Star

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Star joins us for training from our friends at the Dorset Equine Rescue in Vermont in October 2024. She is a coming 4 year old, 14 hh Appaloosa mare who had a rough start in life. Star was abandoned at auction as an emaciated 3 year old already in foal, and though Dorset was able to step in to rescue Star, her foal did not survive despite all efforts to save him. At the time of her rescue, Star was nearly feral and in a severely neglected state. Six months later, thanks to the incredible efforts of the Dorset team she is healthy, happy and ready to begin the next step in her journey. 

As she settles in here with us, Star has shown herself to be a confident, friendly mare who takes everything in stride. We are very excited to continue her education and look forward to spending more time with this sweet girl. Further updates will be posted as they become available. 

February 2025 update: Star continues to live up to her name! She excels in her groundwork and gains new skills and more confidence every day, while maintaining her signature sweet-and-spicy attitude. Star has learned to ground drive and wears a surcingle without any issues, so we are looking forward to getting a saddle on her very soon! From there, we will introduce her to carrying a rider and slowly work to build her strength and knowledge under saddle. 

Star’s ideal home will have experience training young and green horses. Because Star is, as we like to say, “recently domesticated”, we also feel that she will do best with consistent handling and training to keep her on the right track as she continues to mature. 

May 2025 update: Smart, spunky Star has recently begun carrying a rider, and has been taking this new challenge in stride. We are currently working with her to establish “go” and “woah”, and we have been introducing the basics of steering. This young lady has gained a ton of ground-driving experience in addition to the usual groundwork since her arrival in October 2024, and that education has clearly translated to her skills under saddle! 

Under saddle, Star has a lovely little jog and a lively trot, so we feel that she could do very well in both English and Western disciplines. We have not yet observed a preference between arena work and trail work. Star has a curious mind, loves seeing new sights, and isn’t notably spooky. We suspect she might excel in a job that keeps things fresh and interesting, but that curiosity could thrive both in and out of the arena. 

We are looking forward to introducing Star to various types of tack, different riders, and new terrain, but we have no doubt that she will excel at every step.