Great Horse Shopping in Lexington, KY

Part I Lexington Horse Shopping

We took a trip to Lexington, Kentucky this weekend to search for a gaited horse. Either a Rocky Mountain or Kentucky Mountain. I'd looked at several in NC and in VA. I started actively searching probably in mid-October.

I went to two places in NC that were Rocky Mountain breeders/stables.  The first one I arrived at to find that two of the horses I wanted to look at were on a trail ride. There was a miscommunication I guess that I was coming between the trainer and the trail ride boss....

I told them we'd be back in a couple hours then since we could run over to this other place to look at a horse and it was only 20 minutes away.  So I looked at a nice black gelding that was very calm.  He didn't lead well and eye balled us a little but didn't threaten to shy or react.  His trainer rode him and gaited him.  Then I hopped on.  We walked around and then I did some serpentines on him.  He was very stiff but responded well.  He needed some work and his trainer said he needed a lot of lateral work which would help.  I didn't have the courage to ride faster at that time.  The horse just felt very hesitant under me.  Not a good combo with my nerves.

We went back to the place we started at and the trail ride was over....but the trainer said she really didn't think that horse A a nice grullo gelding should be sold (even though the owners wanted to sell him and he has since been sold) and then the other horse B a black gelding (they decided not to sell, even though I had just talked to them on the phone that week about him).  I ended up riding a chestnut gelding and got to ride him and gait him on the dirt road.  The trainer was telling me he wasn't trained leg cues since he's a trail horse so when I was having trouble have him move over his haunches apparently that was part of the issue.  He kept trying to head back towards either the trainer or the barn and I was just not feeling it with him so we finished up and headed home....a little frustrated honestly.

About an hour from my house I was contacted about a Rocky Mountain mare that was coming 5 years and not ridden as much....husband horse (I know that story!).  So we tried to make plans and couldn't align until after the Thanksgiving holidays.  Then her household was sick and we went into more holidays.  I contacted her in January and she said things were just crazy at there house she didn't have a moment to get anything ready to sell.  She'd reach out to me.  I haven't heard from her but I certainly know how life can throw everything at you to the point you can barely breath.  The mare's pictures were gorgeous though so I was bummed.

Since I was going to north of the Roanoke area for Christmas with the family I posted on a Facebook group and found that a Saddlebred show and training stable on the south of Roanoke had just received a cute grade Rocky Mountain gelding in a trade. We went to see him.  He was very sweet and affectionate.  His hooves were way overdue for a trim and the seller was planning to do that soon.  She rode him and he didn't really gait, he seemed to sort of pace or trot.  The video showed that he was maybe gaiting or stepping pacing, which is four beats but not evenly timed.  The previous owner and even the one before that who I was able to reach out to apparently had never ridden gaited and really didn't know what they were doing so it seems he got into some bad habits.  As I'm new to gaited as well I'm learning that it's easy to get a good gaiting horse and then have issues if you don't really start understanding the gait and how to correct if the horse starts step pacing or pacing.  It will be a learning curve for me. I wasn't too worried, I was planning to attend an Ivy Starnes gaited horse clinic in late March if I purchased him and could work out some of those issues.  I also had reached out to a local trainer since I know I'll want to get educated on gaited horses and learn this new area of horsemanship.

Anyways, long story short, he was a great horse, I liked the connection and feel I had with him so wanted to move forward.  The vet exam showed that whatever hoof care he'd received or not received and probably just general conformation led to very unbalanced front hoof that was already causing structural bone issues. That was a hard since I really liked the gelding but the vet questioned his long term soundness and possibility of injections and I knew I wasn't ready to take that on with two old horses already in the barn.  The search continued.

I almost forgot I rode a beautiful young 3.5 year old, thought she was 4 at least. She was only 30 minutes from me  Nice little filly but way too green.  I did well riding her for a bit and even gaited a bit but then she just stopped and didn't want to move.  The trainer eventually swamped places with me and I got on her again outside of the roundpen...they said it was hard for her to gait in there....  Anyways I mounted up, she did a quick spin silly spook thing almost unseating me and I got off immediately.  Nope, too green for me.

