Playtime

The beautiful Wadatika and Flirt get in a little play time!  

Off to See the Wizard

The knee?  It's healing well.  A wee bit tender now and then, but mobility is about 95%, I'd say.  I guess I never did share the photo, but suffice to say it never really did turn ugly.  Just big.  Someone finally talked me into going in and getting xrays, despite me saying that if I could walk on it, what could be wrong?  She told me plenty, and go.  So I did.  And do you know what they found?  Nothing.

Okay, not entirely nothing.  It was red and inflamed and infected, and they told me I'd be off my feet for several days, and that I was going to get a shot in me bum for several days as well until the inflammation went down.

Say WHAT????  I don't want no shot in me bum!  And I've got colts to ride.  I can stay off my feet just so long as me bum is in the saddle.  Alas, again, I lost the argument and me pants were dropped and I walked out feeling a lot more pain than when I'd come in.

Being the smart girl I am, I went to work on ways to reduce that inflammation sooner, rather than later, and that included a nice long soak in more than enough epsom salts.  Hey, if it's good enough for my horse's abcess, it's good enough for my knee, right?  

Then next afternoon I reluctantly returned to the dr's office, but was delighted to learn that since ALL the red had disappeared over night, I wouldn't be subjected to another needle.  Whew!  What a relief  because the first one still smarted!

In the meantime, there've been a few changes around here.  Maxine was traded to a young gal who was struggling with her own 2 year old mustang.  Sam's filly was a real spitfire, and Sam a full time student who struggled to stay consistent with her.  I approached her about a possible trade, knowing Maxine would be a much better fit.  Sam came and tried Max out, and indeed, it worked!  

The incoming filly was a grulla pinto from the Paisley Desert.  She was smarter than a whip, let me tell you, and extremely spunky.  She was a lot of fun to work with.  Before long, however, I had someone else interested in Dulce, and the pot got sweeter.

My friends, I would like to introduce you to Oz.  He's a 2 1/2 year old gelding who was bred on Palomino Butte HMA in Oregon, and foaled in the corrals in Burns.  He stands a whopping 15 hands and is so stout that people often think he's closer to 16 hands until the get close.

Oz had already been in a home for a year, so he's titled (meaning the adopted fulfilled the requirements of adoption and the BLM no longer owns him), and he came with incredible ground manners and skills!  I played with  him a few days, then began saddling him up.  He's pretty incredible!

 Oz competed in the Oregon Mountain Trail Challenge as a yearling and won his in hand class with over 30 competitors!  Of course, I had to bring him out to our 'course' in the back and send him over logs, the bridge, and through the water hazard, all of which he negotiated without skipping a beat.

I hauled Oz down to The Cowboy's place for a couple of weeks.  When The Cowboy saw him, his jaw dropped.  "Now THIS is a horse!" he said.  He likes this gelding.  Likes his hip and short cannon bones.  Likes his mind, too.  Pretty sure there was a Quarter Horse who climbed through a fence somewhere and bred a wild mustang mare.  How else can you explain the classic good looks of this colt?  Okay, Cowboy...whatever!

The Cowboy isn't the only one smitten with this handsome fellow...

Flirt thinks he's pretty keen, too!

Ouch.

"Someday you'll learn," were the parting words of the Cowboy as I hobbled out of the barn, a lovely purple and blue hoof print encircling my knee cap.

The lesson was to work the horse until she was tired before doing something new. It's obviously a lesson one should learn early on, if they're going to work with mustangs, or any youngster for that matter. But such is life, eh? Sometimes 

we slip up and do something that doesn't seem like such a stupid idea at the time.

I'd led Flirt into the big arena rather than the round pen today. Rope, coat and plastic bag work had all gone so well, I thought maybe today I'd introduce her to the saddle blanket. 

That didn't go so well.

She was fascinated by the smells of other horses, burying her face in the blanket, but not liking when I tried to rub it on her neck, or bump her shoulder with it. No huge reactions, just stepping back and pushing her face into it again. I didn't press the matter, I didn't think. I simply approached and retreated, and as I retreated she would approach, wanting to bury her face in it some more.

Eventually I decided I'd walk her back to her stall, carrying the blanket with me. She followed on a somewhat loose lead, her muzzle at my pocket where she knew the treats were hiding. I finally stopped to rub her face and hand her one, but something got into her mind. Something that said, "Run, and kick that nasty saddle pad when you go!" And so she did. Except she kicked my knee cap instead, which dropped me to the ground in relatively short order. She then ran back to the front of the arena, where she paused at the small door that led into the barn. 

