With refocusing on my goals and committing to a healthier lifestyle, I also made the decision to start looking for a FEI schoolmaster to help teach me beyond 3rd level. Mike slowly come to support my search and even ended up watching sale videos with me! When I started my search, I tried to tell myself I was in no hurry and to take my time.....this was going to be fun!! NOT!!!
Horse shopping is neither fun or relaxing. With Amy's help I developed a pretty extensive list of questions. Many sellers were happy to take the time to answer my questions where some were obviously annoyed and others just never responded. I quickly learned to qualify myself as an active buyer, not a tire kicker. I also had to really learn how to watch the sale videos and not be afraid to ask follow-up questions.
And with each round of questions, each video and each trip, I learned so much about horses and dressage. And price is not an indicator of a horse's talent, training, suitability, or health!!!
Our first two trips resulted in horses that were stiff and incorrectly trained. I was so disappointed as I was so excited to find that perfect horse. The third trip was wonderful! The horse was lovely, correctly trained, right age, right height albeit with a huge trot that was going to take a lot of work to sit. I flew back out for the prepurchase - the shortest prepurchase in history! 10 mintues into it, the vet tells me he can't go any further until the horse is seen and cleared by a cardiologist as he suspects a significant heart condition. A trip the next day to vet school and the horse was diagnoised with an atrial fibrilation! The fourth trip was to see a lovely Dutch Gelding. I have never gotten on a horse and felt so comfortable. Great training with a schoolmaster personality. I was so excited that I really felt this horse would be even better than the other horse. Prepurchase was done at Purdue and the vet called after each step - clinical good, flexions great, x-rays not so great. Significant changes that made him too much of a risk.
So very disappointed and dejected, I went back to my search. Over 40 videos, 4 trips, 2 prepurchase exams and I was no closer. And I was finding out that what I really wanted meant I would have to spend more than I had planned. So I bumped up my price range a little and Gabel popped on my radar scope.
Gabel was in Denver CO so I emailed Rhonda Fogel to see if she knew anything about him. Not only did she know about him, he was in the same barn as her gelding Xavi and being trained by her trainer. But Gabel was being shipped to Sue Halasz in California for training and sale, literally that day! So we find out more about Gabel, the most important thing being that he had already had a prepurchase and x-rays as part of the preperation for putting him up for sale. Dr Frees was able to review the x-rays before we ever got on the plane to go see him....what a comfort!
So Amy, Rhonda and I headed out to California. I lined up a total six horses for us to see. But is was very clear that Gabel was the horse for me! We rode Gabel the first day and then again the second day. Every other horse just paled in comparison. Kind, expressive, correctly trained, and personable! The deal was made the next day with a prepurchase just a few days later. So after another long trip, Gabel arrived at Stoney Meadow on July 4th, a little road weary having traveled from Denver to Los Angeles to Kansas City (via Ft Worth) all in less than 4 weeks.
Gabel has shown PSG very successfully and is ready to show I-1 also schooling most of the GP work. He was much loved by his owner and trainer with this no doubt contributing to his great personality and attitude.
We plan to just get to know each other over the next few months and then spend the winter getting ready for 2008!! I hope to do this wonderful boy justice and look forward to a long partnership with both Gabel and Klass :) |
