New from California

dlgilbert4 · 11-05-2007, 07:07 PM

Hello everyone,

My name is Danielle and I'm a new member on Horsetopia. I live in San Mateo, California, I'm 23 years old, and have one horse, Dallas. Dallas is a 19 year old Quarter Horse (not registered) and I board him at Blue Moon Riding School in Half Moon Bay.

Although Dallas is my first horse, I've been riding for 15 years. From elementary school to high school, I rode hunters and was a working student with Ruthanna Bridges in Orange County, CA. I never had the money to get my own horse, but I loved riding. In high school, I showed on the local B/C circuit and did quite well for someone who was always on a lesson horse and didn't have the latest fashions for junior hunters.

During the summer, I attended Camp Scherman, a Girl Scout camp in Idyllwild, CA, where I participated in the horseback riding program. In my final year as a camper, in the summer of 2000, I met Dallas. He and 29 of his friends were rented out to the camp every summer. Dallas was assigned to me to be "my" horse for the two-week-long camp session and it was love ever-after.

I spent the summers of 2001 and 2002 working at Camp Scherman as a member of the riding staff. Dallas was my staff horse, meaning that I rode him on all the trails and that he was not used for campers. Those summers were the best times of my life. Sadly, the "real world" intervened (i.e. I needed to have internships that would improve my resume and the balance in my checking account more than a Girl Scout counselor position) and I was unable to return to camp in 2003 and 2004. In 2005, I was hired as the director of the summer riding programs for Camp Scherman, but I unfortunately had to leave the position halfway through the summer due to family problems.

And that's where the story would typically end.

Throughout college and in my first two years here in the Bay Area, I missed horses desperately. For a while in spring 2006 I volunteered as a two-times-a-week exercise rider for a little-handled, spooky young Arab named Fiasco. Well, as you might expect, that situation turned into a fiasco - one afternoon in May I was found sitting on the hillside, muttering incoherently, as Fiasco grazed unpertubed beside me. I don't know what happened that day - I never remembered - but I'm sure I wasn't riding. My best guess is that I took him up on the hillside for a walk, he spooked big-time into me, and I fell and hit my head and ended up with a grade III+ concussion. I'm the type of equestrian who never, ever rides without a helmet and that day not only did I not have a helmet on, but I wasn't wearing pants and Fiasco wore neither a saddle nor a bridle. I didn't trust this horse enough to ride him on a trail *with* a saddle, never mind bareback. The accident and the getting-old-fast two hour long bus rides to the stables ended my time with Fiasco. (Side note: one of the weirdest moments in my life happened the next day when I looked through all the notes I had taken during lecture the day before and couldn't remember hearing a single bit of the information, nor writing it down.)

In January 2007, I decided that I could finally afford to start taking lessons again. I found Cheryl Maloney of Blue Moon Riding School through a recommendation in response to a post I made on craigslist and started riding weekly in the spring. In May, I started a new job, one that provided a salary with which I could justify owning a horse. I was thrilled! Finally I would be able to have my own horse! It had been my wish since I was a little girl - every wish on a star, every wish on a candle, had been "Please let me have my own horse". I felt so lucky and dreamed of what my horse might be like. I figured I should buy a younger "hunter prospect" - you know, your typical 5-9 year old TB or warmblood in active training who hasn't quite figured out flying changes but is scopey and fun - a horse that I could enjoy for many years with lots of jumping. I didn't plan to show, but didn't rule it out either. I figured I could afford about $5K, realizing that I wouldn't be able to get the best horse for me (the Bay Area market for such horses is extremely inflated - they go for $10-15K. A similarly trained dressage prospect? $30-40K.), but that I would still be able to get something with a lot of potential.

Then one night I dreamed about Dallas. Aha! I spent the next few days very confused and rather sad. Should I see if the owners would be willing to sell me my old friend? Should I give up on the kind of horse I "should" buy? I weighed the pros and cons - Dallas would certainly be cheaper, but how old was he getting to be? Dallas would be fun and I could trust him as much as I could ever trust any horse, but would I be able to ever jump him? I could take Dallas on trails, but how much training would he need to be able to go from ranch-broke/never-ridden-in-anything-but--a-curb/neck-reined/Western rental horse to a balanced, supple athlete that could participate in my regular lessons? I decided to at least call the owners and see if they might be willing to sell him and, if so, for how much.

They were willing to sell and the price was reasonable for southern California. I decided to go down and visit Dallas to see what kind of condition he was in. It was bad. He scored maybe 2.5 on a condition scale. He was super-skinny, ribs and hips protruding, more sway-backed than I remembered. All of his beautiful Quarter Horse chest, shoulder, and hip muscle was gone. What happened?, I asked. Well, he (and the other summer rental horses) spent the other nine months of the year on 1500 acres of dry pasture. It didn't rain very much during the winter and he hadn't gotten enough food. It was lucky I asked to see him, I was told, another couple months and he might have been "too far gone".

