Cob Jockey: Encore's Person

Encore left for his new home on Friday.

In the end, he sold exactly how I thought he would: through word of mouth from one of the many, many people that are constantly messaging Castleberry Welsh Cobs and Sporthorses on Facebook asking if Lisa has any Cobs going under saddle. She almost never does, but she did this one time.

Literally his second time cantering under saddle since I had him.

The new owner is a young woman even shorter than me who had never ridden a Welsh Cob before. Her trainer (who has taken pulling breeds to the FEI levels, perfect for Encore) suggested she reach out to Lisa I think after seeing a Castleberry Cob showing at a local Dressage show last summer.

The trainer said they would be more size-appropriate than the Warmbloods and Thoroughbreds she had mostly ridden to that point, and you could see her whole world start to change as she rode 15hh Encore. She had a grin on her face almost the entire time. And I knew that feeling myself. That first time you ride a pony when you're a tiny adult that has mostly ridden big horses is just magic.

I hauled the new owner and Encore to his PPE. What can I say, she and Encore are about the same age as Connor and I were when I got him, and I see a lot of myself in her. I jumped at the chance to spend the hour drive there and back chatting with her. Peep that 18hh 3 year old Belgian next to him!

I mean but for real though

She had also done a gap year as a working student at [famous COTH blogger/Dressage rider/trainer]'s barn where she saw Castleberry Cobs Roscoe (Castleberrys ReFflection) and Ember (Castleberrys Esquire) haul in there for lessons and remembered being impressed with their good behavior and athleticism, which just added to the whole "meant to be" feeling.

Encore was so, so, SO good for his PPE, even though he was a little overwhelmed at the clinic setting.

In the end, for myself, I am so glad I did this. It pushed me as a horsewoman - I had a few moments in the beginning where I was like "what am I doing". But I took a deep breath and reminded myself that working with green horses is a skill I was capable of learning like all of the other horse things I've learned over the years.

I bought him a nice leather halter with a nameplate as a Christmas/congratulations on your new horse/congratulations on your first-but-probably-not-last Castleberry Cob purchase (lol) so everyone he meets at his new home will know he's a Castleberry pony.

And I didn't get as far as I would have liked with him under saddle, but I didn't need to. I needed to make him a solid citizen, solve his ulcer/teeth issues, and market him to the point that his person could find him, and I did that.


Getting the band back together after Encore left

For now, I'm done with projects for the winter. With our pastures all having been seeded in the fall, my turnout options are limited especially in fields with heated auto-waterers, so we're going to get through the worst of the winter with just three of them. But maybe I'll get to play with Encore's full sister in the spring...?