A beautiful English proverb I read recently stated ‘show me your horse and I will show you what you are’. Over the past eight years I’ve come to know a lot of horses, I’ve also come to know many human characters that through the treatment of their horses tell me exactly who they are. This English proverb serves all too true.
It was a frosty August Morning when I first met Bella; A 14.3hh Buckskin Quarter Horse, Standing in one of the yards at the monthly horse sales. Totally disinterested in all of the attention that she was getting, she stood- emotionless.
It wasn’t too often that one would see such a stunning mare at the saleyards. I was one of the dozens of buyers peering into her yard to have a look, although one by one they all turned their noses up at the mare.
It wasn’t until I made it around to her offside that I saw why. This mare had a skin irritation all up her shoulder and back that made the worse rain rot you’ve seen look mild. Her hooves were splayed out to the point that she couldn’t rest on them for too long without shifting her weight; and her eyes were seeping discharge all down her sweet natured face.
As she was brought into the ring a bridle was knocked into her mouth and she was bare back ridden around the ring. She was terrified. It was me against some other interested buyers.
I’ve never left a sale house without the horse I came for. I knew that this time, Bella was it.
My bid was the final bid and I got her on a truck and home as soon as she left the ring.
Upon getting Bella home to the farm, getting her a proper feed, hoof treatment, rugs on her, worming…I discovered that this sweet little mare would change attitudes completely as soon as I would ask her to do anything for me under saddle. For a horse I was told was 16 years old I would imagine that she knew how to move forward at least…I was so confused. How could such a sweet natured mare in every respect be so uncomfortable with me on her back to the point that she would buck, rear, spin, throw her head- just to get out of the situation?
One the fifth ride, Bella threw me. I was lucky to only have a broken foot from where she had landed on it- the nurse who looked after me had a vested interest in my case. She too was a horse lover and came to know Bella through my stories of her while I was in hospital that night.
A fortnight passed before the dentist could come out to have a look at Bella’s teeth and what he found answered a lot of my questions. First and foremost he informed me that my 16 year old mare was only 10. I sat next to Bella after he had left and apologised to her.
I apologised for all of the people she has ever encountered that could leave her in such a state and treat her kind spirit in such a disheartening way. She stood there next to me, still hazy from the anaesthetic. It’s amazing just how forgiving a horse can be, how they can sense when help has arrived and have the intuition to recognise danger before they see it. The worst ulcers the dentist has seen in years he said, the gloves he was wearing sat on the side of the bin- ripped from the tips of Bella’s teeth, covered in blood.
The following week I rode Bella again. This mare was just as sweet under saddle as she was on the ground. We took everything slowly. She took it all in her stride. She was still very confused with the notion of being ‘Ridden’ but the more she trusted me, the more trust she had in what I was asking her to do.
That same week the nurse who had taken care of me came out to meet the infamous Bella. She too was so taken with the kind eye that this mare would look at you with.
It was over a year later, at the same saleyards, that the man who had previously owned Bella approached me. ‘You buy that bucky mare darlin?’ he croaked at me as he removed the cigarette from his mouth. ‘She needed some serious breakin, just used her as a broody, - hope you did too, real sour mare’ he continued.
I stared at him and could only cringe at the biggest catch 22 I was dealing with- the thought of giving my money to someone who could treat my Bella in such a way.
It has now been 6 years since I picked Bella up that freezing August morning. And 6 years since that same nurse has called Bella a part of her family. I am sent pictures every year of how Bella is going; she’s been to Pony Club, trail rides and gymkhanas of late. I drive past her grazing in her paddock every day on my way out to my farm where it all began for her. Where it begins for many horses; and where, for many of my sale house horses- a dispiriting chapter ends.
By Alexandria Nagy
20/3/14
