My sales list recently (for horses)

Two neighbors emailed me this week asking how the horse search is going, and expressing how bad they feel for Baasha living alone. I will assure them that I feel worse, and that every single day I tell Baasha, "I'm working on it."



I'm taking a road trip next weekend to the far reaches of Germany to visit a farm that has many young, started-under-saddle Arabians, where only 5% are grey. I will stay the night at a hotel so I can spend as much time as possible looking at their 30+ sale horses. I am not looking forward to this, this is nothing fun, this is just time, gas money, and stress about this important decision. (And a fair amount of anxiety about riding green horses when I haven't ridden regularly for so long.)


I am sorry, but I must be honest, it's not a fun process. It would be immensely better if my man would accompany me, but I cannot expect him to devote an entire weekend to watching me look at horses, and who would feed Baasha and Mercer? As a teacher, his weekends are full of grading papers and planning lessons. (Horrible career choice!)


So...I go alone. With very little hope. If you'd like to see the horses I will be looking at, ask me and I'll post them. I have to say one thing about this Arabian stable, they know how to stand up a horse for a sale ad!



I should mention that every single horse I've looked at so far, in the last 5 months, is still for sale. I'm amazed. Every single one of them. This includes the mare, Wiszi, that I really had my heart set on. I keep hoping to get an email from them, saying they'll take my offer.




I wanted to show some horses that I've seen for sale lately.

First, I should tell you,  there is another horse lady at my office, besides me. Except she's not super cool like my friend Tami from Visto in Seattle, Tami being ultra saavy and absoultely abreast with modern horsekeeping and horseunderstanding. This lady rides a lease horse weekly at a big fancy Cologne riding stable. She doesn't know what kind of horse. I asked her to go out to lunch with me and help me understand my horsey magazine, and I could tell she um, well, how to say this, she doesn't aspire to the level of horsemanship my dear old colleague in Seattle did: )


She also, in a very German manner, told me that if I cannot afford 5,000 Euros for a horse, maybe I cannot afford the upkeep of a horse. *cough* OK then. (Last time I heard that was when I refused to pay 100Euros for a barn cat.) You know the Euros-to-Dollars converstion rate by now, right?


 But she does have a friend with a couple of Arabian stallions for sale in Paderborn, and I admit, it is and will be fun talking to someone about horses at work (if only she'd slow down, she does not have the talent of speaking clearly for the foreigners that so many Germans have).


So here's one of the studs for sale from her friend. WOW! What a color! I love it! Too bad it will only last a few more moons and then he'll be just another grey Arabian. (Doesn't he look just like the mother of the black stallion in that one black stallion film..?

This stallion was kept with her other stallion in a field, and I must repeat that keeping riding horses as stallions is common here. He's been started under saddle, and goes barefoot, the ad says. 

This mare has been for sale for years, apparently, cuz her ad says "13 year old mare" but her info says "Born in 1997." I love her but that age is a little bit more than I was hoping. Is it fair to expect a broodmare, at 15, to start heavy work? I might get lucky, but I don't think I want to take that chance, for 4000E (or any price).

It makes me sad when I see horses like this: over 18 years old and being re-homed. This is an aged stallion who is also a riding horse, and I think he's lovely (despite the duck feet, my goodness!). What a classic looking, balanced horse. Only 800 Euros. See the price difference between Germany and the US? 800 Euros for a retiree? There are so many horses over 20 for sale and I can't help but think, "You jerks, that horse does not need to be shuffled any more!"

To end on a light note, I love this ad for a muddy grey Arabian. I mean, it's the quintessential honest ad for a grey horse! This is what he looks like and will look like most days of the rest of his life! He looks adorable and strong and I wish him well....in someone else's washrack.