I am now able to approach and rub Sign within a few seconds of being in her stall. Last night I introduced a new object (flag) and she accepted it touching her all over within seconds. I lead her from her stall to the indoor with her following another horse a good distance back. She is very soft and yields very quickly off the left, the right is a little more sticky. I did a little lunging/leading/lunging/leading/.... from both sides last night. She is super soft and light to the left, and getting more comfortable and responsive to the right. I introduced many items from my grooming box as well as the measuring stick. Officially she is 13.2 hands, I could probably stretch it to 13.3 hh, maybe she will be there by April if she grows some hoof and wears shoes :)
When I applied for the challenge, I thought I would not have any problems outfitting the horse I would get. Well, I don't have much in the pony department. I will have to find her a blanket on ebay and include it with her in the Auction in April. Good thing her head is a little larger, I guess it to be cob size, so tack should not be an issue.
I also added lots of Cowboy Magic to her mane, tail and belly last night. I have gotten most of the mud off, but what is left is very hard, like cement. She has lots of mud balls on her belly, especially under her flank that I don't want to pull out and regress with her developing trust. Maybe by tonight some of it will be more loosened and falling off.
After working with her for ~1 hour and decided I could probably take the lead off and let her loose in the indoor while the vet worked on Gia. She mostly stayed at one end of the indoor and explored everything she could. She only came over to see what we were doing when the vet was emptying Gia's stomach and making lots of mud....did I mention she seems to have a strong affinity for mud? She also found the "therapy corner" taking a few steps up the wheel chair ramp, and putting her nose on all the toys and tools.
Once the vet was done with Gia, she was referred to Wisconsin Equine, I decided to see if I could catch Sign and lead her back to her stall. It didn't work out that way. After a little while I decided to use old, trusty, Sabrina as the bait. Sign happily followed her out of the indoor to her stall. I get the feeling that Sign has a high opinion of herself and likes to do things her way. I could almost see her smiling as she exited the indoor and walked confidently down the aisle to her stall. This will work to my advantage in the future.
So as you read this, you are all probably wondering about Gia, 1990 Grey Arabian Mare. Here is a letter that Jill sent out Friday AM after returning from WI Equine Clinic.
I am writing to let you all know that we lost a very dear friend last night. Geynalika was put to rest approximately 12:30 last night. Gia's owner, Judy Hazard and I are very grateful for the kind and compassionate care given by Dr. Steve Graham of Bristol Vet Clinic, and Dr. Austin of Wisconsin Equine Clinic. She had a ruptured intestine and there was absolutely no option except to take away her pain as quickly as possible. We are extremely grateful for the wonderful memories, blue ribbons, and the great times we all had with her. She was a kind, beautiful horse and we are thankful she was a part of our lives. We also would like to give great credit to Ken Remer for using his farrier skill and talent to give her many good years after a major laminitic episode. Again Bristol Vet was there to give great advice and vet care, to help pull her thru that crisis. Thank you all for helping me to care for this incredible mare.
Mustang Fun Day
15 years ago