I hollered a few times before anyone heard me. There was a horse in the cross ties and I sure didn't want her getting into a wreck. Someone finally heard me, but of course by then Flirt was trotting through the small alleyway out into the barn. She was led back out by someone who was just a little intimidated by my oversized, somewhat frightened yearling (why? I can't imagine, lol), and I managed to get myself up and over to her, led her back to her stall and put her way.

My knee? Oh, a lovely shade of bright purples, blues and black. Swelling? Well, a little, I suppose. Drenched it in DMSO, then vet wrapped an ice pack to it, after which I drove the half hour home. And here I sit, telling you my story so that you make sure you work that horse until it's tired before you go introducing a saddle blanket, okay? Okay. Once I get this unwrapped, I'll take a picture and share the beauty of it with you!

To Lance or Not to Lance?

Flirt has become a mooch.  She sees me walk past her stall window and feels the need to stick her nose in hopes that I'll notice her and perhaps offer up a few more pounds of tasty grain.  It makes me smile every time.

When I came home from the Cowboy's a couple nights ago, I noticed that the punctures where the darts had hit Flirt were seeping a yellow pus.  Ick!  When she moved, it was obvious that her left hind leg was uncomfortable.  Really?  How was I to doctor a half wild horse?  

I'd managed to change Flirt's halter to one that was a little larger than the yearling one that had been on her to begin with, and her drag line was now off, since she'd been seeking treats from me.  But despite that small step forward in gaining trust, administering penicillin shots was probably not going to earn me brownie points.

Thankfully, the vet felt that we could start with a powdered antibiotic, and since the mooch was more than happy to gobble up her grain, that has been an easy route to take.  If it didn't work, I was told, we'd need to switch to daily injections, and if the punctures began to abcess we'd need to lance them to drain.  Yikes!

After two days, her attitude and appetite are good, the oozing seems to have dwindled and she's not quite as lame.  There is definite swelling that I'm not fond of, but it's down low on her leg, not at the point of entry, so we'll just keep on doing what we're doing and hope we can get over this sooner rather than later.

Today I opened up the gate between her paddock and the round pen for the first time, giving her a great deal more space to move around in.  When I walked out tonight, she came straight to me and checked out my pockets.  Treats?  

Yes, Flirt, I have treats.

Pocket Pony in the making!

Flirt...Shot!

The morning dawned bright and ever so cold. Our first real frost of the season covered the ground as well as the windshields of our vehicles. I tossed hay to the wrangler horses who were in my barn and waited for Wendy & Ramona to show up.

Wendy had discussed the situation with the BLM vet before heading north. He ordered some unpronounceable drug (not to mention impossible to spell) with whic

h to dart Flirt and had it FedExed overnight up to Kulshan Vet. It was supposed to have arrived on Wednesday...yesterday...but it didn't. And that is why we were sitting at my kitchen table with Wendy mixing up concoctions and filling needles and darts this morning.

New friend and Flirt fan, Dawn, had offered the other day to bring her game camera, and to climb up into a tree and sit and watch to see if she could spot Flirt out there in the woods. Once we found her, Dawn again volunteered to be there to help out. And so it was that the five of us, Wendy, Ramona, Dawn, Katie and myself, headed up the road armed with dart gun, horses and plenty of rope.

"Houdini"

Wendy's plan was for to walk in, along with Dawn, and use her gelding Houdini as a shield. I was to follow a short distance behind on Witchknot, then slip over to the left to block a possible escape out toward the road. Katie and Ramona were on foot behind me, staying toward the opening where we'd just crossed the bog.

The dart can be a tricky thing...it can hit a horse and take them out in just a couple of minutes...or it can startle them, get their adrenaline running, and send them running for up to 15 minutes. This was NOT what we wanted to have happen, as Flirt could easily get tangled up in our dense underbrush. 

"Witch Knot"

While Witchknot and I worked our way into place, Wendy, Dawn and Houdini moved forward and disappeared into the trees. We hoped that Flirt was in the same basic place as yesterday, and it didn't take long to realize that was indeed where she stood. We couldn't see a thing from where we waited, but as we listened we knew when the first shot was made. We heard Wendy's voice as she talked to Flirt. No craziness, no sudden flight. It stayed quiet for a moment, and we heard the second dart go pop out of the gun.