Long story short, eight weeks later Dallas arrived in Half Moon Bay on August 5th. The pictures below were taken a few days after his arrival. His condition had drastically improved since I saw him in June; I basically had the owners put him in a small paddock and give him constant access to hay. He's of course doing much better now than what he looks like in these pictures and I'll hopefully have a chance to post more recent pictures soon.

I'm so happy with my decision to buy Dallas. I don't believe in things like "he came to me in my dreams", I think I was just thinking a lot about horses and my brain hit upon the random connection, but I'm still very glad I did dream about him that day last spring. I'm so happy to be able to provide him with the nice life he's never had. He now gets vaccinated (first time in his life), gets regular farrier care (instead of twice a year - once before camp to put shoes on and once after camp to take them off), gets his teeth floated (another first time thing), gets a joint supplement, and gets special time with me almost every day. His re-training is coming along well: he's adapted to a loose-ring snaffle, gotten used to me posting while he trots (he was way confused by that for a while

), and is starting to carry a little more weight with his hind end. I've even started him on low (very low) crossrails and cavaletti. I'm having the time of my life, and I think he is too. He sure seems happy.

Anyways, that's my story. I hope to learn more about you and your horse(s) in future discussions on this board. Happy riding!

Danielle

paige5785 · 11-05-2007, 07:12 PM

Hi and welcome to the family! You're going to love it here! I love the story and you have one beautiful horse!

- Florida Panhandle

Kathy G. · 11-05-2007, 07:15 PM

Welcome from Tennessee. Beautiful horse, I love bays

crittermom · 11-05-2007, 07:17 PM

Greetings from Virginia! I believe in fate!

gypsy · 11-05-2007, 07:28 PM

Hi from Arkansas

**seerfarm** · 11-05-2007, 07:57 PM

Hi and Welcome! From the Peach State...

Lovely story, and Dallas is a very handsome fellow!

**taelesean** · 11-05-2007, 08:36 PM

Greetings from Virginia!

SACREDWINDWALKER · 11-05-2007, 08:49 PM

Welcome From Kentucky!

cutter123 · 11-05-2007, 08:51 PM

Good to see another California girl here! Welcome!

A J · 11-06-2007, 12:12 AM

WooHoo! Another Bay-Area-er!

Welcome to HT!

We're getting enough west coasters to plan a get together sometime, methinks

HoldYourHorses · 11-06-2007, 06:02 AM

Welcome from Central Florida!

That was a great story & Dallas is sure a pretty boy!

dlgilbert4 · 11-06-2007, 12:39 PM

Thanks for the welcomes, everyone!

HeatherSarah3 · 11-06-2007, 12:58 PM

Welcome from Central California

Rebecca · 11-06-2007, 01:27 PM

Hello Danielle,

That was a great Intro!
You have a beautiful horse. I love his name, "Dallas".

My family and I live about 140 miles east of Dallas, Texas.

Welcome frome East Texas

Rebecca

horselady · 11-06-2007, 02:38 PM

Welcome from New York. He is a good looking boy, happy to hear he has fianally come home

beckyp · 11-06-2007, 02:45 PM

Hello from Kentucky,loved seeing pics of Dallas. He is a good looking horse!

VickiE · 11-06-2007, 03:10 PM

Welcome!!

dlgilbert4 · 11-06-2007, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebecca

Hello Danielle,

That was a great Intro!
You have a beautiful horse. I love his name, "Dallas".

My family and I live about 140 miles east of Dallas, Texas.

Welcome frome East Texas

Rebecca

Thanks, Rebecca. He actually came with the name - that's what the previous owners called him. I don't know if it was his original name. The previous owners have over 500 horses and do not keep paperwork. They couldn't even tell me how long they had him, never mind where he came from, what his breeding was, or anything like that.

Danielle

kanoo32 · 11-06-2007, 04:45 PM

Hey there, and welcome from sunny South Florida

I believe you must have been meant to be together!

2forNow · 11-06-2007, 05:08 PM

Hello and welcome from southeastern Wisconsin. Beautiful boy and what a story.

