Tuesday, March 2, 2010

The elephant in the room



Go ahead. Ask. You know you want to. The question's been popping into your mind every time you've come to visit for the past week, but you've been too polite to blurt it out.

Are you going to get another horse?

Yes.

This was not an automatic decision. I've thought about it long and hard over the past few days, to the exclusion of everything else...with the minor exception of Sunday's hockey game. I'll spare you all the conversations I've had with myself and jump right to the conclusion:

– Riding horses is what I do and a fundamental part of who I am. Heck, it's why I moved to the middle of nowhere in the first place.

– Hank has earned his retirement; I'm not going to make him carry me around on his arthritic knees.

– I need a horse to ride, and Hank needs a buddy. He and the burrito brothers get along famously, but it's not the same as having one of his own kind to keep him company.

So another horse is in our future – a horse with hooves of steel; a hardy horse who exemplifies Darwin's theory of "natural selection"; a horse whose loyalty is unwavering once you earn his trust; a horse who will feel right at home on the range.

A mustang.

I called the folks at the Wild Horse Inmate Program in Colorado yesterday to get the scoop on adopting a prisoner-trained BLM mustang. (Long-time readers will remember that this is the same place where I adopted George and Alan. And if you've run out of movies to order from Netflix, check out "Wild Horse Redemption," which is all about the inmate program.) I've also been in touch with the Mustang Heritage Foundation to see if any of their trainers in New Mexico might have a BLM mustang saddle-trained and ready for adoption. One way or another, a BLM mustang will be joining the herd some time in the next several months.

Alrighty then. With that particular elephant out of the room, now you're probably wondering what I will name said mustang. All I can tell you at this point is the mustang will be a gelding, so "Sally" is out of the running.

66 comments:

  1. WOW ... that's GREAT news and made me smile and say to myself, "Allllright!!!".

    I've seen "Wild Horse Redemption" and it's a very interesting documentary. Mustang's are beautiful horses. I'm looking forward to future posts as everything comes together.

    Have you whispered this news in Hank's ear?

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  2. I am very happy for you that you will give a great home to another horse. It will be very interesting to get to know your newest "boy" when he arrives.
    signed
    Theresa in Alberta

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  3. Good. Your heart will be healed.

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  4. I find myself in exactly the same predicament. I lost my treasured Arabian Mare of eight years on the eve of Christmas Eve to colic. It was a horrible tragedy and I have been grieving her loss since. My 23 year old Quarter Horse Red has been grieving as well. We need another horse, one for me to ride and one to be his companion. I had to process the loss but now I am beginning to be ready to move on.
    I love your plan to adopt a mustang. I follow your blog because you live where I want to be. I own property near the Manzano Mountains of New Mexico bordering the national park and want to move there so I can ride for miles. However I am stuck here living vicariously through blogs like yours until the housing market improves or I can come up with a plan B to get out of Florida.
    Looking forward to seeing what new horse will become a part of your family.

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  5. I am so glad to read that you have decided on a Mustang as your next horse! I can't wait to see what you end up with and will be watching closely for his arrival!

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  6. So you read minds too, do you Linda? When I saw on FB that you had joined Mustang U I wondered !

    I am so happy that Hank is going to get a buddy and that you will have a riding companion again

    It is all good :)

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  7. -hooves of steel- magnificent! remember all the beauties at the auction? the little blue roan? the rasta manes? can't wait to see who comes home to the 7MSN!

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  8. I am so happy you decided to go with adopting a mustang. I think that is the perfect decision. Best wishes and good luck finding the perfect one.

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  9. Shoot...I thought that you were going to get an elephant! Now there is some good blogging!

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  10. Well I guess you took care of that issue! Can't wait for the new adventure! I'm sure Deet's will be a big part of it : )

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  11. Carlyce in WI3/2/10, 5:47 AM

    Oh, that is so cool! I have watched a number of mustang challenges at the Midwest Horse Fair, and think a mustang would be a perfect addition to your 7MSN herd. You will have lots of fun coming up with appropriate names (and he may already come with one you like). Can't wait to meet your new fella.

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  12. Great news! How about 'a boy named Sue'?

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  13. That's lovely. I can't wait to meet him.

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  14. Good for you!!! And the whole gang!

    ~Curious Calamtiy in Idaho

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  15. We, your loyal readers, will walk with you on your journey. And you KNOW we will help you name him, whether you want us to or not :)

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  16. Good for you. Mustang will be fun to read about. I was going to suggest a gaited horse only because I love them so. Here is to good adventures in the future.

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  17. We can't wait to meet him!

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  18. Lucky you! I am hours and hours and HOURS away from adopting a mustang but I do want it to be in my future for sure.

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  19. How wonderful, I can't wait for the upcoming posts on him :) I'll be checking out that movie too.

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  20. Yay! I love the photo - I don't think I've ever seen an actual illustration of that old saying - perfect! :)

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  21. How about Mustang Salvador?

    My story doesn't anywhere compare to yours (a coyote snatched our cat of 10 years the same day Lyle died), but I've been thinking of a new cat every day--all day.

    Good luck finding just the right boy for you and the other Carson family members. :)

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  22. colleen from nc3/2/10, 6:59 AM

    Good for you. Can't wait to see what comes your way. The Colorado Inmate training program is one of those rare win/win situations. Horses still amaze me with all they give and teach us. Good luck.:)

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  23. Nice elephant. ;o)
    Congrats on your decision to get a new horse. A mustang. Very cool. I can't wait to meet him too!

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  24. Wahoo for the 7MSN family. Can't wait to follow the new adventure.

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  25. Ooooooooh. I'm so thinking already about my entry for another famous 7MSN on-line blog contest - "Name that Horse". You always give away the k00lest prizes. No "random drawing" this time, though. One name will just jump right out onto the back of your new Mustang.

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  26. Ah, no Mustang Sally - you know Johnny Cash sang about a boy named Sue - of course that name didn't bode well for the boy. Are you sticking with the country singer names?
    Anyway, jokes aside, there is one lucky Mustang out there getting ready to have the home of his dreams, best wishes for all.

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  27. Awesome :) I was going to ask, but figured it was too soon. I'm so glad you're going to get a mustang. Can't wait to see what you get!

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  28. I knew you would get another horse Carson, and I also figured it would be a Mustang, after your visit to the auction last year you could tell they just captured your heart. Good luck and I can't wait to meet the new member of the herd.

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  29. Woo-hoo! Great news about picking the Mustang. Can't wait to see what you pick out, but I know you've enjoyed photographing the 'stangs in the past and they have a soft place in your heart!

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  30. This is a good thing. I can't wait to meet him!

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  31. Can't wait to see your mustang! All the decisions of Spanish, Kiger, paint, hum?? Which will she decide on. Our two mustangs have draft in them so this is going to be exciting. Good luck with your decision.

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  32. I'm sure you will find just the right mustang to fill the Lyle-sized hole in your herd, and make it whole again. Please make sure Deets approves your choice, though!

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  33. That is great news for you and your critter family. It'a even better that you will be giving a mustang a good home :)

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  34. That's Great! I'm glad you decided to get another one. I'm sure Hank will be happy as well.

    Alecia

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  35. Yay!!!!! You're going to adopt a Mustang!! That is wonderful. Just wonderful. We have a Mustang and she is the smartest, sweetest, loving,sure footed, etc.... All with a bit of an attitude! lol And Wild Horse Redemption is a great program. I recorded it on tivo and watch again and again. I am soooooo excited for you. :)

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  36. That's wonderful news Carson. My friend Colleen has wanted a mustang for the past couple of years. I love the "adoption" factor also. Good luck, I know it will be great for everyone.

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  37. Oh I'm so glad. I know from losing much-loved Cats in the past, that the best thing is to get another one as soon as you can - eases the heart from the loss and gets your household back to "normal."

    And I vote for Brad or Trace, two of my favorite country singers.

    Christina / SVG

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  38. Oooh! That's exciting, Linda. I was thinking that Hank must be feeling a bit lonely without another horse around who gets his jokes. I'd forgotten about his knees.

    Oh! This is VERY exciting. *grin*

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  39. That photo is so cool with elephant being opaque. How'd ya do that?
    I'm very excited and happy for you, Linda. This is just what you and your herd need. The empty sad hole left by a dear animal's passing just begs to be filled again.
    I was thinking you could just ride a longhorn (You looked pretty natural up on that one last summer. hehe!)
    Nah. I rode a camel last year, and while it was fun, a horse just has a different spirit.

    A name popped into my head for your new boy just now, from the Johnny Cash song, "A Boy Named Sue"
    Except you could spell it Sioux.

    ~Lisa

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  40. Great news! You could call him Sue....(I'm chuckling to myself just thinking about that song as I type, haha).

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  41. Well first of all the last currently visible comment - Gaina saying "you could call him Sue" - is making me giggle.
    But seriously, I think it's wonderful that you're going to make this into an opportunity to help out another perhaps lonely soul from BLM. Whoever you decide to adopt is going to be one very lucky mustang.

