# Hello fro Sedalia, Colorado!



## CrufflerSteve (Sep 17, 2007)

I've just joined here and I'm not even a horse owner yet but hope to be soon.

The kids are off to college and we recently bought a horse property in Sedalia, Colorado. 5.5 acres with 3 pastures. Good grazing for Colorado. (It is dry here). It has a great barn with 3 stalls and a tack room. We're just planning for two horses.

I grew up doing lots of riding, almost all western. When I moved off to college I fell away from riding and haven't ridden that much since. The Love of My Life grew up riding English style but we still get along. 

When we first started talking about what to get I said 'a plow horse'. I want a nice sturdy horse with a mellow temperament that can handle a big guy. I played with draft horses when young and have been actually considering a Belgian. I just want to do trail riding.

My Love wants something with a bit more fire and wants to do jumping when not trail riding.

We're getting close. It took months of work and too much money to get the house fixed up. Now we're getting some money together and a good weekend of work could have the barn and two pastures ready.

Steve


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

Greetings Steve, welcome to the forum. Just want to comment on what size horse to get. Don't forget you have to be able to get up there! I always thought I should ride a large (tall) horse since I am a large person 5'8" 200 lbs. Since I am almost 50 the knees arent what they used to be either. Something you might want to think about when looking at horses. Vida is 15 hands and has no trouble carrying me and not much trouble to mount up. I had a 16 hand Thoroughbred that I had to use a step stool to get on.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Welcome to the Horse Forum.


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## CrufflerSteve (Sep 17, 2007)

I have to admit my liking for Belgians is sentimental. I used to help at an uncle's farm and he had a working one. It hauled all the time and I got the fun job of driving the manure spreader cart.  He didn't have a saddle but I used to ride him bareback. He knew what he was doing so I stayed on. He wasn't sleek and smooth like most I see but a huge mass of muscle. When he trotted, his muscles would bounce me up & down. I also have done Civil War re-enacting and helped with the horse teams that haul the cannon. It would be great fun to have a horse that I could ride and could also haul my cannon for some living history.

I'm mainly looking at the quarter horse variants for a sturdy gelding or mare that isn't a youngster. If I don't end up with a cannon hauler I'll manage. A good ride is the main criteria.

The other horse will probably be one of those tall skinny thoroughbred types so it will be all English gear and doing jumping. I'll be happily ambling along on a mellower horse in a western rig.

I'm pretty big too, 6'3", 200 pounds (used to be 300). Our shortest kid is 6'1".

Thanks for the advice.

Steve


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## CrufflerSteve (Sep 17, 2007)

I have to admit my liking for Belgians is sentimental. I used to help at an uncle's farm and he had a working one. It hauled all the time and I got the fun job of driving the manure spreader cart.  He didn't have a saddle but I used to ride him bareback. He knew what he was doing so I stayed on. He wasn't sleek and smooth like most I see but a huge mass of muscle. When he trotted, his muscles would bounce me up & down. I also have done Civil War re-enacting and helped with the horse teams that haul the cannon. It would be great fun to have a horse that I could ride and could also haul my cannon for some living history.

I'm mainly looking at the quarter horse variants for a sturdy gelding or mare that isn't a youngster. If I don't end up with a cannon hauler I'll manage. A good ride is the main criteria.

The other horse will probably be one of those tall skinny thoroughbred types so it will be all English gear and doing jumping. I'll be happily ambling along on a mellower horse in a western rig.

I'm pretty big too, 6'3", 200 pounds (used to be 300). Our shortest kid is 6'1".

Thanks for the advice.

Steve


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

good going on the weight lose. We have been thinking of doing a volunteer program at the Cowtown museum in Wichita KS. We have friends who are up there every weekend with their horses doing old west reenactments and really enjoy it. Hope you find your cannon hauler, have you checked www.dreamhorse.com ?


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## Kat IA (Sep 7, 2007)

Hi Steve! I am new here as well. I am the one with the Big Bounce. 
.I am back to horses after 38 years, and boy do I ever feel it! I agree, it is not as easy to mount when you get older. The knees just don't have it. I felt like a fool the first time I got on Carmel. His previous owner got me a stool fo get on him . Anyway, best of luck. You won't regret it at all. Kat IA


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## CrufflerSteve (Sep 17, 2007)

We live on Dreamhorse. One problem with a lot of the horses there is they resemble me when I was 300 pounds. They obviously, aren't being ridden. We've looked at a few and have a busy weekend lined up.

We saw one we really liked for looks & personality. The problem was that he just didn't want to leave the barn. It was a major effort to get him to walk 100 yards away, forget trotting. The owner didn't do much better than us. Just to be certain we got a friend who's been riding forever and teaching riding. She tried him and in her opinion, he'll never leave the barn. Just a friendly, lazy horse.

Steve


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

So glad to hear you are taking a "pro" with you in your search. Its good to have a 2nd and 3rd opinion. Remember looks aren't everything, although I do like kind eyes. The horse I ride now I just grabbed out of a herd when my husband was looking for a horse just so I could go along with him on his trial ride. I fell in love with her and we ended up bringing 2 horses home instead of just one. You might check breeders in the breed of your choice too. They usually have more than one to pick from. Check the internet for horse associations AQHA KMSHA RMHA etc. They usually have breeder lists by state. I still think you should look at a Rocky/Kentucky mountain horse but then again I'm prejudiced. They were bred from old plow horses


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