One evening in late October, I received a phone call from Terrie in which she told me she had an idea of a horse I may be interested in. I had been openly interested in investing into a new horse now that Woody and I were in such a good place, and Terrie was one of the few people aware of this. She told me that Stormy, the big red warmblood on her farm, had been for sale for quite a while, and her owner had recently decided to dramatically reduce the asking price. Of course, I was all ears. Stormy had caught my attention on the farm many times, but I had known she was way out of my price range, so I didn't even allow myself to dream.
Later that week, I went out to Terrie's farm to ride Sassy, and following my ride on her, I had been given permission to work with Stormy. That day was the beginning of our journey together. I proceeded to ride her 5 more times at Terrie's farm before meeting with her owner, Jenny, and her mom, Diane. We all spent an afternoon together, and after seeing how Stormy and I got along together, we struck a deal.
This is where the story complicates. I had known that Stormy had been admitted to the VT horse hospital for a serious incident of tying up before, however I wasn't aware of the details of the situation. It turns out she had been put in a very stressful show barn environment, and when that was added to the lush grass she was turned out on, she tied up severely. She ended up spending several days in the hospital at Virginia Tech, and at the end of her stay, they finally diagnosed her with Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM), which is a surprisingly common disorder in which she cannot convert glucose properly and it stores in her muscles instead (click PSSM above to learn more). I had numerous discussion with many horse people I trust and respect, and got very mixed reactions. In the end, however, I decided to continue on with the already scheduled vet check, and granted she passed with a clean bill of health, continue on with the sale.
The vet check went great, and the doctor didn't have a single negative thing to say about Stormy. He said he thought I was capable of managing Stormy's condition with a proper diet and exercise routine, and she should be perfectly suited for my area of interest.
So Stormy is the big, talented, athletic, jumping horse I have always wanted. She is the biggest investment I have ever made, and the biggest decision I have ever been faced with. I can't wait for our future together, it is a very bright one. Once we get really nice things going between us here at home, I hope to take her to endless clinics, shows, possibly fox hunts, events, and the list goes on and on...
BASIC FACTS
Full Name: Stormi
Nickname: Stormy, Storm
Age: 12 years old
Breed: Belgian/Thoroughbred
Height: 16.2 hh
Gender: Mare
Color: Chestnut
FAVORITES
Favorite Toy: jumps jumps jumps!
Favorite Treat: hay cubes
Favorite Drink: good ol' water
Favorite Place: out and amongst her herd
Favorite Activity: JUMPING!
