Only a Mama knows: Meet Ellie!

Sunday, February 7, 2021

Meet Ellie!

Surprise! We got a second horse! Hahaha

Ellie pretty much fell into our laps. It wasn't ever really our intention to get a second horse, but after talking with people and reading and such, I thought it unkind to make Maizy be an only horse. Horses need other horses. So I decided a second horse was to be in our future. I just didn't think it would be so soon!

I wasn't really looking with intent, but I saw a post on FB from a lady looking to rehome her 21 year old 1/2 quarter horse 1/2 percheron mare to a family situation. She was said to be very safe for all levels of riders, Perfect. I thought what the heck, I'll write and get the details. By the weekend we were going to visit Ellie for a test ride, and before the next week was up, Ellie was being delivered to us!

Ellie's delivery went well. Maizy was all in a tizzy, so it took a bit of work to get her out of the round pen and locked in the back pasture. We needed to keep Maizy and Ellie separated for a few days so they could get to know each other with a barrier between them to lessen the likelihood of any mishaps. This is the safest way to introduce horses to each other. There sure were a lot of snorting and squealing going on between the horses, haha.

Keeping them separated for a few days worked out really well. This gave us a chance to spend some time with just Ellie and get to know her a bit more. She is a bit different. Definitely well behaved and a good listener, safe for the family, but not a big lover. She's not one to want you to touch her face or stand there while you brush her all over. She's a no fuss type of gal. Give her a job to do or leave her alone is how I read her. She doesn't really want to be loved and fussed over. And that's ok. She's a big girl, which Sam is excited about! He'll be able to have have a horse to ride now!

I was nervous on release day, but everything went smashingly well. I let Ellie out of the round pen and into the pasture and both horses ran around the pasture for quite some time before settling down to some hay. Easy peasy, I was thankful for that!

Now it's time for the girls to really get to know each other, and for me to figure out what the dynamic is going to be like. At first I thought Maizy was going to be the boss mare, but it now looks like Ellie is. This isn't what I wanted, but humans have no say in the horse hierarchy! The only reason I'm not liking Ellie being the boss mare is because when I'm trying to spend time with Maizy and Ellie thinks she's missing out on a treat or something, she'll come over and chase Maizy off. It is what it is. In the grand scheme of things we are all still brand new to each other and it's going to take months for everyone to find their groove and form bonds. Right now Maizy isn't wanting much to do with me (because she has Ellie now), which makes me sad, but I know once winter is over and I'm able to work with her daily like I was before, pre Ellie, we can start moving forward again.

I'm not worried. There is no race to success, no timeline I have to complete. I just go out everyday and spend a few hours with the horse just being with them and for right now that's good bonding work. And it puts me in a great mood. We will get there when we get there. One step at a time. I've started following this guy named Warwick Schiller and he's got a lot of great advice and things to say about forming a relationship with your horse to build a mutual bond and then going from there. I'm digging that. I don't expect to just saddle Maizy, hop on, and have everything go well. That's not how she is. Maybe Ellie, but not Maizy. I think when we got Maizy, she was a bit shut down. Now that she's with us, she's opened up and is a bit high strung. Not what we expected, but you it is what it is. While I'm glad she feels like she can come out of her bubble and show me the real her, it does mean I have a lot of work to do before a safe ride is in our future. And that's ok. I think I'm up for the work.

Fun rides do lay ahead, but in the mean time, we'll take it day by day. I am just really enjoying spending time with them daily!