It must have been 20 minutes before we were called into the trees. Flirt was on her feet, two dart marks with blood dripping from her hindquaters. Her head was hanging low. She was doing her best to walk, as Wendy and Houdini guided her to the fence behind her. No way were we going to attempt the bog with this super drugged up horse! Thankfully, there was a gate in the barbed wire fence behind us, and we were able to go through that and follow the old road out to a nearby farm.

Flirt wobbled and weaved, but eventually we were out in the open again. Ramona had brought the horse trailer up the driveway and turned it around so that the back end was facing us. The door was opened, and Wendy rode Houdini up to it. She'd thought to just ride right in, bringing Flirt with her, but realized as she approached that this trailer was a bit too low for that. As she climbed off Houdini, Flirt stepped forward and climbed into the trailer. Wobbly, drugged...it didn't matter. I think this girl is a trailer loading fool!

A few minutes later, Flirt was back home. Sound, but looking like she dropped 100 lbs, she went quietly with Wendy out of the trailer and into her paddock.

Flirt his home...tired and hungry. She's not left her food since arriving. She let Wendy rub all over her neck and face (with a little effort) and is now snugly tucked inside for the night. We've draped tarps over the fence where she went through to help her rethink that exit plan, but for the moment I just don't think she wants to be anywhere but where she is. It's dry, there's food. She's home ♥

The Cavalry has Arrived!

Today is day 9 of Flirt missing.  Wendy and Ramona from the BLM drove up from Oregon to help locate her.  From Flirt's facebook page:

Wendy and I headed back up the logging road on horseback, searching out every possible off shoot. Because I'd been leading the mares back and forth, we had to go quite a ways to get to where we may be able to find fr

esh tracks. And fresh tracks we found...but they led to a dead end. The old road stopped, and though we'd spotted one pile of manure (first time since the two down below on Sunday), there wasn't any indication that she was nearby. Wendy got off and scouted round under the brush for several minutes, but it looked as though Flirt had traveled up, then doubled back.

We found several spurs that left the main road, but all ended in a dead end, and other than the first one we'd taken, none showed any indication that she'd been there.

We returned to the catch pen at the bottom where we were greeted by a whinny from Ebony. I told Wendy that there was another direction we could head, and that it would be a good place for a horse to hang out. I'd not been up there on foot, though Katie and I had scouted the area last week. Flirt would have had to go through a little camp site, which included two buildings, a tractor, a gate leaning up against a tree and a little fire pit. It seemed unlikely that she'd want to cross through all that, but it was the only place left that we'd not traveled.

Just as we were heading out the back side of the camp, we spotted a fresh track. A glimmer of hope!

On the north side of the camp, a trickle of water runs through. It's fed by an underground spring and the entire area, especially this time of year, is nothing but bog. Houdini crossed it relatively well; I was riding Witchknot and he wasn't quite as happy about feeling as though he would be sucked beneath the surface. This was another reason I'd not thought Flirt would be back there...not something a horse really wants to cross on their own.

Once we got the horses through the mud, the ground got drier and we continued through the young trees toward an older grove. We were heading toward the water tower, which is fenced off. Just as we reached the tall stand of trees, I spotted a pile of manure. It didn't look real fresh...had one of our horses dropped it when Katie and I rode last week?

Then there was another, not ten feet away. Another 20 feet, another! This was more manure than we'd seen anywhere...and all in one little spot! We had to be close...we just HAD to be!

Question was...was she in the tall trees ahead, or was she hiding from us behind one of the smaller trees planted in the old pasture to our left? 50' told the tail...there she was. My beautiful Flirt!

She was hiding from us, head low so as not to be spotted. We looked at each other, turned and left. It's getting late and we don't want her to be disturbed and move this close to night. I think she'll stay put. I hope she'll stay put. We'll see in the morning.

Flirt Is MISSING

Things have not gone according to plan.  We hauled Flirt home and arrived Monday night at about 8:30 pm. The following morning I hauled the second horse out to deliver her to Skagit County.  Neither Tika or Max were at home; both had been left with the Cowboy so that no one here had to deal with chores while I was away over the weekend.

Flirt didn't like being left alone.  She crashed through the 6' wood fence, breaking the top two boards.

Neighbor kids saw her running down the road, followed by a white van (kids thought the van was the owner.)  The driver eventually contacted 911, but it wasn't until he'd arrived in town.  By then, she had vanished.  No one has seen her beyond 1/2 mile of the house.

