I have accepted the fact that at some point I will actually want another horse. Not right now, maybe not for half a year or so, when the balance of missing riding and missing Cameron has shifted a bit from the 40-60 it seems to be sitting on. And from a practical standpoint I'll certainly have to have a job first, as the way my life is it's ethically and morally unfair to ask anyone but myself to pay for it. But at any rate I noticed today that I could flip through the horse catalog I got in the mail (I get about three a week; today it was Jeffers) and not burst into tears, so that must mean that I'm working through my grief, as the saying goes. At some point, in I'm guessing six months to a year, I'm likely going to put out feelers for a horse. I tried, as an experiment, to collate my thoughts on what kind of a horse I want into a want ad, and this is what I came up with:

Equine Wanted: New partner needed for rider in that nebulous state of experience called "intermediate." Rider is comfortably experienced in handling, grooming, and care, has interacted with a wide range of equine temperaments, and likes to consider herself fair and honest when dealing with her equine partners. However the rider is still dealing with the aftereffects of losing her former horse to a tragic accident, so emotional issues may surface at intervals- applicants who are dealing with their own emotional issues may wish to look elsewhere. Prospective applicants should be brave, kind, and willing to accept lots of contact from the rider, mostly long grooming sessions, cuddling, and kisses on the nose. Rider, although lacking a huge amount of competitive drive or competition experience, is an eventer both by training and for love of the discipline. Thus, a sincere enjoyment of hacking (often solo) and cross-country jumping on the part of the applicant is mandatory. Age of applicant not a major issue, although those between late youth and the middle-ages will be shown a slight preference. If applicant is brave and willing enough, high experience levels may not be necessary. Attitude, as they say, is everything- rider would prefer an honest green horse who will try to an experienced horse that is dishonest or must be constantly coaxed. However, willing *and* experienced is certainly a high plus point. Breed, color, gender, and markings are not issues, however height of applicant should be a minimum of 15.2 and build should be solid simply because the rider is tall and solid as well. Good ground manners, or willingness to learn them, is a necessary aspect of the potential applicant's character, as is a willingness to be a kind (if not necessarily perfect) mount to occasional beginner riders. Applications will be accepted from June 2007 onwards.