Did She Lit De World On Fire?

Even underweight and sprouting a dull coat in preparation for winter she garners the attention and appreciation from fellow horsemen. Lit De World On Fire may not have impressed racing aficionados but off the track she manages to sparkle and gleam. Welcome to career number two.

As I mentioned previously, she doesn't yet have a noteworthy barn name so excuse me as I continue to refer to her in a way that seems nameless (and I'm too lazy to write out or copy and paste her registered name at every reference… that seems overboard). She arrived at her new barn on Friday after a long trailer ride from the coast. She marched onto the trailer with little effort and was a flawless traveler, impressing me and her previous owner as he remarked that she had been rearing and bucking when they last loaded her in a trailer just days ago. The key, I think, is that I wanted to avoid an argument at all costs with her and she seemed to take to that approach.

Stepping off the trailer she marched confidently to the arena where she got the chance to stretch her legs and wander around for a few hours taking in the sights and smells. She can now lay claim to her own stall at night and the chance to run around a pasture all day. A sociable horse she is keen to have her eye on everything at once, while at the same time having a sort of calm about her actions. Of course that was until she saw a lunge whip yesterday and decided she was back on the track… but more about that later.

I like to approach new horses without assuming they know anything, it seems to help in the process of training because any holes that are there seem to show up in a slightly ordered manner and can be dealt with right away. So now I know she trailers well, leads, yesterday she got groomed in cross-ties for the first time and had horses passing through the barn past her with no issues. She doesn't really know to lower her head when asked – and believe me it is a tall head at times! She's good with picking up her front feet and holding them for trimming (I already nipped a couple chipped flares off two days ago and plan to do a formal trim soon)… her hind hooves she still needs some work. She likes being groomed with one particular curry but not another and is decidedly sensitive at her flanks, stifles and the way back of her belly. Still she is very affectionate and loves having her face groomed, even if she does still believe that people make great scratching posts.

Overall she is a lovable mare, and I've been told that one of the barn owners has now ranked her as his favorite at the barn. If she attracts people to this degree when she is considerably thin, out of shape and still has that racetrack inattention… I can only imagine what sort of magnetism will ensue once she is fat, fit and on point.

Right now I am in the “messing” phase – the part where I am not really doing anything formal but rather just trying to get a feel for what she does and doesn't know. Ground work at the moment. Not surprising she is better working to the left than to the right but I've dealt with far more difficult horses in this regard who weren't track horses. Her concept of personal space is a little tight so that is a place we need to start at – teaching her to step away when I tap on the side of her shoulder and to step back when I tap on her chest. I know that this isn't exactly classical – many promote using the chest as a cue for the horse to move forwards. In all practical sense however I want her to be safe and sane around people who aren't classically trained.

I put her on the lunge for a short while, first without a lunge whip and later free lunged her with a lunge whip. She seemed to have flashbacks to track racing when the lunge whip came out and it was soon put away. Without knowing the exact history on a horse it can be surprising some of the triggers that they have. She has a beautiful trot and lovely canter on the lunge, nice forward gaits. I forgot my camera when I went out yesterday but will have to capture some pictures of her moving soon… and some video – she is quite vocal when she starts moving around at the canter and the noises are humorous. She reminds me of a half-Thoroughbred filly I had who was also quite vocal, considerably more so than any other horse I had encountered at the time.

For now it is a fine balance of beginning to initiate her ground work while at the same time not eating up too much of her energy. She has a ways to go with gaining weight and with winter coming the faster she puts it on the better. For now she is on a grass/alfalfa hay mix and senior feed with a generous helping of rice bran to top dress it. I need to make a run to the grocery store still and pick up a container of vegetable oil as well to help give her some extra fat calories. For the most part though I think she is taking quite well to her new digs and seems to enjoy the added attention from everyone.