'Kay, this is going to sound nuts...

Yup, as I was upstairs dealing with my frustration at having to sell my mare....and my poor gelding was weaving and calling until he was hoarse... I followed my usual habit of cruising craigslist for sheep and looking at horses just 'cuz.  My husband was looking over my shoulder and we saw a gelding for not much.

We looked at the picture; he was a gray 8 year old, nothing special.  Looked a bit smallish, but solid.  So my husband called.  The people answered, explained they were selling the horse for a friend and they weren't home, and there tons of people calling because the horse was so cheap, etc.  My husband decided he's pray about it a bit, and I sort of put it out of my mind.

Well, they called back.  We drove over (not far) and took a look at the horse.  He was pretty spooky.  Someone's hit this horse somewhere along the line: dogs didn't bother him, wheeled objects didn't bother him, even unexpected noises (he'd been out in pasture the last 8 months) were a breeze.  But a person coming toward him was scary.  He carries his head way up high and his ears pricked; he's nervous.

I rode him a bit.  He was jumpy but not naughty.  He has a go and a whoa, but no neck reining, doesn't move off the leg aids.  He's been banged up some out in pasture - had what looked like a nasty wire cut healed over, but it didn't get his tendons.

My daughter fell in love with him - honestly, slap a horn on the guy and he's a 11 year old girl's fantasy unicorn.  She walked right up to him and gave him a big hug around his neck.  He stood as still as a statue, except for licking and chewing (means he's ready to listen in horse speak).

We brought him home (no three week hemming and hawing for us (:  ).  My gelding was thrilled - poor pitiful guy was standing at the gate he last saw the mare, weaving (HATE that habit) and too hoarse to call anymore.  He'd worn himself out grieving.  He took one look at the gray and visibly relaxed.  They aren't close, yet, but they're comfortable.  I figure if the child falls out of love with him, if I put some trust into him and get him light and moving off aids, he'll be easy to sell. I got him for such a good price, it was worth the try.  And I have someone to ride while the paint convalesces!

So even though I have a big mare sized hole in my heart - I have a small gelding to fill part of it.

What do you think?  I had a struggling reader who loved a book called Gib and the Gray Ghost so much she read it several times in one year.  I was thinking Gibson might be a good name - but I draw the line at calling him Mel.  My little girl wanted to call him Fantasy, but I had a hard time imagining myself trying to call him in from the pasture.....