Karen may have found the perfect new horse!

I will post more about my new horse soon --we have only just gotten home from Utah this afternoon.  I rode Bo (here is his ride record) 55 miles (day 2 of the ride) and really liked him.  He sure is nice -- though not exactly what I was looking (he is tall).  Fortunately, he is built really well and my saddle fits so nice that getting on him is really easy!  Plus he is absolutely one of the best mannered endurance horses I've ever seen and stands still when you mount.  He turns 10 this month, so was at the top of my preferred age but that is okay. He is really well trained, very level headed and he is ready to go to rides!  I used Easyboots on over his shoes since he came shod, but we will be pulling his shoes off tonight!  I am going to ride him next at Fort Schellbourne and then decide if he'll be coming home with me permanently. 

This photo of him was taken at Bryce last year, with his current owner Kerry.  They are also the March 2008 photo in the EasyCare calendar and on the back of the EasyCare catalog.  Small world! 

It had been years since I rode a shod horse in an endurance ride.  It was kind of weird.  At least he had boots on over shoes, which was nice because it kept him from slipping on some of the slick rocks like many of the metal-shod horses did.  The boots also came off clean and nearly free of sand so were a really good fit.   He takes a size 76 blanket.  Chief takes a 68.