Cocoa the Horse

BY JONAH:

I am pleased and amazed at my daughter today. Ana has been saving and hoping for this day since she met her first horse at age two on a merry-go-round in the Belz outlet mall in Las Vegas. She has been scouring craigslist and community bulletin boards and asking around at 4-H since we got here (and in New Zealand last year) and we have looked at a few horses but even with our approval she has to this point decided that she wasn't ready or that the horse just didn't seem perfect for her.

On to last week:

Anas first impression of Cocoa was really positive and after thinking about it (the owner allowed her some time to think about it although there were others lined up to buy her; who wouldn't allow Ana some time to think?). As I talked to the owner for a while she mentioned her uncertainty as to how serious Ana was when she first called. After I showed her all the tack lists and maintenance costs lists and questions that Ana had so painstakingly written, she was genuinely impressed. I just wish I could have videotaped the whole thing. We went up there together and she was so thankful for the ride and chatted really well with the owner (I purposefully stayed out of the way). Ana got her notebook out of her bag and asked some questions she had written, "Can pasture grass take the place of hay until it is all eaten down?" and "Is Cocoa allergic to anything?"

She then showed the owner her list of supplies and tack needed.

We gathered up all the tack and fly spray and bridle and 2 saddles (a nice western saddle and a bareback saddle), a full grooming kit, a full vet kit, a bunch of feed, a saddle rack, all the fly sprays and shampoos you could ever need.

Then the horse trailer arrived and she thanked them for coming (a nice woman from 4-H and her 16 y.o. daughter had graciously agreed to come move the horse for us) and promptly pulled out her purse and offered them $20 for coming out...they asked for a $10 instead. The horse then walked straight into the horse trailer.

I was talking to the trailer lady so Ana went over and worked out all the money matters and looked over her list again and noticed that she had forgotten to ask for electric fence handles, a water trough, and a stool so she can get on without a boost. On a previous visit she had hashed out some of the details of cost but wasn't sure how much she would have to give for all the ancillary stuff. She had the $200 she had pulled out of her bank ATM on the way up ($100 for the saddle and $100 for the horse) and an extra $23 and some change (she had some confidence in her bargaining skills). She was overjoyed when she went around and rounded up these last things her list had reminded her of and got in the car and still had $23!

Aniston is an amazing girl!