As mentioned in my last post, I was on the look out for a new horse after deciding to retire Shorty who had served me well. I settled on one site called, "Silver Shadows Rehoming & Education" which is an Aussie family business that takes on ex-harness racing horses and retrains them before finding them a new home. There were 2 horses I was very interested in and I decided to take the plunge and contact SSR&E and let them know of my interest. I let Chantelle know about my experience, what I was looking for in my next horse and what 'conditions' the horse would be faced with. She suggested Jim and I filled out all the forms required, renaming him Jem. (sounds similar to Jim) When a friend commented that the name Jem sounded feminine, I looked up male names that were derived from gemstones and I came up with the name Flint:
This rugged-sounding name is of English origin, stemming from Old English, where it denoted a person who was "born near an outcrop of flint." It suggests strength, courage, and durability, but it also points to Flint being your rock throughout life.
Flint was the perfect name for my new horse and when he arrived on March 9th, I raced up to see him as soon as I could after work. My first impression was "Wow!" I couldn't believe that such a beautiful horse that I had only seen in photos, was now standing in the paddock, waiting for me. I took this photo before I had even taken off the transport tag. He was so tall! I stood against him and then went and stood next to Shorty who is supposed to be slightly taller than Flint.
I gave Flint some time to settle in and meet his new paddock buddies and he made friends with Blue who is also an ex harness racing horse.
When he is settled, I will need to work on him giving space as he tends to crowd me when he is being fed or if I am leading him to his food. I am so excited about the adventures that await Flint and I!
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