We've been out searching the roads, logging roads, fields and into the woods.  Fly overs have been done by many volunteers, including the Heritage Flight Museum, who took their P51 Mustang out to look for MY mustang!  Still, nothing spotted.

Local Search & Rescue has been out.  They asked their dog team, but handlers said they didn't like to use their dogs on horses due to the prey drive.  We were disappointed.

Someone contacted me on Facebook last night to say there IS a dog search team that will find horses.  I've lain awake half the night and finally got back up to look at their website again.  It's ghastly expensive.  But seriously...driving up and down the road isn't exactly cheap.  So I emailed them and will await an answer.  Hopefully they can come in the next couple of days.

Flirt has her own page on Facebook.  If you're a facebook user, please visit it often for updates.  I post a few times each day.

Where does the time go?

 

Shame be to me for ignoring you for so long!  Where has the time gone?  I must have been dreaming again.  And you know, when I dream...well...I dream wild!

Last month City Boy and I took a little road trip to my favorite destination; Harney County!  I was, naturally, in heaven.  Absolute heaven...except for one little thing.  City Boy decided we were not bringing the horse trailer with us.  

Say, what???

No trailer is an issue, because it simply means I will need to return, because of course I will see a horse that I simply must have and bring home.  Right?  Indeed!  Little Chase, the three year old gelding, found an adopter.  Impulse, too...she left this morning.  Grace has been sold and will be going shortly, and that rascal of a blue eyed pony, Spud Muffin, has found a home with more ponies and will soon be pulling a chuckwagon.  

I know, right?  It's been a long time and I've not shared nearly enough information with you!  I'm so bad.  But just look at that gelding there...he's only a yearling, and a moose!  I needed to make room for him...but where is my horse trailer?

Back to Harney County.  There have been fires and droughts and emergency gathers of wild mustangs, meaning the holding facility is filled to the brim with countless lovelies who are simply calling my name.  How, I ask you, am I to leave here without one?  Where is that horse trailer?  What was City Boy thinking?  Is that not just the most adorable little cremello pony mare up there?  Oh, I'd have died for her as a child.

And this adorable face.  Is that an adorable face, or what?  Who says mustangs have big jug heads?  They didn't meet this sweet filly, to be sure.  She came to the fence.  She visited with us.  She wanted to load into a trailer...she did!  I promise you!

I can't quite say that for the boys below.  They were newly gathered and just a little nervous.  But boy, some beauties there for sure, and in a couple of months they'll be settled in and following hay wagons just like they've always done it.

Yes, several horses of all different sizes and colors to fall in love with.  My trailer, City Boy?  Look at this family, here.  I have a three horse trailer...I could bring all three home!  If my trailer was here, that is.

Seriously...why not just stick a knife in my heart?  Will you look at this filly?  To die for.  Truly!

You know how it feels when you've eaten too many chocolates?  Well, I sure do.  You get woozy and a little sick to your stomach.  Not so when viewing mustangs.  You can never see or have too many.  Ever.

Stop!

Hold everything!!!

Who is that?  Oh, my...who is that?  Gulp. Gasp.  Sputter.  I'm feeling more than woozy.  My knees are weakening.  My mouth is dry...where did all the air go?

Now, this...this is what I'm here for.  Long legs, shapely hips, and those flirtatious eyes!  Uh huh...this is the one.  There is no doubt in my mind.  This is my horse.

Trailer!  My kingdom for a horse trailer!  Well, I have no choice.  She came to the fence.  She sniffed me.  She's left her mark.  I must return.

 

 To be continued...

Fever!

Never know how much I love you 
Never know how much I care 
When you put your arms around me 
I get a fever that's so hard to bear 
You give me fever

Sun lights up the day time
moon lights up the night
I light up when you call my name
and you know i'm gonna treat you right

Everybodies got the fever
That is somethin you all know
Fever is'nt such a new thing
Fever start long ago

 Romeo loved Juliet

Juliet she felt the same 

When he put his arms around her,

He said Julie, baby, you're my flame.

Thou givest fever

When we kisseth

Fever with thy flaming youth

Fever, I'm a fire

Fever, yay, I burn forsooth

They give you fever
when you kiss them 
Fever if you really learned
Fever
Till you sizzlen
But what a lovely way to burn 

But what a lovely way to burn 
But what a lovely way to burn 
But what a lovely way to burn 

Seriously. Good. Stuff!

Twas the Supreme Extreme Mustang Makeover this past weekend, and while there are many, many excellent videos out there to highlight these talented horses, what you really, really need to see are the kids.  Yes, that's right, an arena full of youngsters and yearlings.  What could be better?  Nothing.  Nope.  Nothing.

