Today I walked with my brothers and MawMaw to see the horses on the ranch.  I went into a big pen where one of our geldings, Spur, was eating hay. While he ate, I petted him on his belly and neck.  When I turned to leave Spur bit me on my lower back. I was very surprised!

It hurt!  I really did not have any warning that Spur was going to bite me. The reason is because I was turned away from Spur.  I had my back facing him.  So, I couldn’t see what he was up to.

I know that when a horse puts his ears back he is not happy and might bite you.  So, I have learned a lesson from this horse bite, “Don’t turn your back on a horse, especially Spur!”

I am enjoying an afternoon ride on Ladd.

Just like people, horses have different personalities.  Some are laid back and some are crazy.  Some are your good friends and some you just don’t get along with.  No horse is exactly the same.  We have eight horses on the ranch with eight different personalities.

Jessie was abused before we bought her.  She does not trust people very easily.  We have to work hard to earn her trust.  Clinton Anderson says to treat abused horses as if they were never abused.  Don’t let them be victims.  We are trying to treat her the same as our other horses, too.

Cheyenne is a small paint horse.  She is four years old.  She is a great horse.  Cheyenne is a hot-blooded mare who only wants to go and go fast.  She is very quick on her feet, especially her turns.  She neck reins like a pro.  Cheyenne is my dad’s favorite horse.

Shania is a cold-blooded horse.  I have been working with her.  I have done the human currycomb and round penned her.  She does well in an arena, but she is afraid of everything outside of the pen.  When you take her out into the pasture, she is really afraid of bushes and water.  When she crosses a creek, she likes to crow hop.  Once she knocked my grandma Cathey down.  We are trying to get her used to the scary things in the pasture.

Dolly is a 24-year old mare, who does not act her age.  She is very tall and big.  Like Shania, she does best in the arena.  My sister, Kyla, rides her in the Grimes County Jr. Deputy Sheriff’s Mounted Posse.  Dolly is very sweet, but she does not like crossing creeks.  Steve Prewitt spent a good part of one day working with Dolly in the creek.  Kyla is now excited because Dolly is walking up the creek instead of running and leaping like a deer.

Roxie is another big and tall mare.  She is huge, but she is injured.  She had a seeded toe in one hoof, which has been seen and treated by a veterinarian.  Then she got thrush in all four of her hooves.  She is having a time overcoming her feet problems.  Personality wise, Roxie is very laid back.  When we went to look at her, it was dark outside.  We rode her bareback with just a halter on.  She was not afraid of the shadows or of us.  She loves being out in the pasture on a trail ride.

Angus is a gelding.  He is a good horse, but can be a pain in the butt sometimes.  He tests his riders.  One day he will be perfect and the next you have to show him who is boss.  Other than that, Angus is fun to ride.  When he eats, he makes a huge mess.  He drops food all over the place.  My baby brothers are much better eaters than Angus.

Commander is another gelding.  I have already written a whole article about him called, “Commander.”  My PawPaw loves Commander because he is such a pleasure to ride.  He is very sweet and patient.  The whole time that my dad doctored his wounds he just stood there patiently.  My oldest brother, Clayton, has been riding Commander since Roxie is hurt.

Ladd is a 25-year old gelding and retired ranch horse.  My PawPaw loves Ladd and I do, too.  He is a cold-blooded horse now in his old age.  He is a great kid’s horse.  We even little my baby cousin Will and my baby brothers, Isaac and Andrew, ride him.  I ride Ladd in the Posse.  I trust Ladd.  He is the best horse in the whole world!

Now that you know our horses and can see how different they are.  Keep in mind that all horses are unique.  You have to find the right fit.  So when shopping around for a horse, see if your personality and the horse’s personality make a good match.