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11-05-2007, 07:07 PM
dlgilbert4 Newborn Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 9	New from California Hello everyone, My name is Danielle and I'm a new member on Horsetopia. I live in San Mateo, California, I'm 23 years old, and have one horse, Dallas. Dallas is a 19 year old Quarter Horse (not registered) and I board him at Blue Moon Riding School in Half Moon Bay. Although Dallas is my first horse, I've been riding for 15 years. From elementary school to high school, I rode hunters and was a working student with Ruthanna Bridges in Orange County, CA. I never had the money to get my own horse, but I loved riding. In high school, I showed on the local B/C circuit and did quite well for someone who was always on a lesson horse and didn't have the latest fashions for junior hunters. During the summer, I attended Camp Scherman, a Girl Scout camp in Idyllwild, CA, where I participated in the horseback riding program. In my final year as a camper, in the summer of 2000, I met Dallas. He and 29 of his friends were rented out to the camp every summer. Dallas was assigned to me to be "my" horse for the two-week-long camp session and it was love ever-after. I spent the summers of 2001 and 2002 working at Camp Scherman as a member of the riding staff. Dallas was my staff horse, meaning that I rode him on all the trails and that he was not used for campers. Those summers were the best times of my life. Sadly, the "real world" intervened (i.e. I needed to have internships that would improve my resume and the balance in my checking account more than a Girl Scout counselor position) and I was unable to return to camp in 2003 and 2004. In 2005, I was hired as the director of the summer riding programs for Camp Scherman, but I unfortunately had to leave the position halfway through the summer due to family problems. And that's where the story would typically end. Throughout college and in my first two years here in the Bay Area, I missed horses desperately. For a while in spring 2006 I volunteered as a two-times-a-week exercise rider for a little-handled, spooky young Arab named Fiasco. Well, as you might expect, that situation turned into a fiasco - one afternoon in May I was found sitting on the hillside, muttering incoherently, as Fiasco grazed unpertubed beside me. I don't know what happened that day - I never remembered - but I'm sure I wasn't riding. My best guess is that I took him up on the hillside for a walk, he spooked big-time into me, and I fell and hit my head and ended up with a grade III+ concussion. I'm the type of equestrian who never, ever rides without a helmet and that day not only did I not have a helmet on, but I wasn't wearing pants and Fiasco wore neither a saddle nor a bridle. I didn't trust this horse enough to ride him on a trail with a saddle, never mind bareback. The accident and the getting-old-fast two hour long bus rides to the stables ended my time with Fiasco. (Side note: one of the weirdest moments in my life happened the next day when I looked through all the notes I had taken during lecture the day before and couldn't remember hearing a single bit of the information, nor writing it down.) In January 2007, I decided that I could finally afford to start taking lessons again. I found Cheryl Maloney of Blue Moon Riding School through a recommendation in response to a post I made on craigslist and started riding weekly in the spring. In May, I started a new job, one that provided a salary with which I could justify owning a horse. I was thrilled! Finally I would be able to have my own horse! It had been my wish since I was a little girl - every wish on a star, every wish on a candle, had been "Please let me have my own horse". I felt so lucky and dreamed of what my horse might be like. I figured I should buy a younger "hunter prospect" - you know, your typical 5-9 year old TB or warmblood in active training who hasn't quite figured out flying changes but is scopey and fun - a horse that I could enjoy for many years with lots of jumping. I didn't plan to show, but didn't rule it out either. I figured I could afford about $5K, realizing that I wouldn't be able to get the best horse for me (the Bay Area market for such horses is extremely inflated - they go for $10-15K. A similarly trained dressage prospect? $30-40K.), but that I would still be able to get something with a lot of potential. Then one night I dreamed about Dallas. Aha! I spent the next few days very confused and rather sad. Should I see if the owners would be willing to sell me my old friend? Should I give up on the kind of horse I "should" buy? I weighed the pros and cons - Dallas would certainly be cheaper, but how old was he getting to be? Dallas would be fun and I could trust him as much as I could ever trust any horse, but would I be able to ever jump him? I could take Dallas on trails, but how much training would he need to be able to go from ranch-broke/never-ridden-in-anything-but--a-curb/neck-reined/Western rental horse to a balanced, supple athlete that could participate in my regular lessons? I decided to at least call the owners and see if they might be willing to sell him and, if so, for how much. They were willing to sell and the price was reasonable for southern California. I decided to go down and visit Dallas to see what kind of condition he was in. It was bad. He scored maybe 2.5 on a condition scale. He was super-skinny, ribs and hips protruding, more sway-backed than I remembered. All of his beautiful Quarter Horse chest, shoulder, and hip muscle was gone. What happened?, I asked. Well, he (and the other summer rental horses) spent the other nine months of the year on 1500 acres of dry pasture. It didn't rain very much during the winter and he hadn't gotten enough food. It was lucky I asked to see him, I was told, another couple months and he might have been "too far gone". Long story short, eight weeks later Dallas arrived in Half Moon Bay on August 5th. The pictures below were taken a few days after his arrival. His condition had drastically improved since I saw him in June; I basically had the owners put him in a small paddock and give him constant access to hay. He's of course doing much better now than what he looks like in these pictures and I'll hopefully have a chance to post more recent pictures soon. I'm so happy with my decision to buy Dallas. I don't believe in things like "he came to me in my dreams", I think I was just thinking a lot about horses and my brain hit upon the random connection, but I'm still very glad I did dream about him that day last spring. I'm so happy to be able to provide him with the nice life he's never had. He now gets vaccinated (first time in his life), gets regular farrier care (instead of twice a year - once before camp to put shoes on and once after camp to take them off), gets his teeth floated (another first time thing), gets a joint supplement, and gets special time with me almost every day. His re-training is coming along well: he's adapted to a loose-ring snaffle, gotten used to me posting while he trots (he was way confused by that for a while ), and is starting to carry a little more weight with his hind end. I've even started him on low (very low) crossrails and cavaletti. I'm having the time of my life, and I think he is too. He sure seems happy. Anyways, that's my story. I hope to learn more about you and your horse(s) in future discussions on this board. Happy riding! Danielle Last edited by dlgilbert4 : 11-05-2007 at 07:11 PM.

