major purchase

The largest purchase that I have ever made was buying a horse during this past Christmas Break. Spending such a large amount of money forced me to quickly mature and take responsibility because this was my personal decision, not my parents. While deciding on a budget, I also had to decide what kind of horse I felt would be talented enough to advance me through the levels. I was offered a spot to join a group headed to Ireland to shop for horses as well so now I had to make the major decision whether to buy a horse from the states or from overseas. This decision was terrifying because it was a large deal of money and if I bought one from Ireland, there was no turning back. All my time and energy would be fully committed to a new horse. I researched bloodlines, training, event records, and breeds of horses from the U.S. compared to those in Ireland. I talked to highly respected trainers/competitors who had bought horses from Ireland and what their opinions were on the horses over there versus the horses here in the States. I finally made my decision to take this leap and hopped on a plane headed to Ireland at the beginning of December. After riding horses for three days, I made my final decision on a horse that I had fallen in love with and before I knew it I was headed home the new owner of an Irish Sport Horse. He arrived to my farm a couple days before Christmas after a long week of travel. It was a major purchase in my life but because of all of the information I had gathered, I know that I made the best choice and I do not regret one bit of it.