Agh the Embarrassment!!!!!

The good news is that I FINALLY have my horses at my house:-):-):-)

The bad news is that they were horrible loaders. Like... for real... embarrassing loaders.

Now Dutch... because of some bad trailer experiences is always a hard loader. Usually takes a few tries... I have to let her know that yes... you have to go in... and no I am not leaving you here.

So first we put Dutch in... after a few minutes she went in. Then I went to get Romeo... who is my perfect loader... one of those throw the lead rope over his back and say load up and up he goes.

Lol..... not yesterday. It was like he was a different horse. I have no clue what went wrong... or what the problem was. My roomie kept giving me questioning looks. I mean, he acted as if he didn't even know how to act on a lead rope!!! I was sooo embarrassed!!!!! Here is my baby horse that I have spent the past year and a half training. My first young horse, my pride and joy. The one I brag on because while I may not be the best rider I have successfully taken a hard to handle youngster and done a fabulous job teaching ground manners and the basic riding skills. Needless to say, I was mortified!! I felt like such a failure. Ya'll he was sooooooo bad!!! My roomie was saying things like... I wouldn't even ride this horse.... oh he has a nasty side to him.... wow, he's difficult.

I wanted to cry.... He really isn't that bad. He really is a sweetheart. No, he's not nasty, I swear there isn't a mean bone in his body (at least that's what I thought), I promise he knows how to lead. I have worked hard instilling all his ground work. I have taken things extremely slow with him and spent hours upon hours working on making sure he has the basics ingrained into his brain.

We finally get him loaded and then he starts to paw.... er... slam his foot on the ground. At this point I really just felt like screaming at him, or really I just might have thought about killing the darn thing. I mean really... after all I have done for and all the time we have spent together, this is how you repay me? I actually thought that the two of us had a pretty tight bond (not like Dutch and I of course, but for only a year and a half I thought we were pretty tight). Sigh.... the frustration of owning horses.

So we get to house and roomie looks at me and ask if he is going to shoot backwards... at this point I just looked at her and said, I have no clue.... that there is not my Romeo, he's in impostor so I have absolutely no clue what he is going to do.

Well, we finally get them to their pasture and they take off cantering across the new ground. Roomie watches him and her eyes light up.... now she see's why I bought him. "O, he is a pretty mover, wow look at that trot."
I smile.... yes, there is something good about him. I remember now why I put up with his crazy antics. Roomie asks of our trainer has seen him, "No, your the first to see him." She tells me that N is going to love him.

Good, I needed to hear those reassuring words. After all I on the ride over I was questioning every dollar I have put into him. I chose him myself... with no real expert. I was in VA and knew no one. The vet was a dressage rider and the vet for Sweet Brier College, so she knew good horses and told me he was a a steal. I know from the hours spent with him that he has the brain and sensitivity of a Dressage horse, the athleticism for jumping and the boldness for eventing. He has the potential to be whatever I want to do. But when they act like they've never had any training you begin to question everything you've thought about them.

Tonight I am planning on a ride in the arena... not on the crazy psycho but on the trusted old friend. I think some leading time and lounging is in order for Mr. Romeo.... Oh and I've decided that I'm not going to be nice to him anymore. Apparently the sweet approach is not working.... so for now I'm going to be a bit more strict with him. I won't stand for a horse that has no ground manners.... they can be very dangerous.