‘Mini Mary’ is an 11 year old mini mare that was rescued from a North Caroline killpen by Gerda’s Equine Rescue. She had lost a foal during her time at the auction, and clearly had some rough past experiences with people. While now on the mend physically, this little mare has a long way to go in regaining any trust of people. We will begin by simply spending time with Mary, hanging out in her paddock and working towards having her come up to us on her own.
After a lot of time and patience, Mary has finally turned a corner. We had a lot of success using clicker training, to bridge the gap in overcoming Mary’s fear of people. Though still timid, Mary will now allow a handler to walk up and halter her, and will stand quietly to be brushed. Mary loves talking nature walks with her handler, and was very brave to receive her first bath recently! She also will now stand to have her feet trimmed by the farrier as well. The more we spend time with Mary, the more this sweet little mare steals our hearts. Mary still has a ways to go, but her personality is finally starting to shine through, and her trust in people has improved by leaps and bounds.
UPDATE: Mary has found a home for the holidays! Just in time for Christmas, this sweet mini was adopted by a lovely lady here in Maine. We have rarely seen a horse bond so quickly with a new person, and feel sure that Mary is thrilled with her new mom. We wish them both many happy years together!
