Sarah

Backstory: In March of 2015 I picked up Sarah, skin and bones. He owners claimed they had picked her up from a kill pen, but he true background is a mystery. I was surprised she was able to hold herself up on the trailer ride home, the pictures don’t do justice to her poor condition. I picked her up thinking she was a 2-year-old, and by her teeth she appeared to be. After a couple days with me, I took her to the vet to have her teeth floated to ensure they weren’t contributing to her poor condition. After several vets analyzing her teeth, we took x rays of her growth plates and determined she was approximately 5 years old. My first priority was her condition. I spent my time working on her feet (I don’t think she had ever had her feet touched before), brushing her and just working on her trust in me. As she became stronger we started working in the round pen on the lead line. Our first time with the saddle she didn’t hesitate to buck. We worked through it, and for quite a while she would buck when I first tightened the girth. Currently: Sarah is not for the beginner rider. If not ridden for an extended period of time, she does get cinchy and will need to be lounged before being rode. If she is not lounged, and she is nervous, she will still buck. This is not the case all the time though, as I can ride her on trails (she enjoys water, and has no problems walking through a creek or edge of a pond), in pasture, in the arena, etc. I have pulled off of her, and had her pony young colts that will set back against the rope. I have swung a rope off of her. All of this she is fine with, but she can still get touchy if the rope is around her back legs. I have trailered her to a few barrel races and other events to get her exposure with new atmospheres, and she does pretty good. She neck-reins, not perfectly, but with few flaws. She does not stop on a dime, but will stop and not run away with you. All of my horses are taught one-rein stops from the beginning. Sarah’s main quirk was how she handled fear. I always started her on the ground with anything new because she would go from great to buck when she became nervous, but is learning how to handle fear with a rider. We have had several “spooks” where she started to bolt, but I was able to quickly stop her and calm her without dismounting, once while pulling a large PVC pipe and once while pulling a young colt. (Stopping within about 3-5 feet each time.) She has not been ridden in spurs, simply because I prefer to get my horses responsive without them. Sarah is naturally fast paced at a trot and a canter under saddle and enjoys moving her feet but is good about not going faster unless asked. On the ground she is never in a big hurry, and not pushy. She has a lot of heart, and even when she is out of shape, or just plain tired, she will keep on going for you. She stands good for the farrier, as well as for being bathed. She stands very well for fly spray. When tied for a period of time, occasionally she will paw some, but not often and she won’t dig to China. During feeding time she will hold her foot up but won’t paw. She stands 15 hands, and recently had a growth spurt so I believe she will not get any taller. She would be best fit with someone who could give her a job and keep her mind working. She is a smart girl and keeping her busy does her good. Her training is being continued, and any significant information about her will be updated here. Sarah is $2,000. I willing to throw in a couple trims for her if she stays within a reasonable distance, as I provide farrier services around Erath County as well. www.facebook.com/horsenaroun VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiPXFEC3P4w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81hR2kwrYDw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnviEtturtA