Here I am, meeting Terror! He's so gorgeous and sweet, I said yes! He's going to be my new horse!

He's so handsome, he makes me look bad. And speaking of looking bad, check out the belly on me - you can see why I wish shapewear was a better option (I bought some Jockey brand shape wear, but it just rolls down to my waist!) And I still have not got my hair cut (OBVIOUSLY).

Anyway, this is the first picture of me that I have ever posted, as I don't do selfies. Laughing Terror (yes, that is his name) is a 10-year old standardbred gelding, was injured last spring, but sound enough to ride (just not sound enough to race). He's the fattest standardbred that I have ever seen.

Thanks, folks, I'm pretty excited! It'll take me a couple of weeks to get ready for him. I have stuffed his future stall with about 100 bales of hay and have no place to move them to! (hay's a buck cheaper a bale if I get it off the field, so using that extra stall saved me $100!) Also, my fences are in very bad repair. My mares never bother getting out but this frisky looking young fellow might be harder to keep inside imaginary fences! They are very accommodating at the track and have said that he can stay there forever if I decide I don't want him. But I think that we will get along very well. They've delivered him all the way from Ontario, and are going to take him the hour from the track to my place, all for only $800, and he is otherwise free. What fun! I took my black shirt off and rubbed it all over him and let my mares smell it when I got home. He is apparently good to turn out with other horses, but my old standardbred mare is pretty bossy, so I'll have to keep an eye on them. She will definitely be on a lead when he arrives, and he'll be spending nights in the barn, safe from her heels! What fun we shall have. We are going to "back him" next week at the track to see how he reacts. I confess I don't want a bucking bronco, but he's very quiet and friendly and nobody anticipates any problem. He's everybody's favourite horse!