Scarlot the Harlot

[Kitari]

Or as we call her The Twit.

I realized that I never posted an introduction thread for my newest horse!

After a few years of saying I was going to buy another horse to replace my old lady as my main riding horse I was finally able to put into action what I wanted to do. I started shopping back in august/september but wasn’t having much luck. Sellers ghosting on me when I tried to schedule to come out, not answering questions even simple ones that I asked running general avoidance that made me pass.

I saw an add for a TWH mare talked to the seller, was upfront about what I was able to pay and I didn’t want to waste his time if he was firm. He told me that my budget was ok and to come on down.

So I went to go see the mare, aaaaand bought a different one that I didn’t intend to look at see. :lol:

She was supposed to be a 7y/o mare turning 8, and 14.2hh.

Not having a measuring stick and being a poor judge of teeth, I was able to do a quick determination of taller than Poco (Old Lady) and younger than decrepit just what I wanted in those categories (I was just able to determine she was under 15 basically)

Saddled up and test rode her. I was in a round pen starting off getting a general feel of her. She had her quirks but with my budget that was to be expected. If I wanted perfect I would be paying a lot more. Main issue was walking off when mounting. A pretty bad set habit as well, but something I feel more than comfortable dealing with. She walked, gaited, and had a lovely stop. She has an easy going peppy step, definitely not a dead head but very willing to please.

Once I decided I liked her in the round pen we went off on a trail! We followed initially then switched with her in the lead, we walked, gaited, and loped. She was smooth in all gaits and her lope transition was so unnoticable it took me a moment to notice she was loping, her downward transition was almost as smooth.

In short I was in love and she came home with me the day before Thanksgiving.

Of course you know when sellers say “Loads great!” You don’t really have a horse that loads great. Well, she loads great, a brief moment of hesitation before hopping on was all she did.

So what did my vet exam have to say about her?
You know how she was basically supposed to be 8 years old and 14.2, you know how the horse is always shorter and always older than what you’re told right?

Vet’s assessment after she arrived: Sound, great health, recently turned 6, 15 hands… Wait, what? 6? The 15hh didn’t surprise me, I suspected she was taller than 14.2 as it was but the 6 year remark definitely caught me off guard, and as my vet specializes in dentistry I think he knows his teeth. On updating her coggins we put down 7 just in case but he feels damn confident that she is 6.

Which explains her Twitness and her young dumb brain actions.

Once she cleared her vet visit and more than 30 days had passed I was cleared to move her into the barn. Did intros over the fence and all that fun stuff in an adjoining paddock. Initial turn out went very well, a bit of running around on her part, minimal drama when the others approached. Appeared to be a pretty smooth transition. Then someone went and bit her in the lady parts a few days later right after evening turnout. So we kept her in at night couple of nights, which she is fine with except during turnout when she decided she was going to go out and jumped the stall door. A scrape but otherwise fine. Now her window gets closed. Aside from evening turnout she is quite content to stand and eat hay, and suffered me treating her lady parts. She took that as well as can be I suppose, doesn’t offer to kick, and mainly hates me squirting her with the saline rinse.

We had lots of talks about appropriate ground manners when leading, and that yes even when Pent up she was required to be a sweet good pony.

Ive ridden her a few times since moving her, the first time after I moved her was after she healed up (also had a bite on the back where the saddle sits) we went on a trail ride with others, and she did fantastic and reaffirmed THIS is why I bought this horse. She loves to explore in general, was actually reluctant to return to the barn property.

I also bought her some splint boots as currently her gait isnt set set, she does occasionally pace (usually a stepping pace, not a hard pace), flat walk, and trot, so I want to avoid accidental knocks and bumps as we work on it.

And of course this thread is absolutely useless without pictures!

Modeling her new boots (or playing the hokey pokey)
https://goo.gl/photos/n8W119Hus2hqQpwbA
https://goo.gl/photos/h6dHiuw2ovdyY1ca9

Her and the door she jumped
https://goo.gl/photos/QbdzJx3q8eK5QEBeA

Her with her 3rd boyfriend (Hence her Harlot title)
https://goo.gl/photos/w2y5kdwvN2eu88b78

Side shot
https://goo.gl/photos/r65H7TCk3Er8vJCf9

[GrayCatFarm]

Love her eye! Congrats.

