Getting Excited!

The basics first, I suppose. I'm a 17 year old female who has been riding competitively and as recreation for 9 years. My name is Riley. I don't know why I'm blogging or if there is a point but hey, writing helps you vent! Anyway, my story is this: I have a rising 10 year old QH mare that I've owned for nearly 7 years. She is not 100% sound undersaddle but is sound and comfortable just lounging around so while I save up the money to get a lameness evaluation/xrays done, I have a young green project. My baby girl Lily is still getting all the loves and brushes she wants and deserves, she just doesn't have to work as hard!

I used to show QH a lot after "graduating" from Open/4H shows I attended with the local 4H group. Seems like now I'm backtracking! I have this friend in town who has two (apparently cattle-bred) QH's, both with the same sire, Skippa Oak Bar. Last summer I took her at-the-time 8 y/o mare for a month and put some time onto her. Now I'm taking her 3 y/o gelding on as a project. I'll have him for around six months as it's my goal to break him (he is very minimally broke, not sure to what extent) and take him to some Open shows - I'm rejoining 4H! Then I don't know, I'll be out of highschool and starting college. She reckons she'll sell him and give me a percentage of what he sells for, but she's doing me a favour as well as me doing her one, so I may or may not accept. She is in her senior year at highschool with me, is attending two college courses and works at Canadian Tire. With two horses she has zero time. Me? I just want to ride, and I love greenies.

From what I understand, Shaggy - "MTA Skippa Doc Jack" - is between 15.1hh/15.2hh, is currently a hairy yak, and is slightly underweight. He's been 'ethiopian' since she bought him, he's not an easy keeper. I'm not even sure what she's done with him. I know she's checked him up and lunged, walk trot cantered, but I don't know how broke or finessed he is. My dad and I are going there tomorrow night to grab him along with hay and grain and blankets etc (she's providing food and paying for farrier etc, go figure). I already have the stall set up for him and the paddock divided by electric tape. I will provide pictures of the stall/enclosure etcetera tomorrow when the lighting is good! I don't have any recent pictures of him but here's one taken of him when she first got him as a 15 month old (or so). Pretty skinny hey? If he's still too skinny now I'll jam the groceries into him harder than she is now...