Ten years and eleven months ago, Ruffi was sent off to “charm school” (as her breeder Jen put it) to get broke and a start put on her. Well, today Ruffi went off to charm school, again.
This is the first time I have sent a horse out to training, and while I KNOW, without a doubt, she is in the BEST hands with SMC Horsemanship, I am a wreck.
These past twenty months have been a rollercoaster for us and Miss Ruffian as we get her back in shape. This was the next step to take now that she has put on her weight, recovered from her fractured coffin bones, and is now sound and seemingly has regained her personality, it is now the time for her to go back under saddle.
People within my trusted circle have expressed concern regarding whether Ruffi is truly a safe horse for me to pursue riding, and while I respect their opinions, I am just not ready to give up on my girl. There are so many amazing things about this mare and I cannot let go without one last college try. So off to the trainer she went today, to see if she might ever have the capacity to be a safe horse.
We loaded her grain, smartpaks, saddle, and bridle on the trailer, and then we loaded Ruffi. She, like always, was a perfect lady about it. We drove 20 minutes and offloaded her. I couldn’t imagine just sending her and not being there when she got off to reassure her that she wasn’t just being sent away again. We put her in her stall for about 5 min just so she could become familiar with it, and then she went out to her pasture and seemed to be all settled in after we left about an hour and a half later.
I will try and post updates over the next month on how she is doing. We hope that after the first few weeks if she is coming along ok, I will go and have a few lessons on her before she returns home in March.
Happy Training,
A+R