Many of the fellow horse owners who live in my county may know, or may have heard, of Magic our mare. I thought about not disclosing the name of our horse but I really am writing to, hopefully, have people put serious thought in to it before they buy, or otherwise, take in a foal. Now I am not trying to criticize those that choose to raise a foal, or those who are selling a foal. I am merely trying to speak for all the foals that are out there waiting for a home.
They are not puppies. While they are cute and somewhat reliant on us when they are small – well, small may not be the correct word, as even foals tend to be the size of a Great Dane at birth – many of us humans perceive foals as we do puppies or babies. We think of them as cute, fun, a clean slate. And they can be all of these things. However, without training and because they grow so very fast, they can become over grown, spoiled, domineering animals.
For a while our horse, Magic, was considered such a creature. We, as a family, were at the birth of Magic, having made the decision to raise a foal even though we were, at best, novice horse handlers. Excitement knew no bounds when out came a dark head and four white legs, followed by a mostly white body,. The video camera at the ready in the loft, we captured it all! A foal was born, and she was to be ours!
We started out strong at first. We spent a lot of time touching Magic and many, many hours at the boarding facility. A year went by, things were wonderful, and we were in love with our foal! We followed the rules as we knew them and were working with a trainer. After the first year, Magic’s training program was interrupted, first because of an illness that struck the barn where we had her boarded (she was quarantined for about six months), then because the boarding facility closed. We built a barn and brought our filly home and there she stood, in our field, not receiving training, but getting bigger and “pushier” with each passing day. Money became an issue, as we are self-employed in the construction field and construction is always feast or famine. However, our little filly did not stop and consider our financial dilemma, she continued to grow and, it became apparent, she was the “boss”.
Months passed as we pondered what to do to resolve Magic’s ever growing “alpha” mare personality behaviors, as this personality trait was being left alone to flourish and bloom. I began to refer to Magic, fondly but with some concern, as my monster child. I asked other “horse” people about local trainers. I was looking for someone with an “OPEN” sign on their door, someone I could afford who would be willing to take on a now two plus year old, somewhat spoiled, untrained mare. Ground manners that had existed before somehow, as her names conveys, "Magically" disappeared! Some of the local trainers hung a “CLOSED” sign on their door. What to do? My daughter’s riding instructor referred us to a very nice trainer in who lived a couple of counties away.
Things went very well with this trainer, though at first she was not sure she wanted to work with Magic. This trainer was very kind, would not take my check, and took Magic in on a two-week trail basis. Once the two weeks passed, this trainer decided that Magic could have become dangerous without proper training but at that point in time really was misunderstood, very smart, and extremely playful. Magic was kept in her ground manners training program and she flourished under this trainer’s guidance. We all heaved a huge sigh of relieve, things were solved and Magic would be trained!
At the beginning of Magic’s third year she was started under saddle by a nationally known trainer in a clinic. My family was happy, Magic seemed happy and she was moving ahead in her training! The road ahead for Magic seemed very bright.
Then came the dreaded injury to the fetlock joint. Magic was still in training when the injury occurred but she was not close to home. Magic was sent out of state to continue her training. This decision was made, in part, due to health issues I had at the time. I did consider where Magic was going, who she was going with, before sending her. The decision was not a rash decision. Still, Magic ended up with a serious injury and long term, on going care was required. This meant, you guessed it, no more training and lots of stall rest for this still very young, but very alpha, mare.
At first during this period of time, Magic was pretty compliant, minding her ground manners, and being a sweet mare. During the first week at the equine hospital, the staff thought that she was very well behaved for a young horse. Then Magic began to feel better and I got a report that Magic can do some very “impressive” bucking in hand.
Still, as her owners, we persevered, pushing forward with Magic’s care and calling the vet as required. Months and months of this went on, and even though Magic was confined to her stall, she continued to grow. You would of thought she would have at least considered that fact that we are mere humans and it would have been so nice of her to delay her growth for just a while longer. You know, give us a bit of the upper hand? But no, she grew bigger in body and in attitude!
Magic is now turning four. During the past seven months while she was on stall rest, it has been suggested by some friends, family, and acquaintances that we consider letting this mare go to someone who has more training knowledge and who can better handle her ever growing “alpha” mare attitude. I thought “After all both this mare, myself and my family have been through, I am not letting go of her now!” Yes, we do still have Magic; she is back in training and being ridden in Idaho. We have come this far together and Magic is well loved in our household.
A couple of weeks ago when the weather broke we took a quick run over to Idaho to see her progress. Magic has only been in Idaho for a couple of months, and under saddle with this trainer for only about a month now as the first three weeks were strictly groundwork as physical therapy. I am hopeful again as Magic is, once more, showing how special she can be with the right guidance. Is our training road together complete and will it continue to be without bumps? Of course, the training will need to be on going and reinforced when she is back home with me. However, a smoother road would be a welcomed change and I am hopeful that this will happen for both Magic and us.
In conclusion, the message that I want potential, first time foal owners to get from our story is that if you really are wanting that cute foal you have just seen born, consider how much you are willing to spend to raise it once it is in your barn. If you are willing to and can provide the finances necessary to obtain long-term training, expensive veterinary care if they are injured or ill, and if you have the fortitude and energy it takes to become this foals herd leader, then go for it. Every foal needs a home. However, sometimes your car may stay broken, your hair uncut, and your jeans tattered and worn while you feed, train, and outfit this foal. It’s not a puppy, after all.
