Pleasant Surprise

Despite the lousy rainy weather, I was excited to spend the afternoon with Dollar just checking out where he was at. Much to my surprise, he came right over to be caught, haltered like a pro, led to the barn quietly, tied quietly, and then stood quietly while I gave him a thorough grooming. The grooming process is a great way to evaluate any touchy spots a horse may have. He didn't have any - even lowered his head without resistance when asked. He does need a little work on holding up his feet for longer periods of time, but it won't be a problem to trim him when he needs it.

When the other horses left the barn, we brought out all our scary toys; tarp, ball, bag of tin cans, stick & strong, pool noodles, hoola hoop - everything I could think of. Nothing phased this boy - in fact he was wonderfully playful and curious. Obviously, his previous owner did a lot of great work and it was a huge relief to discover he wasn't as bad off as I thought he was yesterday. In fact yesterday I was thinking "what have I got myself into" and today I'm thinking Dollar is going to be a ton of fun.

Not knowing much about the American Saddlebred as a breed, I've been doing some reading. To me, his confirmation and personality are classic characteristics of the breed. To watch him in the field is spectacular as has the most beautiful floating trot and canter that should be an absolute dream to ride.

Based on my observation over these two days; here is my early opinion of why the relationship with his previous owner didn't work out. As I mentioned yesterday, Dollar just turned 4 in early May. He is highly intelligent, and has obviously had some great work done with him. Firstly, I don't think a young inexperienced horse of any breed is good for a beginner, but from what I am learning about the American Saddlebred, definitely not a great breed for beginners. They have a strong influence of thoroughbred blood, making them spirited and sensitive. Combine that with his tender young age and it would be easy to make a mistake when handling. I think Dollar learned to get big and scary and then he didn't have to do what he didn't want to do. Because his big scary behavior doesn't bother me, I just insist that he does what I am asking, and he kinda goes - OK. Often those reactions become habitual and so it can take quite a bit of work to help them unlearn to react with undesirable behavior. Prior to re-homing Dollar, he will need to be exposed to many different situations to ensure he is safe.

He is definitely going to be more fun to play with than I initially thought.

Tovie