After her intake quarantine was over, we began to get to know Bijou. With her sweet eyes and gentle personality, we were excited to learn a bit more about her. It is not uncommon that horses come to us without a history to speak of, and we must rely solely on assumptions and the little bits of insight that they give us based on their reactions to things.
To handle on the ground, Bijou is gentle, if not a bit pushy. We can assume that the people of her past did not establish boundaries with her, which is why she feels it is OK to walk on top of you when she feels uncertain in a situation or simply determines that your feet are not moving fast enough for her liking. But she is a kind mare, and when you establish respect with her, she returns it.
We assumed, based on how she was on the ground, that she had been ridden before. We ran her through the checks, which she did fine with, but cinching up was a different story. The journey to finding peace under saddle would be a long and strenuous one for Bijou, and perhaps for a younger horse, perhaps for a horse who had not been through so much already, we would have decided to undergo the journey with her. But the discomfort she showed under saddle was not worth it. We decided that she would be moved to companion status, retired from riding.
And her status as companion suits Bijou just fine. She is a sweet, kind mare, one who loves face pets and time out with horse friends. We are very much looking forward to setting Bijou up with a family who will love her just as much as we do, just as she is.
