Is your picker “broke”??
In was hot the summer of 2000. I was working in the aerospace industry confined to a desk 8 hours a day, dreaming of moving west and riding horses. That was about the depth of my thoughts, as I never considered how I was going to make that happen. Later that summer I would establish a friendship that would become very instrumental in the life I would soon be living, both in the present and the future. He had a hobby; most of you are familiar with team roping. Now, I could barely ride a horse to save my life, but I was attracted to the thought of chasing a cow and swinging a rope! I watched a couple of times then thought…. well, it’s time for me to try. I can only imagine what went through my friend’s mind when I asked him if I could run one! Guess what? He said yes. Looking back, though, I think it was for entertainment purposes only! Let’s just say the cows were safe! I don’t think the cow ever even knew I was chasing it! Besides, I found it to be very difficult to swing a rope with my right hand while having a death grip on the saddle horn with my left. Not to mention the being thrust to the back of the saddle when the gates cracked open, never to make it back to the front. After seeing a couple runs it was brought to my attention that Ol Cowboy (my friends rope horse) had probably had enough for the evening and was probably getting tired. To make a long story short, what it really meant was, if I was going to get to run more than just a couple steers I was going to need to purchase my own horse to make all of those “classy” runs on. Soooo what do you if you’re looking for a horse? You “put the word out.” Good gosh, I didn’t know there were so many horses that would fit me! The problem I found was my budget just didn’t fit them. I was left with only a couple choices based on my wallet. Young, small, grade and green OR 20 years old, pretty solid but needing some routine maintenance. I mean really, what else was $1650 going to get me? Well, guess what I did? That’s right, I bought the young mare. After all, we can just learn together! God must have a sense of humor because that mare and I were quite a spectacle, whether it was in the roping arena or in the high mountain desert pastures of northern Arizona.
Mistakes made:
Watched someone else rope on the horse and I never ran a steer on it.
Tip: Sometimes others abilities and feel are different from yours, ride the horse yourself and see if you can get along with it.
Bought a horse to head on that was 14.1 hh
Tip: Not the best choice, buy the right horse for the right job.
Bought a grade mare.
Tip: This limited my customer base when I decided to sell.
Bought the first horse I looked at.
Tip: I believe purchasing a horse is a big decision. Its always nice to give yourself several options.
Last but not least, I bought her because she was pretty and palomino.
Tip: Look, pretty is good. Color is good. But, when you can’t ride a stick horse, the most important thing is safe and functional for what you’re wanting to achieve.
Some questions you may ask yourself when looking for your next horse:
What activity do you plan on doing on your horse?
To what degree do you plan on doing this activity?
What is your short term and long term goal with your horse?
What level is your riding?
How much do you plan on riding or working with your horse?
What kind of facility do you have to keep a horse?
What is your budget?
Size, sex, pedigree, color and how it effects your budget?
When seeking your next reining, roping, cutting, jumping, lesson, broodmare or just general trail riding horse, set a goal then work backwards. Write down the attributes you would like your prospect to have. Try to use the list you have made to keep you pointed in the direction