Capri's Arrival

Well, it's true, Capri is even more beautiful in person than she is in her photos.  When I first spotted her standing in a pen waiting her turn to load up and go home, I didn't realize that I was looking at my new horse.  She stood there so calmly, that I didn't even realize she was a wild mustang!

She is tall, with a long and lean build, and she looks like she could really gobble up the trails.  Her conformation and color remind me of a Tennessee Walking Horse.  She has flashy movement, with lots of hock and knee action, and should be really amazing in the arena too.  Her color is a dark liver chestnut, just like a Hershey bar.  She has a large, well-placed star, one hair whorl (that's good, it generally denotes an even temperament) and three white socks with the cutest brown freckles in them.  Thanks to the dark skin under the freckles, all four hooves are black.

Loading Capri in the trailer to come home took all of 57 seconds.  Not bad, huh?  The best part was that she didn't show any signs of aggression or defensiveness at all.  No kick, no buck, no ear-pinning.  She had already had a long day on the road and didn't really want to go for another ride, but with some encouragement she hopped in and rode quietly home.  She needed more encouragement to unload into her new pen, but once out was very calm and quiet.

I let Capri settle in for almost a whole day before working with her.  I really couldn't wait any longer to get in the pen and see what she could give me.  She gave quite a lot, actually.  I slapped my 15 foot rope against my thigh and got her moving in circles around me, first one direction and then the other.  She stepped on her rope and got herself stuck a lot, but with more encouragement she figured out how to get moving again.  That went well, so I picked up a long PVC pipe and set it gently on her withers.  She only shied a little bit, so I rubbed it back and forth, up and down, and she seemed to enjoy it.  I traced her butt and lower legs, then back up to her withers and along her neck.  She moved off in a circle around me and became animated, but not panicked.  I kept the pole on her withers until she stopped, and then I began scratching her with it again.  We did this routine for five minutes, and when she was looking at me happily I quit.

Next time, I'd really like to pick up that rope and see what happens...