After 911 happened, I did a quick evaluation of life, at the time we were breeding Quarter Horses and Paints, we were doing very well and competing in the halter discipline. But I thought hmmm these horses are taking up a lot of time, money and effort and really I'm not passionate about either breed. Its time I bought something that would be my very own project. I had always loved the Clydesdale breed, but much like a sports car, its one of those things that seems more like a dream then a possibility.
I did some research on the breed, found out that it does not require me to re-mortgage my house to feed them, that they do ride, and that there was really nothing stopping me from persueing my dream to own one. So one weekend with a list of Alberta Clyde breeders in my hand, my then husband and I drove from Kelowna to Alberta, looking for the perfect horse for me. We were heading to Edmonton and then going to look through out the weekend, but we passed a sign reading Didsbury Alberta. On my list were 3 breeders in that town alone. It was roughly 10:30 at night, I called the first breeder on my list.... Can I look at your horses I want to buy.
As I was looking for a youngster, they were all out in the field with the herd, as it wasn't time for them to be brought in and snipped or tail docking or handled yet. Here we are with this stranger in a field out in no where, it was pitch black, I believe it was even snowing. We could only see the herd of moms and babies by the light of our headlights. We couldn't get close enough to them to touch them, as these weren't handled or imprinted babies. There must have been about a dozen there. I pointed to one and said yep thats him, gave the gentleman a deposit, and said we would be by in 2 weeks to pick him up (when my husband had the horse trailer with him and was heading back to Kelowna) please don't dock his tail or geld him... I would geld him when I got him home.
For anyone involved in horses you have to know this is crazy! No vet bills, no references on this stranger, I can't even touch the baby to check for temperment or issues. I could have been so taken for a ride with this. But two weeks later, when it started to sink in of how I purchased this horse he was due to arrive.... Would I even get the horse I originally had picked out, would it be sound and not crazy.... what had I done????