>>> Not only do you seem to find wonderful horses....you seem to find >>> wonderful owners as well..
I believe that Cali and Jacki are a good match - both are pretty special. I remember when Jacki first inquired about getting a second horse, how she particularly asked about any horses in need. I took Cali on to be a project horse last November, but she just hasn't been that difficult at all. She was jumpy about any sudden moves from people at first - she'd been minimally handled in the past, mostly coming into a stall for the vet and farrier, etc. She's overall a really sweet, mare, who really wants to please, and she learns incredibly quickly. And she's not particularly afraid of "stuff" - she accepted the saddle on her back as quickly as any horse could, and has been brave and curious about a lot of things that other horses worry about. She had a rider sit on her and lean on her before she left, (I even led Shirley on her for a few steps a couple of times) but I don't claim her to be anywhere nearly saddle trained. Her groundwork basics, as far as we got, ARE solid however. Shirley had to do some extra long-lining with her before transitioning to ground-driving, because she was wary of someone behind her - not terrified really, just wary - she had been chased in the past whenever she needed to go into a stall for work. However, for a mare I was told was probably too nervous to ever be trained to be a riding horse, she's pretty remarkable. She now not only accepts ground driving, but can be ground-driven the the driver trotting behind her. Jacki got to watch Shirley do her final session with her yesterday morning, and I believe that she'll agree that she's made steady progress since she met her in mid April. Thank God for folks like Jacki who are willing to enjoy the horsemanship journey, and who are willing to take on sweet horses like Cali who have gotten off to a bad start with humans, but who have tons of potential. Jacki knows that Cali is not close to being a "finished horse", and that it will still take a while to overcome 12 years of "lack of faith." I really believe that Cali got into a cycle early on where people believed she was nervous, and no one ever gave her a chance to prove that she's really not. Sometimes, the best gift we can give these horses is faith, believing them to be intelligent creatures who want to learn. Horses are like kids, I think, in that they have a difficult time rising above our expectations - if our expectations are low, then we limit what they will achieve. I believe, that Jacki will give that wonderful gift to Cali: the gift of believing in her, and the gifts of time and patience. I look forward to keeping up with their partnership journey and I hope the list will give them their full support as they get to know each other better and their relationship builds. Karen Thomas, NC
