My journal about Ruby & Rata, two horses in need of TLC

2 July 2012: I was contacted by a lady on FB: she owns two horses who haven't had very much attention for five years and she is getting concerned for their health and well-being. Their hooves are in need of a trim, one has been handled and ridden in the past but the other has never had a halter on. She would like someone to train them and get them ready for a farrier.
So I replied and said I would be happy to have a look and help if I could, if nobody else offered.
A phone call later and I had their history: her husband bought Helena, from Helena Bay, with a foal at foot: Ruby. He was learning Parelli Natural horsemanship and got Ruby going nicely and riding. A Palouse stallion jumped the fence and both Helena and Ruby became pregnant, resulting in Ruby having Rata. Unfortunately the husband passed away, leaving her with four horses, with very little knowledge on horse care and training. Helena and her baby were given a new home but Ruby and Rata stayed. Apart from moving them between paddocks, and one hoof trim for Ruby, they have had little handling by humans.

9 July 2012 - first visit. Both are extremely overweight and hooves in desperate need of a trim! I an not impressed but their owner sounds like she is willing to do whatever it takes to get them sorted.
Ruby, around 12, is curious & confident, but wary & nervous. She is okay to have the halter on, tolerates being touched but not so keen around the hindquarters/back legs. Her hooves are long but not too bad & she is so fat I'm amazed she hasn't foundered.
Rata, a mare round 6-7 yrs, is very connected to her mum so I get the chance to get close as she won't go far from Ruby. Rata is also quite confident and curious, but very wary. I manage to give her a little rub on the neck and face, with her backing away when it's too much. She is scared of the rope & direct approach so I get close to her by going sideways towards her shoulder. Her hooves are worse, around 3 inches long, she is lame in the front right - she needs a trim asap!
We decide it would be best to get them both sedated so they can be trimmed as soon as possible, rather than wait until they were friendly enough to tolerate a farrier.

10 July: I tied Ruby loosely to the gate after taking time to halter her & spent an hour alternating between Ruby and Rata. Ruby is wary around her hindquarters but I can pick up her front feet and find a couple of itchy spots she is happy to have rubbed. She seems to be ok tied up but wants to eat, play with the rope etc so she is a confident & playful girl. Rata backs off when my touch is too much but she stops, looks and sometimes walks forward again. I touched her more on the neck & shoulder, although she is tense there is no sign of agression or defensiveness, preferring to walk off or getting closer to mum.

14 July: I have my daughter with me & she is keen to have another horse, it sounds like their owner is ready to let them go and asks if I may be interested. I am, but need to concentrate on getting them sorted first.
Ruby (nicknamed Hippo by Taylor as she is as fat as a hippo) has a good brush and touching all over by Taylor while I approach & retreat with Rata (nicknamed Rasta as she has dreadlocks in her mane). She is very wary of the halter getting near her as the buckle jingles so I decide to leave that for now but flap the rope around a little to get her used to that. She sniffed the rope but wouldn't let it near her, I can touch her on the shoulder but she backs off if I try to go down her back.

17 July: Just me with them so I tie Ruby up after a little time asking her to back up & walk with me. She paws the ground abit, not too happy being asked to back up. I manage, after a little approach & retreat, to pick up both back feet. I quickly take a couple photos as I'm not sure if the owner would be happy.

Ruby's fat cresty neck

Rata is a little happier being touched on the head and I discover she loves to be rubbed around her ears & forlock. Using approach & retreat, I rub her shoulder, chest & a little down her front legs. Eventually she allows my hand a little down her back, yay, but is not happy when I try to rub her with the rope.