This is the mischievous trio late this past spring (May maybe?). The filly to the left (the appy - some might recognize her as the inspiration for a pattern I painted on one of my sculptures), came in as an runty lil gal last summer. Filly's owner disappeared that fall until just last week - when I finally got her to sign the fillies papers and a bill of sale to me. & until just last week I wasn't sure the woman was still alive, hence why I said so little about the filly who seemed to be becoming my next new unridable horse. ;) Her friends: The bay mare in the middle has been boarding here for 2 years, she's a fun older lady who is pretty sweet and doesn't seem to have realized she's not a four year old anymore, lol! The liver chestnut TB came in this past winter and it's funny to look at this pic b/c she's finally filled in, has a bit of a hay belly. She's also calmed down a ton... until she saw a calf that got loose running around and did this;
For perspective, that's a 16 foot gate (the longest they make really). A very large monster truck driving through would have done about the same amount of damage. Only the cow-phobic liver TB mare was injured in this story. The appy filly got a minor cut on her chin. The dark bay TB there seemed to have had the sense (age appropriate wisdom I believe) to stay away from the overly melodramatic liver chestnut one in her crashing and she merely came out later (probably ran around good tho, she was tired).
So that happened on Saturday and interfered with my Harry Potter devoted weekend. Having been unable to swing the Breyerfest trip this year I was greatly looking forward to my alternate option - and the nice weather and book reading seemed just like the thing. I really was put upon (such a meanie eh?) to have to spend it repairing fences wiht my gimpy hand (boyfriend did the posts and boards mostly to be honest). And dealing with wild mares. In all honesty it's not funny at all - the mare clearly came very close to killing herself, it's a miracle she isn't hurt more from how she appears to have run headlong into the fence and flipping over/landing mostly on it.
This is what happens when OTTBs don't have algebra and aerobics classes daily to keep their body and minds preoccupied. (the OT stands for off the track). Not all OTTBs or TBs really need this, but that mare does. She's a hot one! Owner is on some mandatory training exercises out of the arena with her trainer now -- and he spent yesterday taking the horse around the farm and demonstrating to her that no farm animals will eat her. Think good thoughts for the owner and her mare. She's not an eventing aspiring owner but she's basically got a horse that want's that kind of training (sans the actual fences tho mind you -- I don't think she ought to jump personally, lol!). I suppose most barn managers might have thrown them out too but frankly I like owners that are willing to care properly for their horses and not view them as objects for amusement but individuals. Bottom line is at least the owner knows she needs professional help here. You'd be surprised at how many people wouldn't, even after their horse has a near death experience.
Anyhow, filly also seems to have found a good placement with that trainer. I do not normally take on charity cases but every once in a while a horse with talent crosses my path and I get pretty adamant about the animal getting into the hands of a professional or very skilled rider. I've also seen what happens when barn managers take a horse in lieu of board and try to sell it as quickly as possible. I just can't live with that on my conscience. This is by far my most expensive charity case yet -- all the same, the horse's prospects to date around here have been bleak (bad market where horses are being considered disposable/worthless unless perfect; so who's going to take a very alpha minded unbroke gal seriously?) .. Anyhow, sooooo she looks like she'll be going to a polo pony trainer and he'll either keep her for his wife or son or sell her once he's put some real miles of experience on her. Cross your fingers for this filly - she needs a trainer who isn't afraid to get a horse moving and likes an agile "game" girl. And the polo fellow was telling me he far prefers mares for their heart - that's definitely what this gal has; brains and loyalty when she trusts ya. We have almost NO western speed event trainers around here except some big show barns where they don't turn out (ok, ok, and there's lots of other rumors of course but bottom line is turnout is a rare commodity in CT). This little lady has just learned over the past year how to live normally with other horses, I think it would be a shame to tuck her back in a stall away from the light of day.
Trots off to check if her coggins is done now. Btw, I'm typing w/o vetwrap today! woot!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment