I recently traded a really steady QH type mare (that loves
endurance) for a part arab mare that came from a rescue. I did the trade
more because the other person needed my mare’s calmness than anything
else. The arab mare had come from a rescue and was a bit too much for
this lady and they didn’t mesh.
I tried her out with our first ride on the trail and we had
a few issues, but nothing I couldn’t deal with, so I brought her
home. We have a big boarding facility and although my plan was to put her
in the pasture, I knew my cranky mares would beat her up, so I put her in the
barn so I could do some slow introductions.
We have a couple working for us cleaning stalls (and also
boarders) that used to be arab breeders but ran into tough times and they had
sold most of their horses. Several went to a neighbor at the time.
So right after this mare comes into the barn, the guy says to me that he thinks
he knows the mare and that she knows him. She was whinnying and pawing
when she saw him and she certainly hadn’t bonded to me that much in a
day! The lady was pretty sure she recognized her markings as a filly they’d
sold as a yearling (and now she was 8) to their neighbor.
It took some work tracking it down because there were two
rescues involved and the first was still involved in the court case to get some
of the other horses away from this guy.
So now I have baby pictures, pics of the parents and will be
able to get her registered (fantastic that AHA is doing an amnesty so it will
only cost $75!). This mare is now completely back up to weight and has
become a fantastic trail horse. She’s done her first 25. She
also loves people which is so awesome after being starved and abused by whoever
trained her (even the rescue didn’t do her any favors, they rode her with
a twisted wire snaffle) and now she goes perfect in a hackamore and is probably
the most sensitive horse I’ve ridden to seat and legs.
Sad thing is that I have to sell her because I just had 5
horses abandoned at our facility, only one of which had ever been ridden, so 5
more mouths to feed and 5 more to train. But out of this pure chance
miracle came a really awesome horse that will now have a good life. And I’ve
encouraged and helped 4 people at our barn choose rescues with some other
amazing stories – and all ended up with completely healthy, sane
horses.
Marlene
Marlene
Moss
www.LosPinos-CO.com
- boarding, training, sales
www.KineticEquineAnalysis.com
- saddlefit for the horse in motion
