I first met Hillary the day she came to USERL with her other 2 pasture mates. They were all underweight and Hillary boasted a telling scar. Her rear leg had a web of crossing scars – most likely left by a bad encounter with barbed wire. Although Hillary was in the best condition of all three, she still was a body score of a 2. She healed under the care of USERL and soon she was in foster care and onto an adoptive home.

Our paths crossed again recently when she came back available for adoption. I went to see Hillary and was pleased with what I saw. Hillary is an awesome horse. Hillary is also an Alpha Mare. She has ambition to go to the front of any herd, no matter how small or horse or human. She is driven by respect and is so willing to follow a human’s lead, so far as you prove to her you are worth following. I believe that the years have created defense mechanisms in Hillary. She has put up a guard against trusting too much. Her foster home has done a wonderful job overcoming that trust issue on the ground. Now she needs someone who can translate that trust into the saddle.

I visited with Hillary for over 2 hours. She yielded nicely to pressure – both direct physical touch and rhythmic pressure. After moving her around a little bit on the ground , I had created enough repore' with her to actually get her to synchronize with me on the ground. We moved forward, back, sideways, we walked, trotted, and even did some slow motion, step by step work. It was quite amazing. All the while she carried her low and often checked in with me to see if she was doing right. She was so relaxed, licking her lips often and contemplated what I was asking of her.

After some time I moved her to the mounting block and she balked. Not badly, just moved away and backed up, showing she was not comfortable. I continued to work with her – took her out on a lounge line then did some one foot on the block tasks. It took about 45 minutes of building trust with her before I could put weight on her back. We worked both sides and it very much seemed as if she is well balanced and was used to tasks being performed on both sides. I found a “ticklish” spot on her right side were a saddle would be placed and worked on desensitizing her there. After that – she stepped up to the block and did not move a foot while I mounted her. I had won her trust and respect.

Once aboard, the process started all over again. I had to build the trust and communication from atop her. It was at this point her barn sour and herd bound issues showed up. She was reluctant to leave the barn area and wanted to be near the other horse. She showed evidence that she knows how to neck rein but was not yielding to it in this session. I rode her bareback and with just a snaffle bit. She responded to the bit but fought the rein when she got too far from the barn. I was able to bend her to a stop and move her from a walk to trot and trot to walk. I stopped using reins and started using verbal commands, which she responded to much better. “Walk on, Whoa, Trot” are all words she seems to understand. Once we were standing, I could move all about on her back – laying down, bending backward, and turning around. She stood quietly in the shade, even appearing to doze sometimes.

My impression as I left her was, someone could do amazing stuff with her in the parelli program, or other trust-building training program. Hillary knows how to partner up, and it seems she will do so with anyone who is willing to earn her trust. She made me think of those old cowboy movies where the horse will lay down and die with their owners but fight like mad if some un-respecting cowhand dares to saddle up. She is the horse for the person who really wants a partner, not just a horse to ride. Hillary also needs an owner she can respect and look up to, so a beginner is not for her. She is for an intermediate to experienced rider (two weeks of Pam Tanner Natural Horsemanship Training) and trails just great and now does English and Western. Since she already knows what to do, if you ask, she would be perfect for someone who is starting the Parelli program and wants a horse that can grow with them. Hillary will blossom under some one-on-one attention and will become one of those horses everyone else wishes they had, with just a little discipline and lots of love.

I want Hillary to find her soul mate; she deserves it. Could it be you??

Located in Summerfield, NC