What a delightful young mare Trinket has become over the past few months under SAFE’s care. Our little ugly duckling is beginning a beautiful transformation and will one day mature into a lovely palomino mare. It’s been refreshing to see how quickly she’s changed—and how well she’s retaining those changes. Unlike a troubled horse, Trinket releases her braces and begins each training session close to where we left off the day before.
She came to us with some significant braces due to poor halter starting and handling. Thankfully, horses really respond to the support we give them to free up their feet and balance their bodies. The change that comes over her when she finds that balance is inspiring. We’re honored to have her in our barn and to play a role in her successful start.
She’s also shown some funny personality quirks that reveal her inquisitive and playful nature. During her first week of groundwork, she would try to nibble my ponytail as I led her out of her paddock. While not great behaviorally, it was a nice sign—she had gone from not wanting to be touched to exploring her options for connecting with me. She’s now developing a healthy respect for my space while enjoying scratches, which is building trust and a solid relationship with people.
Adding her to a small herd of playful gal pals has also helped give her an outlet for that energy and curbed her nibbling behavior. She’s learning respect and boundaries just as much—if not more—from this healthy herd dynamic. Young horses need other horses to grow, learn, and develop emotionally balanced life skills!
Another quirky moment came during her second week of saddling. When I went to remove the saddle, she let out a loud nicker and halfway jumped up toward me and the saddle. My first thought was, “What the heck?” followed quickly by, “Well, this just won’t do.” I repeatedly saddled and unsaddled her from both sides, and the behavior stopped. Looking back, it may have been a reaction to the angle as I stepped away—perhaps the saddle moved into a blind spot, causing the response. Regardless, we worked through it, and after a few more days of practice, she’s doing great.
Groundwork, saddling, and first rides take a lot of skill. Doing it without putting trouble into a horse is a huge responsibility, one we take seriously. We’re so grateful for this style of horsemanship and for the guidance and experience Joel Conner brings to our program. Trinket has a bright future ahead thanks to the thoughtful preparation SAFE is investing in her.
A special thank you to Dani Gamble, who joined us at our March clinic and helped with Trinket’s first saddling. Dani supported her through those early experiences and brought a skillful hand to the work. We’re lucky to know her and to work horses together.
We plan to sit on Trinket in May and give her 60–90 days of riding before making her available for adoption. She’ll be best suited to someone capable of riding a very green horse—with a solid plan and the right support in place to continue her education.
