, but…..  So now her quest was to by-pass all the years of training and just go for a “ready to go” show horse.

She’s tried a young green mare that she is falling in love with.  But that’s not what she wanted.  She didn’t want to start from scratch again.  She’s ready to hit the big time, but the horse isn’t.  What should she do?

Okay, the Libra in me goes to the scales.  Weighing the positive reasons against the negative reasons.

So I told her my story.  I was there at one time.  My black mare was done.  Her stifles were shot.  It was time for her to surrender her position, retire, and live out her life as a lawn ornament. I was a Whipper-In and needed a finished horse to take her place.  All our horses were getting long in the tooth, and their bodies were starting to show the signs of too many years of hard hunting.  Other than my black mare and a dark bay gelding, I had always raised my horses from babies.  Both those horses were fabulous hunt horses, but they came with issues.  The gelding was a barrel horse who wouldn’t go through gates for three years without rearing.  The mare just used to dump people when she was done and go home.  She was an Alfa mare to the end.

When you raise a baby and start their training from the beginning you have a horse that knows you and what you are asking.  They are agreeable and will give you the moon and the stair to please you.  There has been no abuse, or holes in their training.  Your hand print is all over them and they are what you have always dreamed of.  Well most of the time.

So I spoke with this young woman about the pros and cons of buying a green horse as opposed to a finished horse, thus my title Made or Home Made.  Yes you can ride off into a show ring in higher divisions immediately.  But let’s think about the sense of accomplishment you have with your old horse.  He is a product of your time and love.

Before I replaced my black mare I was borrowing horses to hunt.  I couldn’t believe all the people who loaned me horses.  Whipping is hard on a horse, but the owners wanted their horses to experience the schooling that went along with the job.  However, I realized that I didn’t want someone elses mistakes.  I needed a horse that was ready to go, but ready to go with the schooling I was used to.

The bottom line of my story is that I bought another baby and trained her the way I wanted.  I kept Magic on her feet for four more years.  What this woman’s decision will be, I have no idea.

It’s a matter of preference, time, and money.  What matters most to you.  All I could tell her is that if you have peace in your heart about your decision, it’s the right one.  Time will tell.