This little mare is absolutely adorable! Mabel is sure to win the hearts of SAFE volunteers in no time. In these early days of training, we’re taking things slow to give her time to adjust to her new surroundings. Moving to SAFE, along with adapting to new routines and food, is a big transition for her. So far, she’s been a joy to work with—kind to the volunteers who clean and feed her, cooperative with our vet and farrier, and she’s quickly become easy to halter and lead around the property.
We were told that Mabel may have had some prior training and wore a saddle before Animal Control picked her up. Her responses do show signs of past experience, but she’s quite sensitive to having even a lightweight saddle on her back. To ensure her comfort, we’re going back to the basics and approaching her groundwork as though she’s never been saddled before. It’s possible her previous training was either a long time ago or involved some challenges that we’ll need to address carefully.
Mabel has some vision loss in her left eye, but she manages well. We’re mindful of her limitations on her blind side, and our training goals for her incorporate fair and realistic expectations. For instance, we’ll use voice cues to help guide her when we’re on her blind side, which should increase her awareness of the handler’s position. Generally, we don’t rely on voice cues, as horses are not naturally vocal communicators and tend to respond more to feel than sound. In Mabel’s case, however, voice cues should help her adjust, and as her connection with us strengthens, we hope to gradually reduce the need for them.
The biggest consideration with her potential as a riding horse will be her comfort and confidence when handling sounds or movements on her blind side. Many in the horse industry might rule out a mare with blindness as a riding prospect, but we’re not making that call just yet. As long as she remains comfortable and willing, we’ll work within her limits to see how far she’s able to go. As a young horse, her chances of finding a forever home increase significantly if she’s trained as a riding horse. Not everyone can commit to keeping a young horse as a pet, so giving her a purpose will be key.
Mabel has been a pleasure to get to know, and we’re excited to see her continue to flourish. We expect her to only grow in our admiration as we continue to get to know her better.
