How it all started

I decided to start this blog to write out my journey with my horse, Jig, and any other barnyard and life musings.

Jig is a 24 year old paint horse gelding. He is my first horse to own. I got him from a farrier we use for our goats, who got him from one of her clients that was getting rid of all of her horses after her husband had passed. Besides the husband riding him, the only information our farrier had was that he had been a barrel racing horse previously with a woman who had owned him. That sure explains his fiery spirit.

He came with papers, and it showed a farm he had been born on in California as the original owner. It doesn’t seem to exist anymore. When I showed my horse owning neighbor the papers, she didn’t think they were his because of the coloring. It showed a tobiano foal from a gray mare. If you see him now, you would think he is just a gray quarter horse. However, I have read that paints can lose their coloring over time, and become “ghost paints.” I have noticed when I give him a bathe that I can see the tobiano marking outlines. So, I’m going with ghost paint!

How Jig came into my life is when our lovely farrier said she had the perfect horse for us when I mentioned I was thinking of getting one. I went to her place with my young daughter to see him and “test ride.” We followed her to go out and catch him with a bucket of grain. He came running. At first I was taken aback at how tall he was. It was quite intimidating. I measured him later and he is around 16 hands. Big boy!

She groomed and saddled him and rode him first. Then it was my turn, and although I was nervous, I was so happy to be riding again. I thought about it for about a week after we went home and really couldn’t say no. I will say, my husband had doubts due to his age, any my talented horsewoman neighbor said “she’s just looking for somewhere for him to die.” Oof! I just couldn’t escape the feeling that we needed each other. Me much more so than him, probably! After all, he was enjoying munching on grass in a huge pasture with a knowledgeable farrier taking care of him! I am a mom of two though, and I really wanted a project for me. That’s a story for another time though.

So, Jig arrived in April for me as an early birthday present. I was home with my daughter waiting on the porch for the trailer to arrive. It was quite a scene. My dear farrier coming down the road with her big truck and trailer, popped her cowboy hat topped head out the window and asked if it was ok to park in front of my neighbor’s house. She pulled up and I had to tell my neighbor I didn’t quite take her advice! She said, “Nope, you sure didn’t, but you’ll have fun though!” I was glad she didn’t disapprove too much because I think she’s very cool. There was a lot of neighing coming out of the trailer. Both from Jig and the horse the farrier brought along as a buddy, and all 7 of my neighbor’s horses excitedly greeting them.

When she brought him out of the trailer he had a slight limp and gash on his back leg. It was covered in a red colored medicine which made it look worse. The farrier said he had cut it on the fence that morning. Not a great start for sure. She walked him in through the gate and it was a very exciting yet nerve wracking moment. I definitely had thoughts of “what have I done?!” floating through my head. He was quite nervous, loud, and fidgety as she tied him and I was unsure of what I had gotten myself into. She reminded me that it was a new place for him and would take him time to settle in. After we got all of his belongings together (he came with a mechanical hackamore and grooming bag) we let him into the pasture. He immediately started eating grass and the farrier and I went to sign papers and I gave her the check. We said goodbye and see you in 6 weeks for a hoof trim, and my three year old daughter and I sat together to watch him and I took in a deep breath. I have a horse! Little me would be so proud.