11-05-2007, 07:12 PM
paige5785 Kid Safe Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Florida Posts: 5,264	Hi and welcome to the family! You're going to love it here! I love the story and you have one beautiful horse! - Florida Panhandle

11-05-2007, 07:15 PM
Kathy G. Yearling Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Tennessee Posts: 870	Welcome from Tennessee. Beautiful horse, I love bays __________________ That which doesn't kill us, only serves to make us stronger.

11-05-2007, 07:17 PM
crittermom Started Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Virginia Posts: 2,682	Greetings from Virginia! I believe in fate! __________________ Peace!! I wish the people of the world could get along as well as the animals in my backyard.

11-05-2007, 07:28 PM
gypsy Coming two Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: North Central AR Posts: 1,641	Hi from Arkansas

11-05-2007, 07:57 PM
seerfarm Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Out with the Herd! Posts: 8,231	Hi and Welcome! From the Peach State... Lovely story, and Dallas is a very handsome fellow! __________________ "Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us". ~Hal Borland

11-05-2007, 08:36 PM
taelesean Administrator Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Virginia Posts: 5,756	Greetings from Virginia! __________________

11-05-2007, 08:49 PM
SACREDWINDWALKER Started Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Western Kentucky Posts: 2,110	Welcome From Kentucky! __________________ http://www.sacredwindwalker.com

11-05-2007, 08:51 PM
cutter123 Weanling Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Cali Posts: 475	Good to see another California girl here! Welcome!

11-06-2007, 12:12 AM
A J Greenbroke Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Vallejo, CA Posts: 3,476	WooHoo! Another Bay-Area-er! Welcome to HT! We're getting enough west coasters to plan a get together sometime, methinks __________________ Try not, do. Do or do not. There is no try.

11-06-2007, 03:10 PM
VickiE Conformation Clinic / Product Reviews Moderator Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 3,143	Welcome!! __________________ It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it. George W. Bush

11-06-2007, 06:02 AM
HoldYourHorses Weanling Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Lakeland Posts: 423	Welcome from Central Florida! That was a great story & Dallas is sure a pretty boy! __________________ Are the things you're living for worth Christ dying for? Think about it.

11-06-2007, 12:39 PM
dlgilbert4 Newborn Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 9	Thanks for the welcomes, everyone!

11-06-2007, 12:58 PM
HeatherSarah3 Weanling Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Fresno, Ca Posts: 292	Welcome from Central California __________________ A horse is worth more than riches.

11-06-2007, 01:27 PM
Rebecca Started Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: East Texas Posts: 2,808	Hello Danielle, That was a great Intro! You have a beautiful horse. I love his name, "Dallas". My family and I live about 140 miles east of Dallas, Texas. Welcome frome East Texas Rebecca

11-06-2007, 02:38 PM
horselady Greenbroke Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: albany new york Posts: 3,594	Welcome from New York. He is a good looking boy, happy to hear he has fianally come home

11-06-2007, 02:45 PM
beckyp Seasoned Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: utica,ky Posts: 4,118	Hello from Kentucky,loved seeing pics of Dallas. He is a good looking horse! __________________ If not at home try the barn.

11-06-2007, 04:45 PM
kanoo32 Started Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 2,735	Hey there, and welcome from sunny South Florida I believe you must have been meant to be together!

11-06-2007, 05:08 PM
2forNow Yearling Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 522	Hello and welcome from southeastern Wisconsin. Beautiful boy and what a story.