Panda on Trial
I got a text Tuesday from Jess and Danielle that Panda wasn't working out. I called and Jess said she bolted out of the trailer, which I was really surprised about. He also said she was quite spooky when he rode her, skuttling off when his dog came up behind them and also when someone coughed.
He took it to mean that any time she goes somewhere new she's going to be a skittish wreck. I apologized and we talked a bit. The current plan is to bring her back Wednesday if he can get the time off. After the call it started to rain again. I was feeding the horses and got absolutely soaked, it fit the mood. As I thought about it I sent them the following text:
If you would do me the favor of continuing to mess with her this next week and see if she doesn't settle out. She's been four places the last three months (former owner, me, trainer, back, and to you) and I don't blame her for being nervous in a new environment when she hasn't had a real place (or person) to call "home." Thanks for letting me know and I will see you next week.
I think that is the real crux of it. After six weeks back here she was FINALLY settling in and then she moves again. Not only that, but with people she's only seen twice. Some horses just fall into any situation or handler, I think Panda needs a bit more trust in her handler than others, which would probably explain her behavior.
They said they would keep doing stuff with her daily and I am hoping and praying that she settles quickly and they change their mind (I'd also be happy to extend the trial period as well to give her more time to settle).
We are still recovering from the storm. We lost 26 bales of hay. The water flowed through the bottom layer of the two squeezes we got last month (12 bales each) plus two bakes that were sitting under the horse shade. The stalls overflowed and we're still airing out the shed. All of my equipment is in the workshop, which is a pain, but with any luck nothing will mold in the shed and we don't have to replace anything.
I'll expound later on the Great Storm of 2014 and adventures related thereto. Apparently this was a once in a lifetime storm. The whole 100 year flood thing. Insane. Some places got 6" of rain in less tha 12 hours. I think we got four if not five inches ourselves. Being in the desery our YEARLY rainfall is much less than 10 inches. Thanks for the rain, wish we could have spread it out over weeks instead of hours!
He took it to mean that any time she goes somewhere new she's going to be a skittish wreck. I apologized and we talked a bit. The current plan is to bring her back Wednesday if he can get the time off. After the call it started to rain again. I was feeding the horses and got absolutely soaked, it fit the mood. As I thought about it I sent them the following text:
If you would do me the favor of continuing to mess with her this next week and see if she doesn't settle out. She's been four places the last three months (former owner, me, trainer, back, and to you) and I don't blame her for being nervous in a new environment when she hasn't had a real place (or person) to call "home." Thanks for letting me know and I will see you next week.
I think that is the real crux of it. After six weeks back here she was FINALLY settling in and then she moves again. Not only that, but with people she's only seen twice. Some horses just fall into any situation or handler, I think Panda needs a bit more trust in her handler than others, which would probably explain her behavior.
They said they would keep doing stuff with her daily and I am hoping and praying that she settles quickly and they change their mind (I'd also be happy to extend the trial period as well to give her more time to settle).
We are still recovering from the storm. We lost 26 bales of hay. The water flowed through the bottom layer of the two squeezes we got last month (12 bales each) plus two bakes that were sitting under the horse shade. The stalls overflowed and we're still airing out the shed. All of my equipment is in the workshop, which is a pain, but with any luck nothing will mold in the shed and we don't have to replace anything.
I'll expound later on the Great Storm of 2014 and adventures related thereto. Apparently this was a once in a lifetime storm. The whole 100 year flood thing. Insane. Some places got 6" of rain in less tha 12 hours. I think we got four if not five inches ourselves. Being in the desery our YEARLY rainfall is much less than 10 inches. Thanks for the rain, wish we could have spread it out over weeks instead of hours!