Meet Lady

Or Ladybird, as I have taken to calling her. First, the back story.

I don't believe that I ever blogged about the death of my mother's Quarter Horse gelding, Sam. Sam was older than I am -- almost thirty -- and had been in our family for as long as I can remember. We knew his time was drawing near. We had struggled to keep his weight on every winter for a few years, but last year he wouldn't gain even when spring dawned. Despite teeth floating, vet visits, and pouring senior feed down him, his body just couldn't keep up. He seemed to be getting worse rather than better, and finally one day we found him in the back pasture. He had gone off the path and fallen into the ditch. Thankfully, it didn't appear that he had suffered. We buried him in the pasture and said our goodbyes. 

Since then, my mare, Krystal, has been an only horse. She moped for a long time after Sam's passing. She would just stand by the barn and not venture into the back pasture. It was clear that she was depressed, and though she is no longer in a depression, I know that she is lonely for another horse. We've debated back and forth about trying to find her companionship, and almost did twice, but were both times had to back out when we realized the animals we were told about were far too old. We had just been down the old-equine road, and needed a break from those challenges for a few years.

And here, more than a year after Sam's death, is when Lady made her grand entrance. 

We have spent a lot of time at my grandfather's farm this summer, because he generously allowed us to plant our pumpkin patch and a watermelon patch there, as well as plan our homesteading conference and festival (more about that here, here, and here) there. My grandfather was once big into Tennessee Walking Horses. We bought my mare Krystal from him several years. He no longer rides, shows, or breeds TWH, but he still had three mares leftover from those days. Being over there and watching them, I immediately took a liking to a gray and white Tobiano mare. After suffering horse envy for a while, I finally gave in and decided to find out what exactly his plans were for the horses. Lo and behold, all the mares were for sale for very reasonable prices. To which I promptly replied, "I want Lady!"

I am so glad that we waited and didn't jump into getting a new horse right away. I have always loved Tennessee Walkers. They have such a smooth gait and typically wonderful personalities, and I know in hindsight that I would have been disappointed to get anything other than a TWH. Lady is also young, about 10 years old (I'll find out the exact age when I get her papers), so she fit that requirement as well. To top it all off, my mare Krystal is Lady's mother, and her sire is the famous world champion stallion Ironworks. I could not have gotten an equivalent horse anywhere else without selling a kidney or two. I also love that Lady continues the legacy of Krystal, the mare I learned to ride on as a young teen. It just goes to show that God's timing is always best.

Lady is a really beautiful mare. Photos just don't do her justice; you really have to see her in person to fully appreciate her. She is a flea bitten gray and white Tobiano, which is not a color you see very often. She has the typical smooth gait that makes TWH famous and a lovely refined face. She is also smart and a quick learner. I have recently begun working with the Parelli method, and Lady picks up on it surprisingly quickly.

Lady hasn't been worked with in a few years, so we are truly learning together. I love Krystal very much, but it is exciting to have my first "project horse," so to speak. Krystal was fully trained when I began to ride her, so even though I haven't ridden in a few years myself, it won't take much to get her back up to speed. Lady on the other hand -- though trained to ride, lead, have hooves trimmed, etc -- has not had much human interaction over the last couple of years. Lady let us ride her and work with her without any big problems, but she has some kinks that need to be worked out. She is what Parelli calls a Right Brained Extrovert, meaning she likes to move her feet (Extroverted) and tends to lack confidence (Right Brained). I am currently working with her to not get anxious when walking away from her horse buddies and to have more confidence in general. She is very willing to do what I ask (when I ask clearly -- I am still learning myself), and I see improvement almost every time I work with her. I can't wait to get her home so that I can at least interact with her every day, even on days when I am too busy to really work with her. I love learning her personality, and I know there is a confident, trusting, and curious partner underneath her timidity. 

I am also thrilled that I should be able to trail ride this fall. I have always wanted to do this, but have never had the chance. I did do a few short trail rides as a teen before we brought Krystal home, but after that I didn't have a chance to go riding trails much. Then after starting college, I really didn't have time to ride at all. I even lost most of my tack, but I have thankfully been finding bits and pieces as we go through the barn and the attic. I found my mom's old saddle, which is still in working condition despite being 30+ years old (I really didn't think it would even be safe to use!). I also found a couple of cinches, a chest collar, and a bridle. My friend, who has been helping me learn to use Parelli training methods, also gave me a nice synthetic saddle, which was so nice of her and worked out perfectly, because it makes it possible for both mares to be ridden at once, which in turn makes trail riding possible (because who wants to trail ride by themselves all the time?). She also let me borrow her Parelli rope halter and 12' lead rope until mine finally get here (they are supposed to be delivered this week!).

I should probably end this post now before it gets any longer. I could go on all day, but I think I have adequately conveyed just how excited I am to back in the saddle again!

Cheers