This is Indee, she is this gorgeous painted horse that I met a few months ago and have been lucky enough to ride most weeks. The first time I saw her I was immediately drawn to her and there was something about her that I loved. This isn't a great picture of her here, with her ears back but she is very sweet and gentle and willing to please. The trick is for me, a new rider (I used to ride as a kid) and her being a bit green (this means she hasn't got alot of experience or training in having a rider and the signals that tell her what I want her to do) is to get our signals right and both of us knowing what to do with the information I'm sending her with my legs and hands. I tend to give crossed signals since they are different than the signals that I was taught as a kids when I rode english.Indee is a trail horse and is happiest on the trail and carrying her big western saddle. I tried riding her tonight with a much smaller english saddle. The western saddle is great for trail riding and very comfy and helps with balancing but when it comes to riding in a ring and using your legs to give signals and doing a rising trot the western saddle gives alot of blisters! Indee and I had our best ride tonight with me giving the right signals and her understanding me better and willing to go along with my directions.
Indee is actually for sale and I am in love with her but don't really know that much about keeping a horse and certainly can't afford the cost and the upkeep but everytime I ride Indee I can't help but dream and wish. If we had more land, a bigger barn, steady income... the list goes on. I even told Tim I would sell my motorcycle in a second if I could own Indee. I have wanted a horse since I was a very little girl and was always horse crazy and read every horse fiction book I could get my hands on.
Indee will be at the stables where Leah and I ride for the rest of June and then she is heading back home since she didn't sell. I keep thinking that maybe I could make a deal with the owner to pay for her board for a year and then get to ride her whenever I want, so at least it would feel like I own her.
I love my cat Baxter and have a strong attachment to him, but our dog Belle I never connected with the same way. I had a dog from a puppy when I was 13 and I had an incredibly strong connection with him and was devastated when he passed at 16 yrs old. Now I seem to have made this connection with a horse from the moment I saw her and she seems to feel the same. She comes to me when I call her and when Leah tried riding her she couldn't get her to follow her directions and Indee wouldn't do anything but try to follow me into the stables. I've even had dreams about her. It's a bit ridiculous I know, I feel all the same obsession I had when I was a child and just wanted to be with the horses all the time.
At least I have a few more rides to enjoy with Indee and maybe in the future I'll find a way to actually own her. You never know and if it is meant to be everything will fall into place.
