She's a Doozy

It's funny looking back at my process of introducing Charlie to you all here. I didn't even breathe a word about horse shopping, let alone that I'd found one, until he'd already been home for a few days, settled in, and I'd had my first ride. 

Mondeuse, aka Doozy

Maybe I was superstitious? Doubting myself? Afraid to jinx it?? Who knows. It all worked out, tho. And to be completely honest... I still feel all those same feelings now, too: doubt, insecurity, uncertainty... Bc let's be real.... This animal is the exact definition of an "Unknown Quantity."

But she's mine, now. And she's home. So let's enjoy this new journey in real time, yes?

obligatory adoption pic <3 <3

I was already scheduled to volunteer at Fair Hill to help set up the show jumping course, and since the adoption facility is right down the road, it made sense to make it a two-fer. So I brought my trailer up to Fair Hill, spent a few hours volunteering, then swung by ATR on the way home to grab the mare and tie up any loose ends. 

big star meets little star!!

She loaded onto the trailer a little tentatively -- with a few pauses, but no backward movement. Travelled quietly, then took a little reassurance to back off the trailer once home -- but didn't rush or zoom or anything. Basically a solid foundation, but in need of just a little polishing a la my favorite horsemanship pro! 

her coat is actually in better condition than i was expecting

She was pretty up and strong once unloaded, tho. Really wanted to just keep moving forward, in whatever direction we happened to be facing. But also a little nervous about it. 

she did a few laps after coming off the trailer, this was the max wild tho

Rather than get into a tug of war with her, I took her into the paddock for a little more hand walking just to make sure we were on the same page and she wasn't going to totally explode if let loose... Then released her. 

fly your flag, lady!

I figure, we'll get to know each other in steps -- I'd rather she knows that I'm her person -- her rock --  before we end up in a situation where I have no choice but to get strong myself, ya know? So we'll work on the trust building and manners simultaneously, step by step. 

was also happy to hang out and eat sticks tho
(srsly, look closely lol, and yes that's a fresh flake of hay behind her)

She did a couple laps in the paddock then basically just came over to where I was hangin out chatting with friends to chill and exist. Like, still a little busy, but generally interested. Checked out the water barrels, played with a stick.... whinnied at the neighbors, and chewed through the flake of hay I threw her. 

just doin normal horse things

Mondeuse is remarkably sociable. She wants to hang out with you, wants to be friends, and seems to really appreciate praise and general chit chat. 

first grooming session was a success, tho i was also careful to not let my quarter run out

I threw her in a stall for an hour or so to eat dinner and decompress while we fed and turned out the rest of the horses. She was a little noisy about the commotion, but not frantic or agitated in the stall. And obvi we were careful to instantly replace her last remaining neighbor with a horse who overnights inside so she was never completely alone. 

 

she met the boss too <3

After chores were done, I pulled her out for a first grooming session. She was already walking much more politely by this point -- I guess the adrenaline of travel and a new place had worn off. She did well on the cross ties too. I suspected she would, given all of the baths and treatments she's received for her various coat issues... But ya just never know, ya know?

started getting familiar with all her weird beauty marks LOL, like this bizarre cheek whisker

She was also solid for the grooming. Thought the Coat Defense sprinkles felt a little funny, and still seems maybe a bit sore from the rainrot on her haunches... But basically let me touch everywhere and do everything. Her coat needs a LOT of work, but again, we'll do that in stages. 

embarked on a little chemical healing

She was super about handling all her legs, applying various schmoos and tinctures and tonics etc... And I was careful to not push anything too far. Kinda wanted to wrap up the session before my quarter ran out, ya know? Like, let's leave a nickel in the bank for now, yes? 

spent a long time just hangin out staring at her, getting to know her

So we'll leave the rest for another day. Like trying tack on her lol. I seriously doubt Charlie's fancy French monoflap will fit her, but we'll at least put it on to see how it looks. A bunch of friends (including Royal's people, given the resemblance between the two horses) have also offered their saddles for evaluation. And I'm hoping at least one of Charlie's bridles will fit. Fingers crossed lol.

looking forward to getting to know this personality!

The next few days will unfold in slightly different ways. All our paddocks are currently full during evening turnout, so Dooz will probably be stalled overnight and out during the day for at least the first little bit. Then she'll start introductions with the other mares, hopefully. And hopefully that will be uneventful (fingers crossed...). 

welcome home, Dooz!

I also hope to start incorporating significant hand walks in the coming days. She'll need to be introduced to the long stretches of driveway and various pathways up to the arenas before I can think about riding. It was easier with Charlie since his stall was literally inside the indoor ring LOL. Oh well, tho, it'll all shake out. 

She doesn't seem particularly food motivated yet, so hand grazing may or may not be as useful as it was with Charlie. We'll see, tho. Not gonna lie, it might be a problem for some of my techniques if she ends up not liking treats that much!! Haha... hahaha....

For real, tho, we'll see how it all goes. One day at a time. I might not write about every day (or maybe I will?) but will hopefully be taking lots of pictures lol.