She started off pretty mellow, but we have found over time that she has been getting increasingly nervous, and somewhat barn sour, as she gets pretty freaky if you take her outside her usual haunts. She has a pasture mate who is a real bully, and she is low girl on the pole.
Just after New Years, we took her to my daughter's 4-H leader for a few hours, and worked with her in the arena, and hope to do it once a month for awhile to get her back to the calmer horse I bought. Lynn, (4-H leader) and I agree that the best thing for her is to have her at a place of our own, with an enclosed ring or riding area, so we can work with her in a safe environment. As soon as I brought her home,. our landlord changed his mind about letting us keep larger animals, so we have been boarding her down the road.
Having a horse is a huge investment. Her purchase price of $425 is nothing compared to her hay bill. She panicked in November when we had her out, and took a chunk out of her pastern with her hind hoof, and the vet bill set me back $293 when it got infected.
I do love going to muck her stall, feed and groom her. I love how she has settled into a routine, and waits at the gate in the evening, and when the door opens, walks right in, and into her stall.
I am reading all I can, and I ask Lynn about 8000 questions about care and training every Thursday while Maddie is riding. I hope that we can add a friend for her that is a older horse, and that we all become comfortable horse owners.
So, the search is on for a new home....
