Kenedec?

After fixing up the barn I did some searching online, looking for a horse to buy. I didn't want to spend a lot, because I knew I wouldn't be investing in a trainer or lessons for now. My main requirement was personality -- I was looking for a horse I would ENJOY being around and riding on a daily basis, and who also would enjoy me.

I ran a search on DreamHorse.com for a horse in Texas, Oklahoma or New Mexico, under $2000 with (some) Dressage experience.

The search only returned about 8 matches, and most didn't have photos, but I clicked through each one reading the description.

None sounded like what I was looking for until I got to the last one -- a 16hh bay Trakehner gelding, 17 years old, with 3rd level Dressage training and "trot extensions that feel like a dream".

The ad said his name was Kenedec, but it sounded exactly like a horse my trainer, Lisa, used to own when I was in high school.

She had a 10 year old bay Trakehner named Kenney, who she let me ride several times to "feel" what a good trot extension was supposed to feel like. I had been working on my extensions with Rocket and was having some trouble... she said Ken's were amazing and it may help me see what result I was aiming for.

Ken had the most amazing personality! He was such a sweetheart and I was SO sad when Lisa sold him. I remember begging my parents for him when she put him up for sale, but we had just bought Rocket a few years earlier and really weren't in the market for another horse anytime soon.

I called up the lady who had placed the ad on DreamHorse -- by the end of our conversation I was about 99% sure that Kenedec was the same Kenney I had fallen in love with so many years ago. I emailed Lisa that evening to be sure -- included a picture the lady had emailed me and Lisa replied YES that is him!
His registered name is actually Kennebec -- but was obviously lost in translation somewhere along the way. He had been sold twice since he had left Lubbock -- going to Austin, to Alabama and back to Austin again.

I knew it must be fate :)
Rob and I made plans to drive down to Smithville (just southeast of Austin) to see Ken. We had the most amazing time and spent about 6 hours at Priscilla's barn riding Kenney and getting a full tour of her family's 140 acre ranch.

We stayed in the cutest little Bed and Breakfast -- Auberge La Grange and if you ever have a need for a B&B in the Austin area I HIGHLY reccommend it! The owners are so nice and the rooms are very private. Don't even get me started on how delicious the breakfast is :)

6 weeks later we made a second trip down to Smithville with a trailer to pick Ken up and bring him back home to Lubbock. We are absolutely LOVING him. He is just as sweet as I remember and is a wonderful addition to our family :)