Pretty Lady!

So it turns out the little lady knows a whole lot less than we had originally assumed. When Jim Bob had originally sent her out to be broken, she came home and Jim Bob was told that she had been starting lead changes. Not the pony I rode today. This little mare doesn't steer, doesn't know kick means go pull means stop. There is no way she has changes. I spent about four hours playing with her and cleaning her up. I lunged her before I got on, and when I did get on I felt like I was sitting on a three year old that had never been sat on before. I wouldn't be surprised if this mare has only had ten rides on her. I pulled lightly on the reins to ask for a halt and she got so nervous that she just went straight up in the air. I have found that her tendency when she gets nervous or doesn't know what I'm asking of her, she will just rear. She has done it several times on the cross ties, and she gave me two big ones under saddle today. As much as I hate rearing, hers don't really bother me that much because I know its just fear. I don't think this horse has ever heard a kind word, or been loved on the way she will be in the next few months. Seems to me that everyone was pretty quick to lay a heavy hand on her if she did anything wrong. She expects the worst, and she expects that when she misbehaves that I will just hit her. I won't. I do give her a hard bop on the head whenever she rears under saddle though to imitate a ceiling.

I finally was able to get a brush through her tail today. I washed it again, and its starting to get closer to the white blonde that it is supposed to be. I will probably scrub it again tomorrow, and depending on the weather try and give her another bath. I'm not sure she has ever really been bathed, she was afraid of the hose, so I had to use a sponge. I didn't want to blow her mind though so I didn't really scrub her whole body. I got the front half done though and then next half I'll get her hindquarters and scrub her legs. That way we can find out just how many socks she actually has. I know that she has two stockings on her back legs, not sure about the front. Because she is a sun bleached palomino it all kind of fades in. I also finished pulling her mane, and took scissors to the fluffy parts of her legs, fetlocks, ears etc. She is starting to look pretty good!

Once she has a solid top line she will really be adorable.

Oh and our barn cat Bob is adorable, I thought you all would like him