No, not barn shopping for Henry. We’re quite happy where we are. But I’ve been looking around a lot, trying to come up with a “next step” plan for Presto. Theoretically he’s welcome to stay out in Midland as long as I want, which is super, because it takes the pressure off of me. But I’m a little emotionally scarred and would love to have him nearby so I could see him more often, plus would like to relieve Michelle of some of her own pressure. He has not exactly been a stress-free charge.

If I had my way, he’d be at my barn. There’s a field up in the front with lots of terrain and a creek crossing, and then I’d get to see him every day. But right now the field is pretty full, and pasture board there is a bit more than my already set aflame budget can handle.

So, at the moment, that’s a no.

I have some other options though. There isn’t a lack of pasture board in the area, and some of my friends have graciously offered him space. I am a little bit complicated though in that if he’s going to leave Midland and the absolute top-notch care that he gets there, I want it to be for the perfect situation. The criteria that I’m looking for in particular:

• large pasture, at least 5ish acres, with good grass. Big huge bonus if there’s terrain and hills (hard to find here, but still, if I’m in dreamland…).
• safe fencing. I’m open to a few different types of fencing, but it has to be safe and in good repair.
• either access to a nice big run-in shed or brought inside during inclement weather.
• excellent staff. I’m a little neurotic about this horse. And by a little, I mean like off the charts insane. If he’s not somewhere that I can see him every day, I need to know I that can trust whoever is caring for him.
• decent feed. Like not the $12 a bag shit that’s made out of the crap they sweep up off the floor at the mill. He’s a baby wb, he needs good nutrition. So either they have to feed something decent, or the price has to be good enough to where I can afford to supply my own. They also need to be feeding hay at least when the pasture isn’t as lush/during the winter, if not year round. I think he’s the type of horse that wouldn’t keep weight well without it… he’s naturally lean.
• some type of training facilities are a plus, so that every once in a while I can at least bring him into a barn to groom him, learn about tack, crossties, start the very basics of how to lunge, etc. This part isn’t necessary though, I could do it in a pasture if I had to.
• friends his age are also a plus, but older horses are fine too.

That’s a lot to be picky about, I know. Some things are easy to find here, other things aren’t. I am willing to compromise on location, if all the other boxes are ticked. The closer to me the better, but I’m ok with him being up to a couple hours away if I feel really good about the place and the people.

Presto won’t be weaned until the end of September, and then he’d need to be gelded, so I haven’t been in a super huge rush to find anything. Like I said, he can stay in Midland as long as I need him to. I’ve really just barely started poking around to see what my options are… but then I came across this place.

From first impressions, they tick all my boxes. It’s about an hour away, definitely has the facilities (way more than we need), and they’re experienced with babies. I’m planning on going to look at it next weekend to check out the pastures and see what kind of vibe I get. If it doesn’t seem absolutely perfect, then it’s a no, because see above note about me being off the charts insane… but, we shall see.