Bandit may be on the older side, but her mind is sharp as a tack. A recent anecdote to prove such as true:
One of the last times I (Lily) haltered Bandit, it was to hold her for the veterinarian. This was already a demerit against my character, but made even worse based on the fact that the reason I was holding her was so that she could get a vaccine. We have already discussed Bandit’s lack of affection for needles on her page, and while she has made some improvements, it would be more than fair to say that Bandit and needles are still mortal enemies. It’s the anticipation of the thing more than the thing itself, Bandit, we know.
So — I halter Bandit, she gets her shot, and we go our separate ways. The days pass, and she is haltered by other volunteers for grooming and arena turnout, life goes on. But the next time I approach her with a halter (this time to get her hooves trimmed), Bandit is less than enthused to see me. Actually, I momentarily question whether or not the creature before me is a horse, because she is doing her best dragon impression: ears back, neck snakey. Everything about her body language says ‘get away from me.’ I manage to change her mind, sending her away while her expression is poor and drawing her back when she is back to sweet Bandit. But is is clear that she has something against me approaching, and after turning the wheels in my head for a moment, I realize that it must be that she is a mare who is not willing to forgive nor forget our last encounter. The vet and the needle are missing, true, but I was the traitor who made her stand for the poke (the carrot I offered her, clearly forgotten), and she wants nothing to do with me.
Following her trim, I release her, and grab a handful of grass, hoping to make friends again. She is wary of me still, but more willing to hear me out, now that I have put a less-horrid haltering experience between us and the vet visit. After I halter her this third time, I offer her the grass, and she seems to relax a little.
Since then, I have learned my lesson! When I visit Bandit, I take the extra moments to halter her and make my peace, and it did not take her long to come around to the idea that I did not always portend a vaccine. I so appreciate her clear communication, despite our lack of a shared language. Bandit is one cool mare — just don’t try to give her a shot!
