>>> You've obviously never owned a good Arab. :)
>> Too funny. I ride in the land of the good Arab. They're not only >> smart, they're another breed of people pleasers. I've only owned the one, my daughter's Thunder, and pre-Sina, he was the smartest horse I'd ever met. When we were totally naive and stupid, he seemed a little flakey and high strung. But, once we found Shirley to save us all from our ineptitude, Thunder was a changed horse. He was all the good things you hear about Arabs: forward, energetic, easy to condition and hold condition, smart, kind and gentle - and three tremendous gaits...and if his rider was confident, he'd go out and conquer the world. If the rider wasn't...well, all bets were off. Once my daughter, not quite nine when we ignorantly bought him for her, figured that out, her confidence soared. I'm not a "Arab person" I guess, but I sure see why some people are. He quickly changed from being a lethal weapon to a suitable kid's pony with some love, guidance and training ...and TRUST. He really needed to be trusted. God, Thunder was so lucky we found Shirley when we did. So was Emily...and well, so were we all. Thunder won't be with us a lot longer - weeks? Months? I don't know. He's not ready yet, but he's on the decline, even though he's apparently not in any kind of pain. The vet was out again Tuesday. The blood tests are ok, nothing obviously wrong with his teeth (just old and going away), his vision is fine, and he's just as alert and aware as ever. (He's been totally deaf for about four years now.) He's been wormed and rewormed, and the fecals are negative. But, he's starting dragging his toes over the past year, and I'm afraid someone is going to report us to the humane society. We're feeding him large quantities of good senior feed, and his appetite is good, but he's a walking skeleton. I think he's simply worn out - he really started going down when he lost his best buddy, Mac, last fall. This is tough, since we just can't find anything else to do for him. He's the only one we ever had, and I doubt we'll ever have another Arab, but I thank my lucky stars that he were blessed to own this magnificent, talented animal for these 20 years. He's made one little girl very happy for a long time...and her mom and dad too. Sometimes on these lists, people have accused me of not knowing what an energetic/forward/willing horse is, or not having a clue what make for a good endurance prospect, a good dressage horse. Oh, I think I have a clue. For 20 years, we've owned a good Arab. Karen Thomas, NC
