Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I'll chime in one this discussion with the behavior or my mare. 
She must be a forward thinking horse as very little really bothers
her...she is Miss Calm and Cool regarding most things.  Once we
flew a large box kite in the pasture with several horses and all of
them ran off, including my mare, BUT she was also the first to come
back and check things out and eventually came near us with the kite in
hand. 
On trail we came upon an old RR trestle with tunnel underneath with a
tiny trickle of water flowing thru it as well.  With some mild
nudging she was the first in the group to go through.
If we come upon a trail blocked by fallen trees or whatever and I'm
looking around to determine which way to go around...she will start
walking and show me the way she thinks is best...and it usually
is.  
However, she has little herd sense when it comes to living in a
herd.  She's OK in a 1 on 1 herd situation but with multiple
horses she will tend not to seek shelter or food unless brought in to a
stall.  It took an alpha gelding (he claimed her as his own mare)
that persisted and insisted that he be allowed to itch her withers and
eventually she started doing it to him too.  
I got her when she was 4-1/2 and she's now almost 10...hasn't changed
one little bit.  But I consider her quite bold and brave on
trails.  The only things that really do bother her are tractors
with/without implements, 4-wheelers, bicycles, motorcycles, semi and
other large trucks, etc.  Then she tends to want to run backwards
and/or turn and spook.  She's usually best if I dismount for these
things and then she's much, much better (yes, I know it's not always
the best to dismount to handle a spooking horse...with her I do though)

I don't know her history but she's been a good horse...unfortunately
unable to do endurance due to an intermittent lameness problem.

Val + Sania