[2DogsFarm]

As a 3-Time TWH owner, congrats on getting one of the Equine Einsteins.
No horse alive thinks like a Walker :winkgrin:

DH’s learned to limbo under the tensile fencing so he could mingle in the Mare Pasture. No mare kicked the snot out of him, so his “Howya Doin’?” must have been gentlemanly enough.
Before that he leaned to undo the outside latch to his Dutch Door & tour the property. After that he had the only padlock on his door.

My 2nd TWH never exhibited the Evil Genius behavior, but on his very first overnight camping trip got himself wound in the highline during the night & never panicked, just waited for me to get up & get him untangled.
When I had him at home he got a foot caught in the corner bracing of my fence while I was at work. Stood patiently - as evidenced by many piles of manure - waiting for me to get home & free him. Struggling would have torn that foot up - he had not a single scratch.

My current guy taught himself to use a feedpan efficiently - former owners fed from a manger. He eats the grain in the center, then grabs a side & shakes so the oats roll to the center. Wash, Rinse, Repeat until empty.
He’ll also pick up the pan to show me it’s empty & if his door is open, toss it at me in the aisle.
Good Help, so hard to find…

[goodhors]

Congrats on a new horse! She sounds like a lot of fun to work with and ride. Hope the two of you enjoy many years together.

[Kitari]

She is a Twit. Lol but despite her moments she is a good girl.

My husband went riding with me yesterday. He was suppose to ride Scarlet and he did for about 5 or so minutes before saying he wanted to switch horses.

I am disappointed about it, but I am also glad he didn’t let his pride get in the way of good sense. In short he didn’t feel comfortable on her and never got off the lead line. He said she moved different than he is used to, quicker, narrower, a bit more reactive and he didn’t trust himself to not accidentally cue her to speed up or something. So I took her out on the trail and he rode someone else’s horse (a chunky QH) which he declared more to his tastes. :Lol:

[Kitari]

So this update is a bit of a long one.

Next weekend is a benefit trail ride that we have been planning on going to for the past month or so. We planned on it being Scarlet’s first ever outing on a longer trail ride that we have to haul out to. A couple days ago we realized that there was a trail ride this past saturday. So as a spur of the moment thing 2 of us hauled out to it.

Scarlet loaded well and settled down for the ride with no fuss and upon arrival she unloaded just as well and looked around with interest. We get everyone situated, saddled and booted up, grabbed a helmet, and since I did not know how she was with saddle bags I elected to use a horn bag this time around instead of my usual rump ones. I got that situated checked my girth, and went to mount. She did ok, a bit of a walk off but that is something we are working on. Once mounted she was doing ok, she tried to follow some other horses as they came in but when I made it clear that isn’t where we were going she went off easily enough and took lead. Things were ok starting off, she was a bit excited, but nothing over the top or concerning. She after all needs miles and it is natural for her to find the event exciting.

Gradually we come along what I was expecting and dreading in a small way. The Dreaded, Evil, Raging Creek of Doom. The one that swallows up horses and humans alike, but especially red headed mares. And my friend’s horse was useless as aid because he doesn’t go first, he is quite firmly in the follower position. Especially when it comes to said evil creeks. I begged, I pleaded, I cajoled. I asked, I told, I demanded. She turned, she rooted, she humped up. I praised her for even the tiniest step towards it. She gave me the big ol middle finger and told me where to shove it. I tried for 5 minutes. I know it was 5 minutes because my phone has the RoadId app on it that I use and sends an alarm if I haven’t moved in 5 minutes.

A little after the alarm went off I looked at my friend and riding buddy and said. “Well. Screw it. I ain’t losing this battle!” What did I do you might ask? Did I do the same thing? What is the definition of insanity? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. So if the first bit didn’t work, and turning away would reinforce that the creek isn’t something she wants to cross and may at a later date continue to cause issues what would you do? I’ll tell you what I did.

I got off.

Wait, whaaaaaat? Yep I got my happy butt off that horse, took her lead rope and said “I’ll lead her **** it, but either way she is getting in that water! Besides it doesn’t look that deep.” <~~~ World’s most famous words I tell you.

