Much like Hector Salamanca, I believe family is everything. I run and cycle sometimes, too. I spend the majority of my week days implementing a solution, or solving problems at a computer, aided by a trusty bag of almond m&ms.
My family bought many horses in the years following. We had around 24, and we went for family rides weekly. Good times. Which brings me to my story.
My brother bought a beautiful chocolate colored stallion with a creme colored main and tail. He cost a whopping $1100. The first day we brought him to our stable, we locked up the other horses to allow him to investigate his new surroundings without being spooked by the other horses.
There was a half acre arena for him to walk around in. He walked to the back of the arena, to where the other horses were stabled. He was spooked and ran all the way across the arena and cleared the 6 foot gate.
We had trail horses. We rode for pleasure. He was a horrible trail horse. He made riding on a trail un-pleasurable.
We kept him for a few years after gelding him, but he never became a good trail horse. Eventually my brother gave up and sold him for $900 to a man with the disclaimer of what we knew of him.
The next week, we were told the man sold the horse for $11,000 to a lady with a daughter. The lady was delighted with the perfect horse. He daughter wanted a jumper, and he was perfect. He even won several competitions.
We were glad to be rid of the horse, but there is a takeaway lesson here for the professional world.
