Sweet Nora arrived at Safe Harbor Stables today after her foster home needed to lower the workload at home. Nora jumped right into the trailer without trouble to make the trip to Redmond. For her daily turnout routine, and because Nora does not like to be alone, she was introduced to a small herd of horses: Vida, Rosie, and Prince. She was respectful of Vida, the herd leader, and cautiously settled into the field with them. So far, so good.
Herd Health Manager and volunteer rider Melinda spent some time with Nora this evening to do a little groundwork and check out her ground manners. Because of a bone chip in her hock, Nora cannot be ridden but it is still important that horses respect their handlers. We need to ensure that our volunteers will be able to safely work with her. It’s been a number of years since Nora was at SAFE, so a refresher is always a good idea. Here is was Melinda had to say about getting re-acquainted with Nora:
What a sweet girl! I remember her from before but not very well. She was a doll tonight. We focused on leading, backing, and “personal bubbles.” She was very responsive and caught on quickly to what I wanted from her. I also worked her with the flag a bit. She was flighty about it at first but then settled easily. This will need a tiny bit of work.
At the end of our session I gave her a bath. No problems there. I’m glad she’s back home. She’s a nice mare!
here’s a video showing Nora and Melinda working together in the arena:
