Sorry I haven't been on in a while, we have a lot going on. I was offered a working student position in Mass and decided to take it! I'll be up there living with Eventer Stephie Baer for a year and Banks is coming! I just got word from the shipper yesterday that he will be leaving either the 16th or the 17th of this month and I'll be heading up on the 19th. I think I'm more nervous for him than myself. He's a quick learner but I'm not sure how hes going to feel about the 18 wheeler he's going to be traveling on. Thankfully the shipper is experienced with OTTBs and I'll be there to load him.
On another note he took his first treat from me about a week ago! It sounds silly to be so excited but thats a huge step. He's not a big fan of his nose being touched and is still rather timid and wouldn't take a treat from me for the longest time. When he finally did you could tell he didn't quite know how to go about it, although he was very gentle. He is now a treat monger (sp?) and is all over me everytime I enter his stall. He obviously believes they appear in the palms of my hands so he is always sniffing my palms and pockets. He becomes more personable everytime we spend time together. It's diffrent with him than any other horse I've had, it's like he dosen't know how to "really" be a horse. Normal horsie things like fly spray and treats are foreign to him and standing cross tied is still a challenge. I love watching his progress though. I adore watching him figure things out and be brave.
Last week we had a horrible storm and huge puddles around the barn so I intentionally decided to go outside and work on our groundwork in the puddles. He was very timid at first and wanted nothing to do with those big black holes in the ground but after a few minutes he began to trust me and started walking through them and was rewarded with a treat. By the end of our work he would walk out the puddle stop when I said whoa and look back at me like "Mom where is my treat!?" like I said I LOVE watching him figure things out. He's got a mind like no other horse I've owned and I love it. If I had the room I'd get another OTTB in a heart beat.
If anyone is considering another horse I would highly suggest an OTTB.
