We're officially in the homestretch! Tobbi comes home on April 8th, a month from today (AKA 4 weeks from Tuesday, AKA 31 days from now).
So far the whole process reminds me very much of having a baby, in that no matter how much preparation you do, no matter how much gear you buy and books you read and people you talk to, no matter how much you think you know or can imagine it will be like, when it finally actually happens and you look down and see that you are finally actually holding that little bundle (or 850-pound steed) in your arms, you realize that there's no way all the books and classes and websites in the world could have prepared you for the experience itself, that it will be far better and far harder and far different than you thought it would be, and that while most of the gear will come in handy, at the end of the day it's all about the love and who cares what you registered for or how many of your "what to expect" books you read (or not).
So we're basically in the last month of the last trimester. Which would explain the excruciating anticipation, the list-making, the last-minute internet shopping, and the time spent gazing at the calendar. My photos of him are like the ultrasound images I carried with me when I was pregnant with my daughters; I talk to them and whisper that I can't wait to bring him home. I design birth announcements in my mind when I'm supposed to be doing other things. I put on my breeches and boots and walk around the house just like I used to wash and fold and put away newborn clothes, imagining what it would be like when the dream comes true.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Saturday, February 9, 2008
found it!
This is one of those stories that if I didn't believe in things like fate and meant-to-happen and kismet, I would think I was making it up.
The boarding location has been unresolved thus far, sort of nagging at the back of our thoughts the way maybes do. So far, here's the comparison of the 2 stables we had narrowed it down to, based on the criteria below:
The place where Lindsey currently has her lessons VS. The other place
They both have trail access
They both offer lessons
They both do pasture boarding
One is only 9 minutes away, the other is 30+
The closer one does not have a covered arena, the far one does
The closer one has an indefinite wait list, the far one has space
The plan was to board at the place Lindsey has her lessons even though it's far(ish) away. That 30 minutes is w/o traffic, and we really wanted to just be able to pop by and see him on the days we didn't have hours to ride/train/etc. But we figured we'd stay there until a spot opened up at the place by the house, even though there's no covered arena, making for some wet lessons and training 10 months out of the year. But we thought that was all there was...trust me: I searched.
Then Wednesday happened.
Lindsey and I went to The Grange after school on Wednesday as her lesson was moved to Thursday and she had been wanting to get some brushes or whatever little things we could get…so while we’re back in the horse section, this boy and his dog are on the other aisle…I peek around the corner and he looks at me, and I go, “Oh, I thought I heard a dog.” And he goes, “Do you know if they have boots in my size?” And I go, “I’m not sure. I don’t know your size.” And he goes, “do you guys ride?” We both said “yes” – and he says, “are you looking for somewhere to board?” Lindsey and I look at each other like OH now THAT'S weird, and I say, “As a matter of fact...we might be. Why do you ask?” and he starts telling us about how his parents bought this old ranch/farm/stables and have just finished building everything last year – they opened in October – and are small, word-of-mouth only, don’t have a website or advertise, etc, but that “we seemed like we might like it” --- so we go find his mom, spend a ½ hour talking to her, spend another hour at the stables, and fell madly in love with it. There are only about a dozen horses, the place is stunning without being snooty: brand new stables with a covered/lighted arena, heated tack room – the stalls have little ‘patios’ slightly bigger than the stalls so even the stall-boarded guys have more outside than inside. The pasture areas are divided up into about five main areas, they left plenty of trees on 2 of them for the pasture board guys so there is natural shelter; there’s a wood built shelter on one of the other ‘plain’ pastures, the arena is stunning, it's on 10 acres with a slight incline which provides the most amazing drainage (i.e. minimal mud!) and the horses all look very healthy and happy. And the checklist we have been using? It has it all:
It has trail access
They offer lessons
They offer pasture boarding
There is a covered arena
There are a couple more spots available
And it is 4 miles from the house
We are over the moon happy...this means we can bring Tobbi home SOON...we are thinking April. Just so happens we had a trip planned up to Orcas anyway; looks like we'll return with a horse!
It's all falling in to place, as I really need to remember it will...when things are meant to be, they just seem to fall together naturally.
The boarding location has been unresolved thus far, sort of nagging at the back of our thoughts the way maybes do. So far, here's the comparison of the 2 stables we had narrowed it down to, based on the criteria below:
The place where Lindsey currently has her lessons VS. The other place
They both have trail access
They both offer lessons
They both do pasture boarding
One is only 9 minutes away, the other is 30+
The closer one does not have a covered arena, the far one does
The closer one has an indefinite wait list, the far one has space
The plan was to board at the place Lindsey has her lessons even though it's far(ish) away. That 30 minutes is w/o traffic, and we really wanted to just be able to pop by and see him on the days we didn't have hours to ride/train/etc. But we figured we'd stay there until a spot opened up at the place by the house, even though there's no covered arena, making for some wet lessons and training 10 months out of the year. But we thought that was all there was...trust me: I searched.
