How will I knoooooow?

It's been three weeks now since I've sold Texas, and TOTALLY GOOD with having sold him. I know it was the right thing. How do I know? I don't know - I just... DO. So I'm looking for this exact feeling tomorrow when I go to meet Bella. If I don't feel like I MUST MUST MUST have this very horse right now, I will thank her politely for her time and wish her well, and I WILL LEAVE. I will not feel bad for "wasting" her time, or be talked in to something that isn't divinely perfect. I won't waver and go wellllll, maybe I can fix that, or that's not so bad, or maybe with me she'll be different. Nope. If she's not perfect, forget it.

What's helping me with the bravery? Well, two things really. First, my friend Jill. Second, Freckles. And really, both of them together in "The Plan". So when I started thinking about horse ownership again... 6 days after giving up on Texas... Jill challenged me to take up an offer from my friend Cheryl to ride Freckles when I need a horse fix. She crafted "The Plan", a two-month method of sorts to follow to help me decide whether horse ownership is really what I want. It's broken down by week, with activities and exercises for me to complete. So far, I've written down my feelings, made a pros and cons list for each horse I've owned/ridden, detailing what is absolutely essential to my potential next horse, and what is unacceptable, and tonight, I went to Cheryl's, got Frecks out of the pasture, took her down to the barn and groomed and hung out with her. She was an absolute sweetheart. For a horse that really doesn't know me, she calmly came with me, trusted me, and willingly let me groom her. She had a nice demeanor the whole time. There was a stack of hay covered up with some tarps that were flapping in the wind really hard, and she was not flapped by it at all! It was wonderful. I felt on top of the world when I left.

So, I see that Cheryl has her round pen fixed. That makes me soooo happy - I can't wait to saddle up and take her in there to goof around! I am gonna have a ton of fun in that round pen. :)

Tomorrow is a big day for me. Thankfully my friend Jill is going with me. She'll keep me grounded. And, I haven't forgotten the freedom of no boarding expense, no vet bills, etc. Though when you have a perfect partner, it's worth every last penny.