Karen,
Your questions are right on target. Was Bibi like this as a filly or did
something happen.... and what is the disposition of her parents?
When I bought my mare she was extremely nervous and afraid to be handled. she
had originally been sold as a brood mare as she came out of the highest rated
stallion in the US. She is 5 gated and has beautiful conformation. However,
the people who bight her tried to forcefully breed her in a stall hobbled and
she would have none of it. She eventually was returned to the farm where she
had been born, was put back out in the field with the other horses for a year
until she slowly began to show an interest in people again. When I flew out to
meet her, you could not handle her from the "waist" back, nor could you touch
her feet. She was still extremely protective of her rump. But, she was
interested in people again, and by the second day was coming to meet me at the
gate.
That was almost 4 years ago. She is now the steadiest, best trail horse I know
now. Forward, sure-footed, loads of good horse sense, and considered by all
to be one of the least spooky, most level headed horses out there. She and I
have ridden with Liz Graves at the Maryland Expo for the past 3 years. We have
been invited to join the Maryland Mounted Search and Rescue team
www.trotsar.org. We have started doing some work with driving. Oh yeah... one
more thing. She is my first horse, I took my first lesson 1 month after I got
her, and I have done all of her training. For the first 2 years that I owned
her no one else was ever on her back except me. She still doesn't leg yield
well and I know she and I would really benefit from more lessons, but it's
amazing what kind consistent handling will do.
Jacki
