Our New Baby

Our New Baby

There has been a lot of criticism about the internet and social media, and I am sure much of it is true, but it does have one great benefit--it makes it easy to shop for horses.  Years ago, when Ellen and I first got started with horses, it was so much different.  The first thing we would do is buy a copy of The Trading Times and turn to the horse classifieds.  It involved making phone calls, asking questions and then going out to see the horses without even seeing a photograph--let alone a video.  We only saw ads for horses in our general vicinity, too.  As it turned out, we found out about Ranger and Cruiser through word of mouth.

Now, we have the whole world at our fingertips.  Cole was from Indiana, Dante was from West Virginia and Trifecta came from Pennsylvania.  The internet revolutionized horse shopping, that is for sure.

Ellen and I had been talking about getting another 2-year-old for at least a year.  The plan is that I would own and train him and several years later give him to Ellen.  It was a win-win plan for both of us.  I love to train and she would get a horse trained just the way she likes and be a part of the whole process.

Now, we just needed the horse.

Of course, he would have to be another Morgan.

We prefer the older, traditional style Morgan, and those aren't as easy to find as the modern showy Morgans.  The modern Morgans are lovely horses, too, but we really like the older ones better.  We have been monitoring social media and sales pages for months, now.  Ironically, we found a horse that wasn't likely to be listed on either one because he is Amish.  Fortunately, his neighbor owns the colt's father and helped out by posting an old picture of him on her page to help sell him.  The yearling pictures were intriguing, and she also posted a picture of his full sister at 2 years old, too.  She was a very lovely horse.

What was a really wonderful surprise was that he was just 2 hours away in Pennsylvania!

After discussing it with Ellen, we decided to contact the woman who listed the colt.  She got us some current videos and photos which showed us he was a very lovely horse with a lot of potential.  The colt's father, B. A. M. Double Up Hoosier, is also an outstanding horse.  I asked for a phone number of the owner, and after a long conversation with him, I decided we had to see him.  He told me he just started him in harness and has driven him on the trails on his farm.  The young fellow is smart, kind and doesn't spook at anything.

Ellen, Kevin, John, (Ellen's boyfriend) and I piled up into Kevin's car and drove on out to PA.  GPS said the last 2 miles were on a gravel road, but it was more like a one-lane mud road.  Just where were we going?  We knew his home was on the left side of the road and just as GPS told us to turn, we saw him!  Or at least we hoped it was him.  There was a youngish liver chestnut colt with a star trotting about, and he looked great.

It was him!  We met the owner, and he brought him out to show us.  He looked great and stood quietly.  I had Kevin lead him around.  When he tried to go and look at some yearlings in a pasture, Kevin was able to gently guide him away.  Next, I had Ellen lead him around.  She only hesitated for a second before she took the lead rope and walked him in a circle--something she wouldn't do with Trifecta, the feral one, for weeks.  Next it was my turn.  I was so impressed with his manners.  He was nearly 2, so he was only a few weeks older than Trifecta when I got him, so there was no getting around comparing them.  Trifecta really was feral--a very friendly feral.  This guy didn't have the puny, under-developed look of Tri, either.  He was taller and more substantial with better legs.  (Trifecta's legs improved a lot as he grew--he was just at a very bad stage.)  The owner was confident that he would mature at 15 hands or more--plenty big for me.  Tri passed 15 hands, and I struggle with mounting from the ground--though I am getting better.

I knew he would be a great horse for us in just a couple of minutes.  Ellen said she really liked him, too.  Kevin thought he was beautiful.  John was taking pictures of the dog...

We made a good deal.  I paid asking price, but he will geld and deliver him at no additional cost.  It will probably be a few weeks.

The owner showed us his really cool setup for making his honey.  He produces about 50 barrels a year!  He also grows hay and corn, has 30+Morgans with 11 foals expected this spring, and raises wild boars, cows and deer.  He trains horses and is a farrier, too--a very busy man.  He had to go to pick up a trailer he bought, but he pointed up the driveway to get to the top of the hill where the boars and deer were and told us we were welcome to go walk up and take a look.  

As we walked up the hill, we got to see more Morgans, and they were so pretty.  At the top, there was a large pasture filled with countless wild boars running around, and we are talking the real thing--razor-back hogs--and they looked mean.  The deer were way in the back of their pasture, so we didn't see them well.  The little piglets were cute.  John was taking pictures of the pigs...

It will be a few weeks before we get him.  He has to be gelded and then heal from the gelding, first.  We are all very excited as we embark on this new adventure.  And of course, I will be writing all about it.

The question of what we should call him was a real problem.  His name is Rocky Run Luckystar, and he was called Star.  Star just won't work because Kevin's horse is named Starry.  We can't use Rocky because that is our brother's name, and we didn't really like Lucky.  I gave Ellen the challenge of finding names.  She suggested so many names that just didn't quite suit him.  The next morning, she asked how I liked the name Henry.  It was perfect.  Kevin liked it too, so that is what we plan to call him.