    P.S. Omg the hockey game was amazing, wasn't it?

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  42. Well really...I'm not surprised in the least...I just had this hunch. The inmate horses are pretty good from what I hear. I also hear of a lot of horses up here in the Pac NW. I can keep an ear open for you if you'd like; just send me an email. Thanks for sharing your dreams with us all~~

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  43. A mustang - how wonderful!! Your life is just about everyone's dream. Good for you! I watched "Wild Horse Redemption". I think it is marvelous that you will be getting your new companion from them. It will give you comfort to know how he has been trained.

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  44. Wonderful! That is very exciting. I bet Hank is excited too; I've been feeling pretty sorry for him. I got a set of kittens last year, brother and sister, and the girl died suddenly a few months later. I felt soooo bad for her brother, cuz he became the outcast kitty. He's doing fine now, with his older brother and sister, but it was really sad at first. Good luck with your Mustang search!

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  45. It will be wonderful to be able to apply all you've learned in the classes you took with Lyle to your new ride.

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  46. Wonderful news for you and for Hank! If you pick up your horse from the prison in Canon City, I'd love to meet up with you. It's only an hour's drive for me. Let me know.

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  47. Love the photo and you really did hit the nail on the head with your assessment of what I was wondering about. You also answered my question about not riding Hank. I'm sure you've mentioned why in the past but my memory is shot. I would suggest a naming contest but some animals just name themselves so that might not work.

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  48. I think the obvious name choice is Leon. I don't know why. It just sounds good!

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  49. That's good news! I am so happy for you! Can't wait to see the new addition! I agree with you, my five donkeys and draft get along great, but I think my draft would much rather hang out with another horse versus an ass anyday!

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  50. Glad to hear this, and hope it all works out well for you!

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  51. This is wonderful news. For you, your furry friends, those of us who enjoy our virtual visits, and especially the adoptee-to-be. Looking forward to meeting the new family member.

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  52. Perfect, perfect and uhhh....perfect! I can't wait for the moment by moment, step by step updates we'll all get during your new adventure! Happy Days are here again!

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  53. And.....I just ordered Wild Horse Redemption from Netflix...and moved it up to position #!

    Yeehaw!

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  54. I never knew that Elvis took in horses to rescue them until I saw an interview with Priscilla Presley about Graceland around his birthday last year. It was very interested to find that out. I grew up in AL, haven't lived there since I was 24, but pass through Memphis on some trips home and back (from and to Central Texas).I need to get by and check it out one of the years. I felt plumb uneducated. Belton Belle

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  55. That's wonderful news. I'm so glad you decided to adopt a BLM mustang. It's a great idea and I'm sure your new 'guy' will be so thankful for the great home you will give him. As you said you ride so you need a horse and I think Hank will be very happy to have a buddy of the same species. I know he loves the burrito brothers but it's not the same. Good luck in finding the perfect guy for you and everyone at the ranch.

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  56. Yea! Yea! What about Sully?!

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  57. Okay, so yes, I have been wondering. Thanks for revealing the elephant in the room! Just be smart and be safe with your choice(s)! But we will never forget Lyle.

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  58. Haven't we been polite? It's extraordinary, really.

    Sounds exciting! I still remember those pictures you had of the BLM'ers.

    Are we out of country artists? How about Willie? It doesn't get much more mustang than Willie.

    :)

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  59. That is so wonderful that you are getting a Mustang!! I can't wait til you bring him home! Am I jumping the gun a little? LOL!

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  60. A mustang? Why his name should be Shelby! Seriously, I'm delighted to hear that there is a lucky horse out there waiting for you and the Ranch. May he bring you tons of love and happiness (and laughter).

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  61. wow we have been sick here for a couple weeks and i am so far behind... i am so sorry to hear ?read about lyle... and have /am shedding my tears for the loss... you are such a good mom and any new additions will be so loved I cant wait to meet him :)
    HUGS to you and again so very sorry to hear of your loss... our loss.

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  62. Awesome - I've hear from lots of folks that they are simply amazing to own (now I can't wait to see!)

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  63. Wonderful and how exciting! A new adventure begins!

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  64. That is awesome and VERY exciting! I love it. I do believe Lyle would approve. :)

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  65. What SHE said (Heart of a Cowgirl)!!! Probably the best thing comment-wise on this post --- "I do believe Lyle would approve."

    Me too.

    Hugs.

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  66. I had a feeling you might be going to get a mustang, one day.

    That will be one lucky boy.

    I am eager to meet him, when the right one comes to your notice.

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