Baby Horse Agenda

I don't know how she puts up with me

Rosie will be two next year and although I intend to send her to a professional for a month in the spring, tell me, what kind of things would you want your baby horse to know by 2? So far we can: be caught, lead, kind of tie, pretend to cross tie, groom, go over tarps, wear shavings bags, tolerate much abuse via bear hugs and squeals of delight.

Unimpressed 

Now that we are in winter my time at the barn is unfortunately limited to weekends but I still feel like we can get a lot accomplished over the winter. After having "seasoned" horses I can kind of forget what things I need to teach.

Does not care about boy shenanigans 

Baby's First Show

One of the reasons Rosie was "discounted" on her sale price was because she hadn't been registered or inspected yet. My biggest priority for the year was getting her registered, branded, and inspected. Rosie was to be registered with the American Hanoverian Society. I didn't have much experience with the registry so I had to call up to gain some information.

Hay bags are hard, yo

The AHS doesn't do a formal inspection with branding and registration. They do oral commentary on foals presented with the dam, but nothing is scored. However, they do offer a foal futurity for yearlings and two year olds. I wanted Rosie to be branded so we were heading to a registration site anyways, so I figured why not throw her in a foal futurity. I had a little over two months to prepare for the futurity. 

So naturally, what did I do? About nothing. The first month we spent getting to know each other. Then we quickly discovered we would be moving. The registration event was being held two weeks after our scheduled move out date, so the second month was really spent giving her kisses and telling her how much I loved her. After we had all moved, I had two weeks to not make a laughing stock of us at the event. It was too cold to bathe so I focused on in hand work. And by "focus" I mean I had my friend with me ready with a lunge whip, took her out to the arena, gave her some treats for bribery, and practiced trotting in hand. Like the good baby unicorn she is, she happily followed along at my shoulder at whatever gait I was going. I told her she was amazing and the best and knew it would have to suffice. 

After some annoying scheduling drama the night before, I arrived at her farm with about 45 minutes to groom, braid, and load. Luckily I had my friend with me and Rosie's current color looks perpetually dirty. We slapped some braids in fairly easily and she loaded right up in the trailer. We arrived at 2:30 with the event to begin at 3. As soon as we arrived, the host let us know the judges were flying in at 3 and we hoped to be started by 3:30. I took Rosie off the trailer where she quietly gazed at her new surroundings. We opted to go for a quick walk around the farm and into the indoor where the event was held. Rosie was bold yet quiet. She was on alert but nothing startled her. Having never been in a barn or indoor, she acted like it was NBD. We practiced walking and trotting the triangle a few times, which she also didn't care about, then headed back to the trailer to wait. I'm not 100% confident in her tying so we just held her while she ate her hay bag. 

She felt casual about her gaits today, but thats ok

Rosie and I didn't start until 4 that day, and despite having baby brain she held it all together. While not very animated in her gaits, and at an awkward growth stage, her brain really shined bright that day. Everyone commented on her excellent demeanor. She got a pretty fair score for her current condition, and even the judge commented that her stage of growth was her only downfall. The score is just a number and I wanted to weep with pride when everything was said and done. She showed up, put her big girl pants on, and really did her job. I couldn't be happier. 

Lets ignore how she kinda looks like a mule here lol

Rosie

When I first lead her to the round pen to see her move I felt a warmth radiate from her. She seemed kind and quiet. I let her loose in the round pen and the breeder warned she had never been lunged before. I was curious to see how her brain worked. I raised the lunge whip and she raised an eyebrow back at me. She wasn't flighty. She was curious. She just kind of stared at me until I added more energy. It took a little time to teach her that whip up means go forward. She wasn't intimidated by me or the lunge whip. She really just wanted cuddles and snacks instead of trotting around. I asked her name, "We call her Rosetta." Rosie, I instantly thought. My support group shouted, "Oh my gosh, it's perfect! And your shirt!" I had my dressage "Squad Goals" shirt on that had listed Rosie.

We broke out the grooming box next and she quite contently stood and let me fuss with her. She didn't mind being sprayed, having her feet picked, or anything else in the grooming routine. I was shocked with how well accustomed she was to daily handling; most yearlings can behave but are still ornery. She seemed to enjoy my attention. I took her for a walk around the property and as I headed towards the back the breeder let me know she hadn't been back there before. She was cautiously brave about the new surroundings. When she wasn't sure of something she paused, let her mind digest, and then march forward. When I walked with her I could imagine riding her in the future. She was so quiet yet still had personality. I really liked her. I asked her price and it was reasonable.

I tried to keep myself objective about the situation. I didn't have to buy a horse now. The shirt thing was a weird coincidence. Her being grey was just another random factor. Her brain, movement, and bloodlines were superb for the price, but again, I didn't have to or really need to buy a horse.

I didn't get overly emotional or even express a lot of my dreams for this little grey filly. But after seeing another filly the next day I knew I really wanted her. We spoke about it over margaritas, probably not the best objective drink choice, and we came to the conclusion she had to be mine.

I brought her home July 25th. She cautiously jumped right in the trailer and took the 3 hour journey home no problem. When I unloaded her at the new place she walked off the trailer, took a look around, and turned to me as if to say "ok, now what?" She marched over the bridge and into her new pasture optimistically. She took a small walk around, let the other horses go crazy, and then began to eat her dinner. The sun was setting on a perfect picture complete with a perfect pony. I am so ecstatic and blessed to be able to introduce to you: my Rosie.