Then Wednesday happened.
Lindsey and I went to The Grange after school on Wednesday as her lesson was moved to Thursday and she had been wanting to get some brushes or whatever little things we could get…so while we’re back in the horse section, this boy and his dog are on the other aisle…I peek around the corner and he looks at me, and I go, “Oh, I thought I heard a dog.” And he goes, “Do you know if they have boots in my size?” And I go, “I’m not sure. I don’t know your size.” And he goes, “do you guys ride?” We both said “yes” – and he says, “are you looking for somewhere to board?” Lindsey and I look at each other like OH now THAT'S weird, and I say, “As a matter of fact...we might be. Why do you ask?” and he starts telling us about how his parents bought this old ranch/farm/stables and have just finished building everything last year – they opened in October – and are small, word-of-mouth only, don’t have a website or advertise, etc, but that “we seemed like we might like it” --- so we go find his mom, spend a ½ hour talking to her, spend another hour at the stables, and fell madly in love with it. There are only about a dozen horses, the place is stunning without being snooty: brand new stables with a covered/lighted arena, heated tack room – the stalls have little ‘patios’ slightly bigger than the stalls so even the stall-boarded guys have more outside than inside. The pasture areas are divided up into about five main areas, they left plenty of trees on 2 of them for the pasture board guys so there is natural shelter; there’s a wood built shelter on one of the other ‘plain’ pastures, the arena is stunning, it's on 10 acres with a slight incline which provides the most amazing drainage (i.e. minimal mud!) and the horses all look very healthy and happy. And the checklist we have been using? It has it all:
It has trail access
They offer lessons
They offer pasture boarding
There is a covered arena
There are a couple more spots available
And it is 4 miles from the house
We are over the moon happy...this means we can bring Tobbi home SOON...we are thinking April. Just so happens we had a trip planned up to Orcas anyway; looks like we'll return with a horse!
It's all falling in to place, as I really need to remember it will...when things are meant to be, they just seem to fall together naturally.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
and so it begins...
WOW. It looks like we are on our way to becoming horse owners! We looked at zillions (well, okay - dozens) of horses last weekend, but came back to what we suspected to be true: Tobbi is the one. As often happens with things like this (big life changes, divine occurrences, major decisions), there is a great story to go along with it, one that you usually don't know is unfolding until it's all said and done and you go, "Oh, right. Of course." But we wanted to look around (not just because when else does one get to say, "oh, I can't ___ tomorrow, I'm going horse shopping"?) but also to be 100% sure that we weren't just going with the first horse we saw (literally; but more on that in Lindsey's post), or being impulsive, or whatever. So just like with our house and my wedding dress, we saw the one we wanted, but then looked around anyway, and came back to that know-it-in-your-gut first one.
In case you're not familiar with the breed and are wondering why he looks short or shaggy or stocky or what have you . . . that's what Icelandic horses look like. They are as strong as other breeds, easily able to tote around a full-fledged adult (uh, hello, Vikings?) but are shorter in stature, averaging between 12 and 14 hands (Tobbi is 13.1). Aside from their unique appearance, it's their personality & disposition that (at least for me) sets them apart from other horses: I swear they can read our minds. Gentle, kind, intuitive . . . all you have to do is stand near one -- or, if you're as lucky as we were last week, within a herd of them -- to feel the energy I'm talking about. Alert, smart, loyal, trustworthy. I swear to god I would put my 2 year old on Tobbi's back right now.
The picture of him with Lina (his current owner/trainer/mom) totally captures his personality. He's like a big golden retriever, but a lot calmer, and without the jumping on the lap or the tongue hanging out. He's like someone you've known forever and ever. He's like a member of the family -- already.
Stay tuned . . . I'm not sure of all the logistics . . . there's a lot to iron out, but it looks like the decision has been made: he's our guy. YAY!!!
In case you're not familiar with the breed and are wondering why he looks short or shaggy or stocky or what have you . . . that's what Icelandic horses look like. They are as strong as other breeds, easily able to tote around a full-fledged adult (uh, hello, Vikings?) but are shorter in stature, averaging between 12 and 14 hands (Tobbi is 13.1). Aside from their unique appearance, it's their personality & disposition that (at least for me) sets them apart from other horses: I swear they can read our minds. Gentle, kind, intuitive . . . all you have to do is stand near one -- or, if you're as lucky as we were last week, within a herd of them -- to feel the energy I'm talking about. Alert, smart, loyal, trustworthy. I swear to god I would put my 2 year old on Tobbi's back right now.
The picture of him with Lina (his current owner/trainer/mom) totally captures his personality. He's like a big golden retriever, but a lot calmer, and without the jumping on the lap or the tongue hanging out. He's like someone you've known forever and ever. He's like a member of the family -- already.
Stay tuned . . . I'm not sure of all the logistics . . . there's a lot to iron out, but it looks like the decision has been made: he's our guy. YAY!!!
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