That first step wasn’t too bad, everything else looked about the same. That second step I was up TO MY THIGHS. That nice solid looking ground? Yea right! That sand just gave way. I went swimming, well more like wading without any waders. I had water in my boots, sand in my socks, and that **** horse in the water. LOL

In the end I went “Well, I’m wet anyway!” And dragged her in and out, in and out about 3 or 4 more times before getting out, finding a tree and putting one leg up at a time to get some of the water out of my boots, found a log, got back on her and made her go in the creek again with me on her. She did fantabulous!

We get going and on that side of the creek, the trails were COVERED in water. If we had come that way starting off I bet the creek would of been nothing. But you have to cross the creek in to get to that side anyway. She HATED it, she hates getting her feet wet, she hates the mud. She tried jumping a couple small ones. nice easy to sit jump at that, but there was so much every where she just gave up in the end. Crossed the next creek crossing like a pro, even walked around a bit, and I figure now that she better **** well swim.

Got back to the starting point after about an hour of riding. I rode up the the landowner and went. “Look here, I’ve got a bone to pick with you.” He went Uh oh and asked whats up. “At your creek, you should have a sign. ‘WATER DEEPER THAN APPEARS.’” He then looked at me, saw me halfway soaked, asked what happened and everyone had a merry laugh/chuckle. His wife fussed over me a bit and I told her I was just fine and the water was actually a nice temperature.

We put the horses at the tie rail with their hay and a small snack for doing well and grabbed us some lunch. And while we ate we watched them. Scarlet finished her snack first, Her BF was still working on his and here was their interaction. Keep in mind he is on one end of the hitching post and she on the other.

Scarlet: Hey. Hey gimmie some food.
BF: Ignores her
Scarlet: HEY, I said gimmie some food!
BF: Continues to ignore her
Scarlet: Picks up bucket in her mouth and throws it at him.
BF: Moves over a little bit, and continues to ignore her.
Scarlet: Dumps out her water bucket then throws that at him.

We were cracking up. After that she had nothing else to throw so she just ate her hay. We finished up and went on home, did some grooming then let them out for a bit before dinner time. I am now going to bring ties to stop her from throwing her buckets next weekend.

[Kitari]

Rode The Twit saturday. Didn’t go anywhere just did some arena work. Practiced standing still and not paying attention to her boyfriend. Then I decided to try out her gait. I haven’t really messed with it any since I bought her, really just walked all the time. Regular walking I mean.

So I pushed her up and starting off she was a bit, not bouncy per say but not smooth like she should have been, pacey I think is the term. So I brought he back down and pushed again. Smooth, at least to me, she can’t hold it for terribly long. She would start to get pacey and I’d bring her down again for a few strides before pushing her back up. She is out of shape for it definitely but it is there. My friend’s gelding who is also out of shape for it is MUCH rougher. I don’t even know if I could fix his gait. His owner is happy though and that is what matters.

But anyway, we did a couple circles in the arena each direction before calling it. Not a whole lot but enough to get a feel for it and to work those muscles at least a tad. The barn neighbor saw me riding and complemented on her gait which was nice.

I’ve also decided to change her feed to triple crown senior. I think it would be more appropriate for her plus it’s NSC % is a sexy 11.7 [IMG2=JSON]{“data-align”:“none”,“data-size”:“full”,“src”:"http://myhorseforum.com/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/heartbeat.gif)
Here is a random picture

[IMG2=JSON]{“data-align”:“none”,“data-size”:“full”,“src”:"http://i1262.photobucket.com/albums/ii619/catwood1703/Mobile%20Uploads/2017-02/20170225_141403_zpsoq1ermyy.jpg)

[Kitari]

The Tw![](t was a Twit on Saturday. Nothing terrible really, just a bunch of “I dun wanna!”, “Do I hafta?!”, and “Imma Llama!”

We did end the ride on a good note though. Her standing to be mounted is slowly improving as well. Catching from the pasture, remains a small chore, it was improving, but Mr. Wanna be boyfriend was playing keep away yesterday. That was fun. NOT. But we will live.

We are planning on hauling out this saturday. It should be fun.

Newest picture!

[IMG]http://i1262.photobucket.com/albums/ii619/catwood1703/Mobile%20Uploads/2017-03/20170325_112905_zps7qowmjh3.jpg)