There also was a 6 year old mare an hour away that went for sale and I planned to see her in 4 days, that Saturday.  A guy came up from Charolotte NC and rode her a couple days before me and loved her so she was under contract.  Man, good ones go fast!!!

 Steve and I headed to Kentucky this past weekend to horse shop. That Friday my first stop I saw a beautiful and sweet mare.  Her trainer hopped on her and rode her.  She wasn't the best for mounting, he'd told me about that.  She had a nice gait but was very very green under saddle and I started having my heart race just thinking about riding her.  I got teary, just remembering the experience I had horse shopping years ago.  It was one horse that bolted back into the barn and caused me to fall hard into the stall door and on a cinder block.  It is enough to make me extremely cautious around new horses.  I didn't want to ride her.  The trainer was so kind and understood.  We chatted a bit since we had to wait for my hubby to return from a Bourbon place.  He had another horse that was 5k above my limit but he said she was everything I would need in temperament and training.  I'm sure she was but I wasn't ready to raise my budget yet again.  The horse sale prices in general and now a rarer breed have really caused me sticker shock. I thanked him for his time and some advice he gave me.  I was going to several people he knew so he said I was in good hands.  I also knew who to avoid and he'd agreed on that!

 

The next place I went to had two Rocky Mountain mares, the first was a black 9 year old.  She was very cute and had a little gait that reminded me of a Paso Fino. When it was my turn to ride I got on and rode her in a smaller round pen in the indoor arena and also tried out the gait.  She was very soft and responsive.  Then I rode around the larger arena and moved her around some poles and turned and stopped and backed etc etc.  She was great.  She did have a habit, and her owner told me about it, that when she was stopped she would take the bit and pull quick a couple times.  Dani sometimes does that but this mare did it a bit harder.  We'd have to work on it.  The trainer told me to bop her outwards with the reins when she does that.  After the I was done with riding her we discussed the other mare and trainer said that he thought she would not be a good fit for me with my fear issues and I appreciated it.  I definitely thought this mare was a contender.  Then we got to chatting with him about the eye issues that are genetic in the breed.  He showed me a normal eye and then another horse he had that was MCOA positive.  He is able to see but sometimes if a horse is positive it can be at a greater level.  Good thing is it's not progressive and the black horses I've seen so far cannot have it and do not carry it either, which is good if I wanted to breed any mare I purchased.  Which I don't have the desire (or knowledge to breed) but that's good to learn that stuff for my curiosity.

The next barn I went to had two mares and a gelding that they had just recently decided to sell.  When I got there I asked which was the calmest, steady one.  It was the gelding.  Okay then.  He had a find eye and a nice way about him. He was tacked up and then the owner hopped up on him even in the small confines of the prep stall.  He didn't bat an eyelash.  She walked him a little and then gaited him around.  He was quick to gait and went about happily.  Apparently he loves gaiting and will just go on auto pilot if you want.  I hopped up and starting working with him.  He wanted to gait right away but I told him "No not yet" and began walking him.  I felt his response to my legs to move over and at first he thought I wanted gait but eventually realized what I was asking.  I did a sloppy serpentine and changes of direction.  I stopped, I backed him. Then I gaited him and stopped him from the gait and changed direction etc etc.  He was great.  Some stuff he and I will need to work on to get on the same page for communication but he was so willing and kind. I was feeling "it".

The trip was great.  I met some great trainers I would recommend to others if they are looking for a RM or KM horse.  I was given time to see each horse and get a feel for them.  I felt like I had a great mare and a gelding to consider. 

I made the offer on the black KM gelding.  As I type this I am really excited about him.  His registered name is KO Lowrider aka "Tate".  I haven't picked a barn name for me to use but I'll need to get a better feel for what his name should be. Everyone likes making there own barn names....  I have some ideas. His owners and trainers were very nice and let me work with him and get a feel for him.  I then asked them a lot of the questions I needed.  I just had that feeling, that connection. He did well in the pre-purchase exam and will head to NC on Friday!  I am over the moon with excitement!