Here is the newest addition to my family. His name is Traveller. I found this ironic - Que looks so much like General Lee's horse, Traveller (from the Civil War) that people have bought me books and even the Breyer horse of Traveller.

We actually went to look at a different horse. The lady that had them for sale said that she thought that a sorrel gelding that she had sounded perfect for my husband and me. She said he really wasn't for sale yet, but she wanted us to look at him anyway. He had just come to her farm and she was trying to fatten him up and get him healthy again. She said he actually came from a really nice farm downstate that only had expensive horses. They had put him out to pasture and kind of forgotten about him.

Boy, had they ever!!! From the first second that I saw him, I dismissed him as a possibility. He was sooooo skinny, was obviously full of worms, and walked kind of funny (probably due to lack of nutrition). But, we were going for a ride to test out the other horse and needed something for my husband to ride. "Fine", I thought, "but I am not interested."

I guess the title of this story should be "Never say never." As we went for the ride, the horse I had chosen started being very pushy and reared a little. I knew that I could handle him, but this was supposed to be a horse that my husband (who doesn't really ride) could use to go for a ride with me sometimes. Just as I was making the decision that "Baxter" was not going to work out, my husband goes cantering by on Traveller saying, "I like this horse, I can steer him and everything".

Now, if you know my husband, the fact that he can "steer" this horse is a big deal in itself. But, to be "steering" him and cantering - that was unheard of!!!

We went back and talked with the lady about coming back the next day. I asked her what his name was. When she told me it was Traveller, I thought it was so funny. To have one horse that looked like Traveller and another one named Traveller! I decided it was a sign.

So, we decided to come back the next day to ride him again, look him over, etc. The lady says we are allowed to bring a vet, farrier, friends, anyone we would like. She has nothing to hide and has a good reputation. So that makes me feel a little more comfortable. (And I made her write that I could trade him back in, just in case. Better safe than sorry.)

I went home and called the man where Que is boarded to make sure he can take another horse - which he can. So, the next day we were off to see him again.

This time, I ride him. I take him out on a trail by himself. I do things that might make him nervous. I basically do anything I can think of to see if he has any big behavior problems. He passed all the tests with flying colors.

So, we made an agreement to buy him and have him delivered the next Saturday.

The trailer showed up early and we unloaded him and brought him into the barn. It was then that I realized just how skinny he was. Realized that his gums were white and he was probably anemic. Start to wonder how he ever carried around my husband (who is 6'2") and at a canter no less - without falling over.

This picture was taken at the farm where we bought him. See how sad and skinny he looked? What was I thinking? As I said, I am one of those people that will take in animals a lot of people probably won't bother with.

We started making jokes about how that even when I pay good money for a horse - I still get a "rescue". I always say, "Somehow they just find me."










I don't regret buying Traveller though. He is really sweet and seems to be intelligent. He learns very quickly. He is a goofball though, but I find him entertaining (well, most of the time anyway). He has been gaining weight fairly quickly and seems to be feeling a lot better. Unfortunately, this means he is not quite as "quiet" as we thought he was. But he is coming along quickly and has a very pleasing personality.

He's an appendix QH - which I don't quite understand because he is 3/4 Thoroughbred and only 1/4 QH. He is 6 years old and I prefer to call him chestnut instead of sorrel since I prefer dressage. He likes to put things in his mouth - which you will probably see in the videos.

You will have to overlook his forelock. Someone practically cut it off before we bought him and it is growing back, so he looks a little silly until it does. But he is very cute. He has a way of looking at you with eyes that say, "Is that OK, did I do that right?". He is a very pleasing horse. However, I am starting to find some quirky little things that he needs training for. I am planning to video these training sessions and include them in another website I am going to make about clicker training.

I hope you will be able to learn some things by watching me work with Traveller. Because of the state he was in when we bought him, he seems to have quite a few muscle problems that I need to work out.