A couple of weeks ago I advertised Leopold for lease. Hilary was looking for an uncomplicated horse to practice dressage, go over some small jumps and trail ride. Hilary came by to meet him and he was an absolute gentleman. However, when I explained that Leopold is still considered green, she decided to take him on as a project and had already starting thinking about a training plan for him.
In the meantime, I was taking a break at the office one day and searched "gelding" on Kijiji when I came across an ad for a gal looking for a horse. Her list of criteria fit Leopold perfectly so I sent her a response. After exchanging as much information as possible by email, Joanna decided to come meet Leo to see if he was a horse she would enjoy.
I spent most of this morning trimming him and then with Sherri's help, we groomed him to make sure he looked his very best. He was an absolute gem to work with that morning so I'm not sure why Sherri said, "you watch, he'll be on his worst behavior when Joanna arrives".
Sure enough, Leo who is rarely a problem to catch, decided he didn't want to be caught, and then proceeded to plant his feet when trying to lead him. I took him into the arena to show off some of his ground moves which went very well but then he wouldn't stand still for saddling. When we went back into the arena, he exploded into a bucking fit, the likes of which I haven't seen in the 19 months I've had him. He has tossed in the occasional buck on the lunge line a handful of times since I've had him but never when I'm on him. As often as Sherri is at our place, she had never seen him act out and Uli saw a small episode once. Naturally, I thought that would be the end of Joanna but when she said - that's nothing - I knew she could be his perfect person. After he shook out all his sillies, I mounted up and did a lovely demonstration of his movement under saddle. Next we re-saddled him with Joanna's saddle and once again, he threw another bucking fit. When he stopped, Joanna got on him and had a lovely ride.
I can't help but wonder if Leo picked up on my sadness at the thought of him leaving. Selfishly, leasing seemed the perfect scenario because he could stay with us and still have his perfect person. However, my focus this year is to get Navar going well. Yesterday Navar and I competed at the Wareabouts Cowboy Challenge and I was pleased with our effort, considering I'd only been in the saddle a handful of times since the Challenge last fall. However, it is my goal to be an actual competitor at the September Challenge and I simply can't focus on more than one horse at a time. There are just not enough "horse' hours in a day.
Sherri, Uli and I saying good-bye.
Joanna sent me this photo of him quietly checking out her farm in Twin Butte, calm and content. She said he enjoyed playing with the jolly ball and didn't seem to mind the barn at all.
In the meantime, I was taking a break at the office one day and searched "gelding" on Kijiji when I came across an ad for a gal looking for a horse. Her list of criteria fit Leopold perfectly so I sent her a response. After exchanging as much information as possible by email, Joanna decided to come meet Leo to see if he was a horse she would enjoy.
I spent most of this morning trimming him and then with Sherri's help, we groomed him to make sure he looked his very best. He was an absolute gem to work with that morning so I'm not sure why Sherri said, "you watch, he'll be on his worst behavior when Joanna arrives".
Sure enough, Leo who is rarely a problem to catch, decided he didn't want to be caught, and then proceeded to plant his feet when trying to lead him. I took him into the arena to show off some of his ground moves which went very well but then he wouldn't stand still for saddling. When we went back into the arena, he exploded into a bucking fit, the likes of which I haven't seen in the 19 months I've had him. He has tossed in the occasional buck on the lunge line a handful of times since I've had him but never when I'm on him. As often as Sherri is at our place, she had never seen him act out and Uli saw a small episode once. Naturally, I thought that would be the end of Joanna but when she said - that's nothing - I knew she could be his perfect person. After he shook out all his sillies, I mounted up and did a lovely demonstration of his movement under saddle. Next we re-saddled him with Joanna's saddle and once again, he threw another bucking fit. When he stopped, Joanna got on him and had a lovely ride.
I can't help but wonder if Leo picked up on my sadness at the thought of him leaving. Selfishly, leasing seemed the perfect scenario because he could stay with us and still have his perfect person. However, my focus this year is to get Navar going well. Yesterday Navar and I competed at the Wareabouts Cowboy Challenge and I was pleased with our effort, considering I'd only been in the saddle a handful of times since the Challenge last fall. However, it is my goal to be an actual competitor at the September Challenge and I simply can't focus on more than one horse at a time. There are just not enough "horse' hours in a day.
Joanna sent me this photo of him quietly checking out her farm in Twin Butte, calm and content. She said he enjoyed playing with the jolly ball and didn't seem to mind the barn at all.
Joanna plans to ride several times per week and has promised to keep me updated on their progress. It will be exciting to see Leopold progress with consistent handling and training.
Happy Trails to Joanna and the beautiful Sir Leopold!
Tovie, Sherri, Uli, and the "Boys"
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