Dollar has been a continual surprise since that first day we went to pick him up. He was a bit thin when he first arrived, not to mention at 4, he is still a youngster with loads of energy. Initially we kept him in a paddock next to Magic while the other boys got comfortable having him around. Once the "boys" settled into having him around, and I was certain I would have no trouble catching him, it was time to turn him loose.
Jack has been having troubles with his digestive track over the past couple of years and so he hasn't been keeping the weight on as is typical for "fat" Jack. Because he and Dollar could both use the extra groceries, we turned them out to pasture together. Every couple of days, we would put a different horse out with Dollar until they eventually became one herd. I notice he does receive the occasional bite so I'm guessing he is a bit cheeky with the other "boys" but overall they seem quite relaxed together.
He has taken to my training program very well and the only thing he still struggles with is standing still - he can be fidgety when tied for grooming, trimming, saddling, and mounting - yes mounting.
Dollar has accepted everything I've asked of him so well, I decided to ride him today in the round pen. I likely would have ridden him sooner, however, the wet weather has turned everything to mud at our place. Gord freshly rototilled the round pen for me, and it has dried up enough to have decent footing. It took a bit of work to have Dollar stand at the mounting block but once he figured it out, he calmly allowed me to stand in the stirrup and lean over his body, rubbing him all over. Once he did that well on both sides, I felt confident about getting on. I just allowed him to walk around, gently turning him to see how willing he was and felt no resistance at all.
The cool thing about all this is that Gord was still using the tractor to rototill a rolling spot for the "boys" in the field. Dollar wasn't worried about the tractor in the least.
Very soon, we will be searching for a forever home for Dollar. He is a very special horse that deserves to find a very special person.
Tovie and Dollar
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