Ah, the guilt sets in.

So, Boom has been leased by two girls while I've been away at my first year of university. One of the girls I have been close with her and her family for years, and it just worked perfectly that she was ready to move up onto a new horse when i left. She was okay stopping the lease when i got home because her sister leaves for Uni in September and she's going to have to take over riding him. Her sister's horse is a TB, much more fiery than Boomer and quite alot more to handle. We had a lesson together and he took off on her because she was squeezing with her legs- this type of squeezing Boomer wouldn't even feel! So because of this they have decided she needs to ride a horse with a little more "spunk" and whatnot over the summer to prepare her for riding her sister's TB when September come. I was disappointed because i planned on leasing to one girl and she seemed like the perfect person.

The other girl who leased him I had never met before. This made me quite nervous. She entered a show and a clinic without asking my permission which pissed me off. Since I bought Boomer there isn't a single thing that has happened to him which i didn't know about. I was homesick, missing my boy, missing riding (The dressage placed i tried out up here was intense, rewarding but in the end not worth continuing with.) and having someone come in and start doing things wihtout even sending me an e-mail really messed me up. While i was home for Christmas a couple things happened that also really rubbed me the wrong way. She didn't seem to care for me, my need to ride because i was only home for a short period of time, or really have alot of respect in general. The other day my best friend was riding Boomer (as she does every thursday morning, it's his only technical ride that he's getting right now, i love her for it.) This girl came out expecting to ride and when she found that hailey was on him she stayed in her car while her mom came and expressed their serious concern about the fact that they did not know someone else was riding Boomer. Well this has been happening since September so I didn't feel too sorry about it. This was the girl that my coach wanted me to lease to over the summer. With all the extra expenses of University and paying for my place up here, while i'm living at home for the summer... it made sense to have a bit of an extra income.

I decided i just couldn't do it. The girl was supposed to be moving in June but when i learned she was not moving until the end of the summer i decided she could find another horse that would suit her just find, and if she wants to show she would have alot more luck on someone else as i won't let her show B. I have finally e-mailed everyone. My coach was unimpressed, it was not our original plan. She e-mailed back to my several-long-paragraph e-mail with one sentance saying if they're still interested in riding i will find them another horse to lease. We have endless amounts of school horses to be leased at our barn so that will not be an issue. I'm not sure why she's pissed. The girl who was already planning on changing horses should react fairly reasonably, but as for the other girl im quite concerned. I was as nice as possible, saying she could ride over the summer on random days if she wants and that i hope she finds a horse she likes. I gave them both til the end of April to find another horse which is exactly 6 weeks. That's more than anyone gave me when i got kicked off lease horses back in the day!

I shared Boom with 2 other girls for one year. It was awful because he was getting overworked and we were all competing over him. When his owner said she was picking one of us to show and the others would have to stop leasing my parents put in an offer and we bought him. Buying a horse is the only way you're guarenteed to get to do what you want. I learned this after years of leasing. I deserve to have him to myself, i have missed him and riding every single day i've been gone. It's killed me. I don't know how I will finish school if it means being away from my baby. I hope these girls can understand that i hate that i might hurt them. I know they've worked very hard over the past 8 months, they've put in alot of effort with him and taken excellent care of him. He's been in good hands. I don't want to stop them from riding, but to complete Boomer and I's training we need to ride full time. We need to put in the utmost effort. We need to have training sessions with my coach weekly, he'll need extra time off, he'll need consistancy. He thrives off consistancy.

Anyways, enough. I'm worried about the response i'll get. I feel a bit guilty. More than anything i just want to go home and ride!

xo, J.