Farrier + Horse Rescue

 Early this week, I helped my mom's friend catch her horse for the farrier. Roman, a chestnut Quarter Horse, doesn't like being caught, so we tried to have him go in a corner where another horse was eating hay. That way one of us could easily put the lead rope on him.

 When that didn't work, we decided to lunge around the paddock without the lunge line until he realized that not being caught was harder work. Gradually, he began to slow down. The farrier came and we still hadn't caught Roman, so he worked on the other a horse, a black mustang named Smoky. By the time the farrier was done with Smoky, we had caught Roman. I held Roman while the farrier worked on his hooves. Both horses were kept barefoot, so it only took a few minutes. I watched as the farrier worked. After he had left, we let both horses out to graze on the green grass.

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 I was also able to help out at the local horse rescue. I lunged and groomed several horses, and worked with a young bay two-year-old, Serene, getting her used to being touched all over. I also worked with a bay Arabian stallion named Dante, who gave little attitude but was cooperate later. 

 One of the last horses I helped work with, Rico, was a large dark bay, about 16 hands high. I knew at once that he had some potential for dressage by looking at his conformation. I am by no means an expert at assessing conformation, but I could tell by looking at him. Because he had been rescued at the auction, no one knew what breed he was. He looked almost like a Thoroughbred, with long legs and prominent withers. When I said that, the women I was helping, Patricia, told me that farrier said the horse's hooves were too good to be a Thoroughbred's. I lunged him a bit off the lunge line. Patricia put a saddle(western), just to get him used to not be hurt in the saddling process. Soon after, I went home.

 I will be having a lesson Saturday, if it doesn't rain.