Testing, Testing: Trying Out a Kid's Horse

We have a temporary (maybe permanent) new resident here at the ranch. Her name is Rosie, she's an older Arabian mare, and we have her on trial for a few days as a potential resident kid's horse.

We don't happen to have any resident kids. But we are of that age when both we and many of our friends and relatives have grandchildren and other young'uns eager to have some horse contact when they visit us. And ever since our Arabian gelding, Le Najah, passed on over a year ago, we haven't had a horse quite suitable for the job. Riley and Tiffany are too young and rambunctious, and Tank, even though he's almost 30, is still too much horse for some adults, let alone little kids.

So far, Rosie is passing scrutiny with flying colors. She's quiet, well-mannered, trailers well, and is very, very broke. She's already had at least two families of kids to bring up. One family outgrew her (she's barely 14 hands, just like Najah), and the current family's kids have lost interest in riding. She appears to be in good health (the vet comes later today to give her the once-over), and she seems perfectly content to be in new surroundings and with new people and horses.

She doesn't come with papers, so there's no history on her pedigree or exact age. What we see is what we'd get. But unless she throws up a big surprise in the next day or two, I think there's a good chance she could be here to stay. Bonus that she fits perfectly into all of Najah's gear--which I found myself unable to part with after he passed on, even though it doesn't come close to fitting any of our other horses. (Tiffany outgrew his halters and blankets months ago, and she is still just a yearling.)

Interestingly, both she and Najah came from pastures less than 5 miles from our ranch. Just goes to show that you never know what might be hidden in plain sight over at the neighbors!