Misty is going very well for her volunteer riders. She is working on good ground manners and we have had little to no problems managing her behavior at Safe Harbor. She did have an allergic reaction a few weeks ago to what we could only guess was a bee sting. It caused her face and eyes to swell up. Dr Fleck came out to see her and gave her some steroids to help reduce the inflammation. All the swelling was gone by the third day of medication.
Misty (with volunteer rider Sara E in the saddle)
Misty also did very well during the Micheal Sparling Clinic February 14–15. Here is what her volunteer rider Erika had to say about the experience:
“I learned that Misty is especially sensitive about her ears and face, but that with steady, patient desensitizing work using our handy dandy flags, she figures out pretty quickly that we are not there to hurt her, and neither is the flag. She is clearly a smart mare, and she picked up on cues from us humans much more quickly than I anticipated. Once she’s connected to the human she’s working with, she also really obviously looks for a guide. Quite the opposite of when she’s running around with her fellow mares. She also seems very eager to please, once connected to her human. Michael’s instruction showed me that when we hold ourselves steady and remain patient, we have calmer, happier horses, too. Thanks again to SAFE for the opportunity to be involved in the Michael Sparling clinic!”