More Better Than the Rest

We were driving down the road, Darling and I, that sunny Friday morning, when we came across a little antique shop with a sign that said 'More Better Antiques'.  We laughed, saying wouldn't the Grammar Nazi love that?  More better...

Our destination had been Ride the West, a horse fair being held in Spokane, WA.  There was a BLM adoption being held there, though it was not our intent to adopt.  They would be in Monroe two weeks later; that was much closer to us.  But we wanted to enjoy the weekend together and it never hurt our feelings to visit another adoption event.

Of course...once there, we started shopping. We couldn't help ourselves!  And the BLM staff, bless their hearts, said that if we found something we liked, they'd haul it back to Monroe if we wanted to adopt that weekend.  And so...you know how it is...we did!  

We had a short list, and among those first few picks was a tall, rangy red dun colt.  Goodness, he was a lanky thing, but he caught our eye, and Darling dubbed him "More Better", because, she said, he was more better than the rest.

We were not the only ones who the colt attracted that morning.  Not far from us on the bleachers was a young woman who'd lost the bid on another mustang, and she was determined not to lose this boy.  Darling and I didn't have much in the way of funds, so it didn't take long for us to be outbid.  We were disappointed, but someone else was made terribly happy.  And in the end?  We went home winning the bid on little Quiet Storm, which was the best possible horse for Darling to start on.

I'd been cruising the internet for a wild horse forum, but didn't find one.  I went straight to work and created one, which drew not a lot of traffic, but among the few original members was none other than Andrea...the woman who'd outbid us on that red dun gelding.  Over the past six years we've shared a love for that boy, who grew into an extremely handsome, tall, stout horse.  I was fortunate to visit with him in person a few years ago when I was in Spokane for a mustang show.  Andrea hauled him over from her Idaho home.  She'd done such a good job with that boy, who she'd named Tonka.

So many of my readers also read Andrea's blog, and by now you've undoubtedly learned that she lost this incredible gelding this weekend.  My heart aches for her, but I am so thankful that she is at peace with it all.

Andrea is not letting the grass grow under her feet.  She put the word out that she was now in need of a horse so that she and her husband could continue trail riding.  Mustang or domestic, it didn't matter, just as long as it was of decent size and had a good mind.

I messaged Andrea from facebook and asked if she wouldn't be interested in adopting from the corrals again?  It's so difficult to choose one from the photos, of course, but I sent her to my photo album of adoptable geldings from my last trip to Burns.  Low and behold, there he was...the big stout bay gelding.  He made her heart go pitter pat, she said.  So at the moment I am waiting with baited breath to hear if she's able to adopt.  I'm hoping and praying he's just as good a friend to her as Tonka!

Just Darling

Darling has a photography page on facebook.  Best if you head over there and 'like' it!

Did I tell you she graduated from high school?  She did.  And with blond hair, too.  And pink.  Mustn't forget the pink bits.  Pink bits are important, you know?

So what are Darling's plans?  Those appear to change on a month to month basis, but what appears to surface more frequently now is a career as a professional photographer.  And, looking at that photo way up at the top, I'm sure you'll agree that the kid has some talent!  

 Of course....she could still become a horse trainer!  We've spent a great deal of time down at the Cowboy's this summer, where she's riding Max and her little bay love affair of a horse, Doxee.  In addition to those two, Darling has picked up a big gray gelding that was in need of some consistent riding.  It's been a couple of years since Darling's 'wings' have flown, but with this boy, she's once again in flight, and loving it!

This gelding is for sale, so if you know of someone who likes a light, responsive horse in need of a job, let me know.  He's a registered appy, but half arab.  We think he'd make a super endurance horse, too!  

Darling spent the evening debating if she should try to work out a way to hang onto him for herself, but finally decided to go back to her roots when searching for the right set of wings.  We just spent the past hour dreaming and perusing photos from our most recent adventure down at the wild horse corrals, wondering just who would make the perfect flying partner?  Darling, it seems, is still not afraid to ride the brand!

Mustangs. Hard to Train?

Anyone who says they won't own a mustang because they're "Too hard to train" simply has not met Maxine. There is nothing difficult about this filly.  Nothing at all.

