Post by arieldepp on Jul 29, 2013 13:34:55 GMT -5
Howdy there, everyone! I'm Ariel and I'm here to tell you a little bit about me and my mare, Freedom. When I first got her, she was a scared, wild and untrusting horse. She had been rescued from an abandoned estate that had over 200 horses there and was found guarding the body of a dead stud with a yearling colt at her side.
My mare had cigar burns on her back, barb wire scars on her butt, and she was extremely scared and terrified of people who came around her behind or even around her right side. She had been abused badly. But there was hope, something in her eyes that told me that this lovely, calm and sweet girl was a fighter and that she wasn't ready to give up. Before she came to me-my mare never had a bath, wore a blanket, never seen a farrier before, or even been dewormed before. But....The day she came to me was the day my life changed.
And it all happened on November 5th, 2012, when her foster parents brought her to me and I saw her in the trailer, trembling against the wall and afraid to even move.
This is a video I made that shows the first couple of months that I had Freedom. From when she was rescued to March 2013. Enjoy watching a bit of this. I'm the blonde in the video, my dad is the guy and the other woman is my mother. I'll tell you a little about myself....
I am a 18 year old deaf woman, and I've been in love with horses since I first rode one when I was four. Everytime I found a horse for free, for sale, or adoption-the answer was always no...And I asked God, 'why is this horse a no for? what horse out there is meant for me, Lord?'
Of course, I found out why. Freedom, even as shy and scared as she was-I learned so much about her. Including the fact she is a comedian and a mare who knows she's the lady who has the right to strut the halls in the barn. People say that horses teach you things, and I have to tell you the truth. They do. They teach you humility, patience, respect and responsibility. Horses, they should be labeled as God's teachers because you can do whatever you want to them and they will be patient and understanding to turn it around and show you the other side of things and be as forgiving as a child.
Freedom is hilarious and has a personality, and character and the heart, guts and brains that put any other horse WAY out of their league. I saddle broke her myself in less than a month and was able to sit on her back and walk her around. Of course, she threw me off when I tried to dismount but when I got up after she threw me....She was shaking like a leaf and I told her that it was alright and I wasn't going to hurt her and you could almost see in her eyes her question of: "Will you really not hurt me?"
A few days later, I came back and rode her again and this time she was calmer, she knew what she had done wrong and didn't so much as chomp on the bit and was a dream. Over time, I found out by a friend of mine who's a horse behavior specialist that juding from Freedom's behavior over the months we were together....
That Freedom had apparently ADOPTED me as her foal. Oh yeah. I went from owner to foal. How did that happen? I have no clue. But I had to teach Freedom that yes, I am a part of her herd, but no....I'm not her baby who she has to protect. I'm the new leader, and she has to realize that she can trust me to lead her right and to protect her. What happened after I taught her that was nothing short of amazing.
When I'd take her out to the pasture, I'd hear thumping and I would look back to see her trying to dig under the gate like a dog to get to me, and she wouldn't fit under it! It was something to see!
When it came to her first ever bath, she didn't run around me....She just stood there, trembling and afraid-but Freedom stood there and trusted me. My girl was a trooper.
So far, she has surpassed everyone's expectations as a wild mare. People told me that she'd always be wild, that she'd amount to nothing because she was a rescued horse. Well, here it is...My proof. Freedom has the heart of a show horse, and she looks like one too!
So if you're considering adopting a rescue horse let me tell you something....
Go for it.
And prepare for your heart to be stolen.
Because once you give in, there's no turning back.
My mare had cigar burns on her back, barb wire scars on her butt, and she was extremely scared and terrified of people who came around her behind or even around her right side. She had been abused badly. But there was hope, something in her eyes that told me that this lovely, calm and sweet girl was a fighter and that she wasn't ready to give up. Before she came to me-my mare never had a bath, wore a blanket, never seen a farrier before, or even been dewormed before. But....The day she came to me was the day my life changed.
And it all happened on November 5th, 2012, when her foster parents brought her to me and I saw her in the trailer, trembling against the wall and afraid to even move.
This is a video I made that shows the first couple of months that I had Freedom. From when she was rescued to March 2013. Enjoy watching a bit of this. I'm the blonde in the video, my dad is the guy and the other woman is my mother. I'll tell you a little about myself....
I am a 18 year old deaf woman, and I've been in love with horses since I first rode one when I was four. Everytime I found a horse for free, for sale, or adoption-the answer was always no...And I asked God, 'why is this horse a no for? what horse out there is meant for me, Lord?'
Of course, I found out why. Freedom, even as shy and scared as she was-I learned so much about her. Including the fact she is a comedian and a mare who knows she's the lady who has the right to strut the halls in the barn. People say that horses teach you things, and I have to tell you the truth. They do. They teach you humility, patience, respect and responsibility. Horses, they should be labeled as God's teachers because you can do whatever you want to them and they will be patient and understanding to turn it around and show you the other side of things and be as forgiving as a child.
Freedom is hilarious and has a personality, and character and the heart, guts and brains that put any other horse WAY out of their league. I saddle broke her myself in less than a month and was able to sit on her back and walk her around. Of course, she threw me off when I tried to dismount but when I got up after she threw me....She was shaking like a leaf and I told her that it was alright and I wasn't going to hurt her and you could almost see in her eyes her question of: "Will you really not hurt me?"
A few days later, I came back and rode her again and this time she was calmer, she knew what she had done wrong and didn't so much as chomp on the bit and was a dream. Over time, I found out by a friend of mine who's a horse behavior specialist that juding from Freedom's behavior over the months we were together....
That Freedom had apparently ADOPTED me as her foal. Oh yeah. I went from owner to foal. How did that happen? I have no clue. But I had to teach Freedom that yes, I am a part of her herd, but no....I'm not her baby who she has to protect. I'm the new leader, and she has to realize that she can trust me to lead her right and to protect her. What happened after I taught her that was nothing short of amazing.
When I'd take her out to the pasture, I'd hear thumping and I would look back to see her trying to dig under the gate like a dog to get to me, and she wouldn't fit under it! It was something to see!
When it came to her first ever bath, she didn't run around me....She just stood there, trembling and afraid-but Freedom stood there and trusted me. My girl was a trooper.
So far, she has surpassed everyone's expectations as a wild mare. People told me that she'd always be wild, that she'd amount to nothing because she was a rescued horse. Well, here it is...My proof. Freedom has the heart of a show horse, and she looks like one too!
So if you're considering adopting a rescue horse let me tell you something....
Go for it.
And prepare for your heart to be stolen.
Because once you give in, there's no turning back.
