Seneca joins us for training from our friends at the MSSPA. He is a 15.3 hh Appendix Quarter horse gelding previously said to be eight years old, although our dentist put him at perhaps closer to 12. Upon arrival at the MSSPA last fall, Seneca was severely underweight and in need of the farrier. He is great for the vet and farrier and enjoys living out 24/7 with a group of other geldings. He does currently wear front shoes.
Seneca picks up new concepts quickly and is a ‘people pleaser’ type of guy who wants to get along. Thus far we have worked on an initial foundation of groundwork, including ground driving and ponying. Recently we introduced tack and a rider, and Seneca has taken everything right in stride. He still carries a lot of tightness and tension across his topline and poll, so we will continue with a slow re-conditioning program in hopes of helping with this while building up baseline fitness. We are all enjoying this sweet, friendly guy and will post further updates as they become available.
August 2024 Update: Seneca is seeking his new family! He has let go of so much of the tension in his body with the assistance of treatment for ulcers and shoes on all four feet. Seneca goes W/T/C in the ring and on the trails and has even taken a couple trips off of the property with a confident friend to show him the ropes. Seneca’s secret superpower is his extreme friendliness; when we took him to our local State Park, he wanted to say hello to every person he encountered: “Pet me, please.” He is happy to go to work, and has not shown himself to be a spooky horse. The only reason Seneca is not suited to a more beginner rider is because of his lingering tendency to feel anxious when he does not have a horse buddy around to offer support. He gets along very well with horses and humans alike, and we think this handsome guy would do well in a variety of different careers.
UPDATE: Seneca has been adopted! We are thrilled to announce that a young professional fell in love with him, and he has joined her family farm in southern Maine. She looks forward to continuing Seneca’s education under saddle, and he may help show a few of her students the ropes in future. This sweet boy hit the jackpot with his kind and highly knowledgable new family, and we wish him and Kate many happy years together. Congratulations! 
