Horse Stories
SHE’S NOT JUST A HORSE, SHE’S PALOMA
I was working with Paloma, a spirited 7 year-old Quarter Horse mare, and I was amazed at how smart and willing she was if I respected that spirit and her right to choose.
Paloma’s “join up” or “hook on” was solid. Mary, her owner and I, never used a halter when working with her. The horse stood right with us, walked when we did, jogged when we did, stopped when we did, and stood still when told to, no matter how far away we went from her. And when we called ... [read more]
WHY ON EARTH DO THEY LET US RIDE THEM?
I was working with Rocky, an almost 3 year-old Quarter/Thoroughbred cross, and he was ready for his first ride.
Rocky was a PMU foal (Pregnant Mare Urine for the drug Premarin) that was rescued by a couple of great people named Deb and Linda. The Premarin foals, as I understand it, are either adopted at five months of age by people thousands of miles away from them, or given to slaughter. Deb and Linda are a couple of amazing horse people, and their main goal is to keep horses safe and happy. They snatched Rocky ... [read more]
The Bully Chase
“He escaped some time in the night,” said Cody, the head cowboy. “I was thinkin’ you’d ride out this morning after breakfast, see if you can spot him.”
We finished breakfast and walked out to the corrals. The sun was just coming up. Some of the horses were still eating as the suns’ first morning rays warmed their backs. I walked out and met Alto, stood with him a while. He seemed ... [read more]