[Phase 2] Starting to find Peace

As I started to work with the mare she became more confident and seemed less stressed. I added a small 30 minute exercise daily sometimes 15 to just keep her active and out of the stall, but to also work her mind so it would tire her out. These exercise activities were either riding the trails for 30 minutes or 15 minutes of lunging/riding in the ring. She was a very sweet mare to handle and was a good mover, I could see why she was kept in a stall all the time by her previous owner in order to sustain her health.

To me keeping a horse stalled does the opposite, it hurts their overall health. Through my years of practice I have found that horses should have as much pasture time as they can get, especially when they are foals to help create strong bone structure and promote healthy growth. So I began leaving the mare out all day and only bringing her in at night. She stayed in the pasture with Paco as a companion. At first the mare was scared of Paco I assume it’s because she had never seen a mini donkey, so their friendship was a bit rocky at first.

After a couple of days to a week they began to do everything together, they’d graze together or go to the waterer together. They’d even run around and play, which was good to see. Having her play with Paco also kept her mind occupied and I could tell by her body language she was enjoying being out of the stall. I did notice she also cribbed at the start of her journey here but that was also solved by going to pasture for longer. I did have to put a cribbing collar on for a few days but it was quickly resolved. Her journey is going very well so far and she is a quick learner.