So i've been low key looking for another horse because Hunter is too hot for Danny. I mean he's pretty chill most of the time but he can get a little excited and that is terrifying for a beginner. Plus I have friends that are super keen to come out and ride but they are very inexperienced and I wouldn't put them on Hunter. I love him but he's definitely not a beginners horse (not that many OTTB's would be)

So I posted an advert on Gumtree (like craigslist I guess) as an expression of interest for a horse suitable for a beginner, and I got a reply a few days ago. The seller is a 21 year old married lady with 4 kids and she's moving up state with her husband and can't afford to take her 3 horses with her. She is a stay at home mum and her husband is away for months at a time for work and she struggles to a) pay for the horse boarding and feed and b) find time to spend time with them with 4 kids to wrangle on her own.

The horse is a 10 year old chestnut TB gelding named Oliver. He's never been raced, he was deemed far too slow after his initial trials. He's a "been there, done that" kind of horse that pretty much thrives in an environment where he can just plod around. He's a super, super experienced trail riding horse, has been exposed to busy roads and highways, farm equipment, dogs, you name it. The barn where he's boarded actually has a boarding kennel next to it as part of the business and he often goes out on trail rides with other horses/riders and small groups of dogs.

Jess got him when she was 15 as a present from her Aunt to keep her busy after her mother died, so as you can imagine this hasn't been an easy decision for her!

I drove 3 hours to meet him today and oh my god, he is a complete ham. We walked into the yard and Jess introduced us, I stroked his face and told him how handsome he is, and he gentle nuzzled my chest and closed his eyes as I rubbed his face and cheeks. I completely melted LOL.

I LOVE Hunter, but I really feel a connection with Oliver. I hear people talk about horses that they just clicked with, and I think i've found mine. I will definitely continue to work Hunter, and I plan to start him with a trainer soon, and in the future I might look at maybe leasing him out because he has a ton of potential. When I bought him I was told he's perfect for trail riding and just easy, laid back work around the property but I think he's got a lot more in him than that.

Anyway, I paid a deposit on Oliver today and we're going to pick him up hopefully Tuesday. Danny will be taking the day off because i'm not partculaly keen on hauling a new horse 3 hours by myself lol.

Of course I took photos!

He's so CUTE! 

Link Tree

-squees excitedly-

 aww! he has a sweet face, if that makes sense! :)

Just so you know, I bought my plane ticket today to come live with you! :D hahaha

Hope him and hunter get along!

And hope to see more pictures of yall riding too!!!

oh gee!
i love older horses. they are the best!

He is used to being turned out with several other horses and so is Hunter, and they are both "bottom of the pecking order" horses so I think they'll be okay. Obviously i'll introduce them over the fence in neighbouring paddocks and let them get a feel for eachother before I decide whether or not to turn them out together. If it looks like it might not be the best thing for them i'll just keep them in separate paddocks, i've got heaps of space for that.

I'm pretty excited. I couldn't stop thinking about him all last night! He's such a sweet boy. 

Hunter isn't particularly keen on having his face touched. He likes his face stroked occasionally when he's in the mood for it but you really have to pick your moments LOL

He is adorable!! He looks like such a sweetheart!

Awww congrats! He looks so sweet! I love older horses with that calm, sweet disposition.

OMG he's so cute!

I know a horse like Hunter...his name is Dakota and he's such a grumpy old man...he's like 23 but has seemed like a grumpy old man since he was like 10 LOL. Hates his face being touched unless he's known you a long time. Likes to pretend he hates everything, but he's a huge faker :P and when he puts his ears forward? omg the cute.

-squeals- AHHH OH MY GOODNESS! You have a dream life girl. :D I cannot wait to see more pictures of him.

He’s so handsome! I can’t wait to see more pictures!

Well, Danny finished work early today so we hit the road at 1pm and went to pick him up! It's 11:30pm and we just finished unloading him and settling him into his temp paddock. Exhausted isn't even the word!

I am so happy to have him home ♥ Super busy day tomorrow but i'll try to get some photos.

What a looker!! Congrats

Paints since 6-8-14

Yayayayay!  I'm so excited for you Ash!  You've got a handsome pair of pon pons!

So we took Oliver in to be fitted for tack today because it was just easier to try some on him at the tack shop. The best fit for him was a light blue western saddle. I really like it! Lol.



He's had a massive couple of days so i'm just going to let him relax for the rest of today. I'll go out and follow him around with the camera tomorrow.

We were talking to the lady in the tack shop about Hunter and I was explaining how he's a bit too hot for Danny and my beginner friends. She recommended returning him to racing and recommended a trainer to send him to. She said she knows a lot of 5-6 year old TB's that were sold off because they were slugs but still had it in them and they thrived with a different trainer and won their owners a lot of money. I mean they're older and retired now but the point is they just needed something (and someone) different to thrive and she thinks it could be the case with Hunter. It can't hurt to try and if he's still no good at racing then we'll look at leasing him out to someone who can give him what he needs.

Oliver is LEGIT exactly what I want, he doesn't want or need to be worked harder than what i've got planned with him, but Hunter is too good a horse to just be a paddock ornament or trail hack so i'm going to seriously look into it.

hes so handsome!!

Love the saddle!  It's gorgeous!  I hope you figure out something for Hunter that keeps him happy and worked. ☺

Awww yay congrats!!! He's a cutie too! :D
That blue saddle is awesome!

this si so awesome!! i also think you have a little obsession witht he ginger horses xD

Finally had my first ride on Oliver today! He was so gentle with me, and he didn't let my initial nerves bother him, i'm so proud of him ♥



We just plodded around one of my largest paddocks for a while, went over the creek (took some encouragement to get him to go over the concrete pass), explored for  bit and generally got a feel for eachother. It didn't take long for me to get my balance and confidence back! I was so happy.

I just had him in a halter with lead ropes. He had no desire to go faster than a quick walk let alone run off with me, and he was having the time of his life looking at everything as we ventured out. He's excellent with voice cues and responds to your legs. He has a very soft mouth and he's had a lot of bad experiences with riders that are too rough, with his most recent bad experience being just a few weeks ago when his previous owner said a very pushy and "dominant" eventer tried him out and was so rough on his mouth that Jess (previous owner) made her stop and get off him because she could see how uncomfortable he was.

I have a couple bridles and he's been fitted for a bit, but I decided to save him the bother of the bit and make our first ride as enjoyable for him as possible. Best decision ever. He was an absolute star and I couldn't be more happy.

I am ITCHING to ride again!! But i'm going away for a week and I leave at 6:30am tomorrow lol. SO thrilled that I got a ride in before I leave though!!