Max is back at the Cowboy's place for a week or so of steady arena riding, where Darling asked her for her first lope.  Day one of loping had Max a little unsure and a bit wobbly in her gait.  I had her at the end of the lunge line just in case there was a bobble from her typical easy going, laid back self, but I needn't have.  Darling managed to coax the filly from an extended trot into a nice, easy lope without much trouble, and Max even picked up the correct lead each direction.

The following day, no lunge line, just me standing in the middle for a little added incentive, and Max again moved into a relaxed lope, this time feeling more confident with a rider on her back.

Since we have the opportunity of hanging around during lessons with the HydraBull, we absolutely take advantage of it!  Obviously, Maxine is terribly bothered.  Not.  With the bull zipping back and forth, Max hung out at the end of the arena, completely relaxed.  Once the lesson was over for the other rider, Darling and Max went out to circle the bull, left and right, getting her used to being up close and personal with it.  

Some of you have asked if Max is going to stick around here.  The answer is a definite...I dunno, maybe for a little while?  I'm doubtful at this point that she'll get tall enough for City Boy.  As nice as this filly is, we're thinking that she's going to make a bang up of a youth horse for someone a year down the line.  In the meantime, we'll simply enjoy her, get her broke, take a few trail rides and see what happens.

Big Weekend for Impulse

Impulse had a big weekend.  With all the weight she's lost, and given how slowly she was eating, a visit from the vet was in order once Grace was weaned so that we could deal with her teeth.  While there were no points to have interfered, she'd recently lost her last set of caps, and that, he said, made it more difficult for her to maintain a good, healthy weight once Grace was foaled and began nursing.  Thankfully, the past couple of weeks out on some (rather dry) pasture has helped her start to fill out again.

In addition to the vet, Impulse also had her feet trimmed for the first time.  Farrier Andy Colton did the job, and I must say he's an excellent choice for a horse who's lacking in confidence when having feet handled.  He took his time, but also helped her understand that she had nothing to fear.  

The following day, with less toe to hinder her, it was off to the round pen where we worked a few minutes, then  back to the barn where I tossed the saddle pad up onto her back.  With no reaction (it's been done before, but she's not liked it and it's been a few months), I figured maybe it was a good day to also see what she thought of a saddle?

Turns out that while saddles have a funny look and smell, she didn't mind in the least when I set it onto her back.  I didn't tighten the cinch yesterday, but today, I did.  And I lunged her in the round pen with it, too!  She didn't bat an eye.  Didn't care one way or the other about being cinched up, stirrups banging, or saddle squeaking.  What she's not so hot about is me bouncing alongside of her, so that is my project with her for this coming week...get her used to bouncing, so that we can start bouncing in the stirrups!

You may recall our Weekend Getaway from a few weeks back when we visited the wild horse corrals and spotted a couple of cute geldings.  Well, when a local rescue hosted a clinician who wanted an unhandled horse for their demo, they came to me to see if I had a mustang that would fill the bill.  I arranged for them to pick up that oh so adorable chestnut gelding that I'd spotted while riding the hay wagon.  Once the gentling clinic was over, he needed a place to stay for a few weeks until the next adoption in WA state, so of course I was willing to do that for them!

And being as I can't just leave a horse sitting out there, especially not one as cute as this, I had to start messing with him.  He didn't bat an eye about the saddle going on or being cinched up.  The bridle made him wiggle his tongue a bit, but overall, this colt is an absolute dream.  And I had to name him something while he was here, did I not?  And since I'm always chasing a dream of some sort around here, Chasing Dreams, aka Chase, is his moniker.

Anyone looking for a nice colt?  Three year old gelding from Three Fingers HMA in Oregon.  14.2 hands tall and an excellent disposition!  Whopping $125 adoption fee.  Seriously...take him before he ends up staying, please!

Darling and Maxine

Darling climbed onto Max today and took a little ride through the trees.  This was Maxine's first venture outside of an arena/round pen setting, and she did great!

First 'obstacle' she encountered was the step down.  Not that she's not been there or stepped down it before, but with a rider perched on the back, some horses feel uncomfortable and will hesitate or spook.  Not Maxine.  She just stepped down like she'd been packing a rider every day of her life across such things.

There was no stopping these girls.  Loose reins and all, Max just dropped her nose and went where Darling's legs told her to go!

It wasn't enough just to walk over logs, we had to see what she'd do at the trot, too.  So after a few circles around the trees, Darling pointed Maxine's nose back to a log.  We both anticipated the filly to stop, or at least break down and slowly step over.  We were so wrong!  Max kept a steady pace and trotted right over!

Good girl, Max!

You, too, Darling!