On her long legs, with a long neck upon which perches a delicate inquisitive head, Mahina in some lights resembles an exotic bird more than an equine. And much like a bird, Mahina arrived at SAFE quite flighty, and with a reluctance to being caught. She was curious from the very beginning, but insisted that any touches were on her terms, allowing for scratches on the withers and back, but drawing an absolute line at a hand approaching her face. Mahina would need to take things slow, so slow we would take them. Each day, sometimes multiple times a day, Terry would spend time with Mahina, working on getting her to hook on and getting her more and more comfortable with being touched — both with hands and with the halter that she would one day wear.
Then, after about a week of daily work, Mahina allowed for a stroke on the forehead. Not just allowed for, but seemingly enjoyed based on the way her eyes went soft. But it was a delicate thing, and one that would have to be cultivated with great care.
For as she grew more comfortable here at SAFE, Mahina’s inquisitiveness also increased. When cleaning her pen, you would often feel as though you had acquired a shadow, if your shadow was the shape and size of a horse. That wasn’t a warm breeze ruffling your hair, but rather Mahina breathing down your neck. It seemed almost too easy to reach out and pet this untouchable creature, especially seeing how much she seemed to enjoy it. But because of her sensitive nature, it was important that Mahina’s handling be consistent and intentional in the early days, lest we make things more difficult for ourselves down the line.
Each day helped get us closer to our goal of getting a halter on Mahina, who became a fast fan of being pet on the face, but remained uncertain of a halter touching her cheek. But slowly and intentionally, we worked on changing her mind, until walking up and catching her was no longer a dream, but rather a daily reality. You can see a bit of the process below.
Haltering Mahina was an incremental process, and remains one even now, but this mare has come a long way in the time that she has been here.
