dancing horses

dancing horses

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

So I, uh, did a THING

So two posts in one day but I cannot keep this quiet any more. 


 This all started when I realized that Carmen turned 12 this year. 


Like, how does that even happen? 


look at how dark she used to be!



she's changed a lot, not just in colour

Ed was talking to me and asked if she was my last horse. My response was immediate:
nope, I have one more in me. 

You know where that leads, right? To idle scrolling of ads, that's what. 

For a while I didn't anything more than scroll. But as time went by I found myself doing it more. 

But did I really want another horse? And if I did, what was I looking for? Was I ready? 

one way to get a pony


Part of me felt that I was not ready. And part of me knew that I could also be facing a dilemma if something were to happy to Irish (which is very possible) and Carmen was alone. 

I looked into the idea of an inexpensive companion horse. But aside from the purchase price it costs the same to keep a cheap horse as an expensive one. I was also aware of the passing of time. I am 58 this year. I would like to keep a horse for it's lifetime (even though I know that's not always possible). Which means that I could be into my 80s by then. You can say that age is just a number all you want, as you get older you become quite aware that it's ticking away.  

I like to be logical and so decided to draft up a list of what I wanted: 
  • Andalusian or Lusitano, either pure or cross
  • solid temperament- curious, friendly not spooky or reactive. 
  • Between 1 and 3 years, 
  • Not gray (no more tumours please)
  • In Canada (I didn't want to deal with crossing the border again!)
  • Under 20 k 
  • Would likely reach a height of between 15'2- 16'2
  • nice conformation 
  • a seller who would be responsive and have half-decent photos/videos. 
I sent this list out to the universe and figured it would take a while for it to land. To cover my bases I did reach out to Winterwind Kigers . She is local and had been crossing Lusitano studs with her Kiger mustang mares. She had one that I quite liked but I worried that she would be too small for me. However, you should check out her website, her horses are stunning!  She told me that she wasn't doing any crosses this year but that TNT Lusitanos had some nice 2 year olds for sale. 

I did know about them but didn't see any horses on their sales page. TNT Lusitanos is just outside Medicine Hat Alberta. They are a working cattle ranch and all of their breeding horses also work. I love that about them. I knew that they had posted some a while back but figured they were sold. 

That turned out to be wrong. The owner messaged me right back saying she had 4 2-year olds and then sent me videos. All of them were really nice. Two stood out for me and one I was quite drawn to. In her follow up message she said that they were all solid temperament wise but one was the quietest of the bunch. Turns out that was the one I really really liked (as opposed to really like).  I saw photos of his dam and she is gorgeous! 

To keep what is currently a long story from becoming a novella, after videos, questions, asking Karen's thoughts, some conformation photos I decided to go and book a PPE.  The PPE was today and he passed without issues. The vet even commented on his temperament and that a train went by and he didn't really react. 

When I started this process I also looked into shipping. It is not easy to have a shipper come this far east. Turns out that Nothern Horse Transport had a run from BC to NS the end of June. 

Honestly, it all came together in a way that feels fated.  

Do you know how hard it was to keep this quiet util everything was settled???? 

Allow me to introduce you to Quaid TNT. A 2 year old 3/4 Lusitano/ 1/4 Quarter horse. He will be on his way later this week and I am very excited (what an understatement that is). 

Isn't he handsome? 


his dam: Azteca (QH/Lusitano cross)

Sire: Marialva- full Lusitano 

He's supposed to be calm and gentle. I know that he's 2 and sensitive but give me a solid temperament and we can build on that. I do love his movement. 



Let's not dwell on the fact that I will be 59/60 when I first sit on him...... 



FYI, there are still some lovely 2 years olds and quite a few yearlings.......


40 comments:

  1. Omg I watched that video earlier today and was like WHAT OMG WHAT HE IS BEAUTIFUL BUT WHAT…. Lol so happy for you, congrats !

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  2. Oh my gosh, I'm so excited for you!!!!! Also, for the record, that's the percentage that Ruby is (only she's Andalusian instead of Lusitania) and it is MY FAVORITE CROSS. They're as beautiful as the purebreds with just a dash more common sense 😏🤣

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  3. Fantastic news! You will be able to apply all your amazing groundwork skills for a few years and build a great connection! And he is absolutely gorgeous!

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    1. Thank you. I’m excited to start from the ground up.

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  4. WOW! He is gorgeous! Congratulations on keeping yourself youthful in the best way possible!

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  5. AHHHH!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! This is so exciting! He's beautiful! Can't wait to follow along on this adventure!

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  6. Omg! Congratulations! He's lovely.

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  7. Oh my goodness!!! How did you manage to keep this a secret for so long?!? It makes sense, with Carmen’s age, but I had no idea you were contemplating this. I made the same calculation four years ago, based on the math of aging, and needing a horse to take me through to my own elder age. As I read your story, I was hoping you’d settled on a gelding. I’m not sure why. Maybe because of Steele. Congratulations!! I can’t wait to see how this new relationship unfolds. He’s gorgeous.

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    1. Thank you! It was so hard to be quiet about this. But i needed the space to make decisions for myself.

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  8. Congratulations! It will be exciting to learn about your new boy. 😁

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  9. He is beautiful Teresa! Congratulations!

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  10. Huge congrats - so excited for you, he's absolutely gorgeous!

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    1. I am very excited. I've never bought a horse I haven't met before.

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  11. CONGRATULATIONS! He's gorgeous. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time with him and a great partnership. You know you shouldn't really worry about your age, as long as you stay healthy and active there's no age limit when it comes to riding. I think I'm a testament to that as I'm 10 yrs. older than you and had a lovely ride on Rosie last weekend. So don't even think about your age just enjoy your horses!

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  12. Congratulations!! I saw on Fb that he had sold but no idea it was you who bought him. That's awesome! I am a fellow Iberian lover and owner and think they are the BEST. Hope you have lots of fun getting know him.

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    1. It is a small world! Iberians are great horses.

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  13. That is the most amazing news! Congrats!!!

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  14. Oh my. Cue happy dance. This is so exciting! Let us just dwell on him! We need more!!!! So happy for you, my friend.

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  15. I went to their website. I have always been intrigued by them because they work them on the ranch. How I first came to find them was because that buckskin stud came from a breeder not far from me!

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    1. Oh, you are close to Haras Dos Cavaliers?! I really want to visit that place sometime. It looks incredible.

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    2. Yes! Like I think less than an hour from me. I went when Charlotte Dujardin did her master class there. You should come and we can meet up!

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  16. Oh no... Cisco is 12 next year...
    So exciting! I can't wait to virtually meet him!

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    1. Oh oh. and they are not too far from you. (compared to NS anyway). :)

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