A little funny chestnut!
Now I have told you about some of my great experiences and there are so many more, but today I thought I would write a little everyday story that perhaps several have experienced or something similar. It is the everyday life that should be fun, and it is what we have horses for, to experience things.
I had recently moved away from home and this was my first place that I rented and worked as a saddlemaker. It wasn’t exactly a place one would choose as a self-employed person. It was out in the woods 9 km from the nearest town, which was only a small village. I couldn’t afford much, so the place only had an outhouse and I had to fetch water from the well. There was no sewage either, so it was a big job when, for example, washing hair in the winter.
I had a small stable where we built 3 boxes. I had a couple of paddocks but not much pasture as they were rocky paddocks with trees. The only positive thing was that I had miles of forest trails to ride on without having to encounter traffic when I rode 🙂
Since it was far to people, I didn’t have many customers, but I drove a round to the riding school a few miles away once a week and picked up what needed to be repaired, both from the riding school and private individuals, so in that way, I got some work.
My good friend who was on sick leave wanted to help me make some extra money, so he had a friend who was a breeder and had some difficulty selling his horses. He had 2 chestnut stallions aged 4 and 5 that they hadn’t done anything with. They had good pedigrees and were handsome, so it probably wouldn’t be difficult to get rid of them with a little training.
We agreed on a price that I would pay when I sold them for him, so they came home with me. I also had my stallion Mackay then, but he was barely 3, so it was eagerly awaited to have someone to ride on. Training and riding them in was a chapter in itself, as I didn’t have a riding arena and could barely ride in the paddock because of all the rocks and trees, but somehow it worked. Of course, they were gelded, so it was easier to sell them. The 4-year-old was a “no brainer”, he was easy to ride, but the 5-year-old was good at bucking. I guess he had mild discomfort, but such things weren’t counted then, it was just to sit tight until he stopped 🙂 I was pretty good at staying on, so he never managed to get me off and calmed down afterwards. I was always prepared and as I said, it got better over time. The young one was sold quite quickly but I had the 5-year-old for a little longer.
My biggest problem when I was going to sell him was that everyone wanted to buy my own stallion, as he was incredibly beautiful, but he wasn’t for sale. However, it went very well to ride him eventually, and I had many nice forest rides on him. I started to relax and could ride with loose reins and enjoy. But… one beautiful day when I trusted him too much, I walked with too loose reins, then he started his “bucking series” out of nowhere and finally managed to get me off. I will never forget the look in his eyes when he turned and looked at me, where I sat in the grass, as if to say: there, I got you! I couldn’t help but laugh, and he kindly let me get up again, and he never bucked with me again. He was eventually sold, and I never received any complaints, so he probably behaved himself 🙂 It wasn’t so easy to live there in the woods all alone, but you got to know the horses in a completely different way when you only have them and nature. I lived there for 1.5 years, and I learned to appreciate running water and a toilet that I got when I moved. Everyone should live like that for a while so they can appreciate things.
