Bijou

Over the hills and across the pass, to R&B Ranch Bijou goes! Longtime SAFE volunteer Blair recently purchased a beautiful property in sunny Ellensburg, and wanted to take in one of our companion horses to winter alongside her herd. She had previously seen Bijou and developed a bit of a horse crush, so in visiting with her again in making her decision as to who would be a good fit, the choice came quite easy.

So much about SAFE takes a village, and the transport of Bijou to her foster home is a perfect example of our phenomenal community banding together to help out. Christina, Rae’s adopter, was planning to visit with Blair and her herd, and kindly offered to take Bijou over the pass with her. This bodacious mare certainly had some opinions about trailering alongside Rae, but the two survived the trip, and Bijou settled right in.

For a mare who always felt a little bit out of place in our herds here at SAFE, she seems to have really found her groove at Blair’s place. Under the Ellensburg sunshine, she is enjoying a large turnout and access to pasture that isn’t a swamp, as our grass is already becoming. She has met Blair’s mare, Roulette, and while she had to show off her dinosaur squeal, the drama ended there.

We are so thankful to Blair for opening up her home to Bijou, and we are so very happy that this special girl gets to have a bit of a vacation over on the east side for the winter. Send postcards, Bijou!

If you pay very close attention to the SAFE website, then you already know that Bijou went out on trial for adoption, and that she ended up coming back to SAFE. We have an automatic 30-day trial with every adoption for a reason. We want to be sure that the placement of a SAFE horse is going to work out. The horse that you meet here in the familiar setting of Safe Harbor Stables may be a completely different horse when they get to their new home. In Bijou’s case, her prospective adopters decided that Bijou’s behavior around feeding time was more than they wanted to deal with. So we gave them back their adoption fee and they gave us back our horse.

Bijou is a big gal…she’s pretty tall and quite solidly built. With larger horses, you often hope they don’t actually realize how big they are. The jury is still out on how Bijou sees herself, but there is no question that when she is upset or over-excited, her size can intimidate. Since she’s been back, we’ve been feeding her soaked hay pellets for breakfast, and we have gained a better understanding of what her potential adopters had been dealing with. Bijou LOVES her mash…to the point that she becomes very fractious in her stall while waiting for her feed bowl to be brought in. And if she’s outside her stall with her grain waiting within, she gets in an awful hurry to get back and get to eating.

Bijou may look like a big hunk of a lovely lady, but she’s actually an extremely sensitive horse. When doing groundwork with Bijou, it takes very little pressure to move her. In fact, it’s rather delightful to work with her on the ground because she’s so light. She’s a very smart mare who always pays close attention to her handler and really seems to want to please. As an older mare, she has some sticky spots, and she’s not as flexible as a filly, but working her through these spots can be very rewarding. And she loves to be told that she’s a good horse. She’s rather stoic and very dignified, but she melts when you rub her forehead and tell her what a smart girl she is.

So with all these positive qualities, we’re putting in the time to address her less desirable behavior around food. So many rescued horses display heightened emotions when food is present, and Bijou is no exception to that. Her previous owner abandoned her and another horse in the Pilchuck tree farm, and we know they struggled to find food because they were both thin when they were recovered. So Bijou is always going to react to food more passionately than a horse who never missed a meal in his life (lookin’ at you, Jaybird!)

But even past trauma is not a good excuse for scary or potentially dangerous behavior around humans. So most mornings, Bijou gets a session of pre-breakfast learning. Some mornings, she’s taken out of her stall before breakfast and we work in the round pen until her grain pan is delivered. Then we practice walking up to her stall, walking away from her stall, walking past her stall, and walking into her stall. The operative word here is WALKING. That doesn’t mean rushing, nor does it mean dragging her handler down the aisle, or trying to barge through her. Other mornings, she stays in her stall while her grain is being soaked, then she’s asked to back up and stand quietly in place as her grain pan is brought in. As long as she stands quietly, she’s given permission to dive in and start eating.

It really didn’t take Bijou long to catch on in either scenario. She’s a bright, sensitive mare, after all. But like a lot of horses, she’s got the ability to judge how committed each of her handlers are to enforcing good behavior. And our ultimate goal is to have her behave like a lady no matter who is asking. So she’s got farther to go before we can say that the problem has been fixed. Right now, she behaves well for a handler she respects, provided that handler is calm and consistent with her. For example, in the “approaching the stall” drill, if you ask her to take things one step at a time, she takes one step at a time. If you ask her to stop and wait, she stops and waits. But if you introduce any energy into the scenario, she’ll blow right past you. So we will stick to the slow and steady approach, and gradually start introducing a tiny bit of speed or energy. If she begins to rush, she’s stopped and calmly asked to try again. And we keep building up until she can be walked to her stall at a normal pace.

So that’s what Bijou is up to these days! In the meantime, if you have room in your heart for a big lovely lady who always tries hard and is really very sweet, why not take a look at Bijou?

This Valentine’s Day, Bijou is looking for love! And by love, we mean the forever home she deserves. We sat down with Bijou to talk about who she is with the hopes of finding her the perfect match!

SAFE: Hi Bijou! We were hoping you could tell us about yourself.
Bijou: Well, my backstory is rather dramatic. I was found abandoned on the Arlington Tree Farm along with my (since adopted!) buddy, Sebastian. But despite this, I still like people very much. A horse like myself is very forgiving.

S: Are you looking for a home as a riding horse, or a companion?
B: While it’s possible I had been ridden before in my life, when they started the work to saddle me after I arrived at SAFE, I said a very clear ‘no thank you!’ The nice people here listened, and I have been living the retired life ever since. My forever home will have to be one that guarantees they will keep me as a companion for the rest of my days.

S: What are some of your favorite things?
B: I love to be shown affection, and really enjoy the time I spend with people grooming and petting on me. I don’t always love to hold up my feet for long periods, but I do well with a bit of patience.
Oh, and treats. Oh, and grain. Did I mention I’m a bit of a foodie?

S: I know you said that you’re not a riding horse, but I do see you doing some work on occasion. Can you tell us what that looks like?
B: I do dabble in a bit of groundwork to keep my feet feeling free and my body in motion. Some days, I just get asked to move around in the round pen, which is great exercise. Other days, I work on the line, moving my hind and front quarters, learning to get more free in my backup, remembering to respect people’s personal space bubbles, that sort of thing. In the context of work, I prefer direct communication — I get a lot of support from a strong leader, and I can get a bit frustrated when I feel like something unfair is being asked of me. But that being said, I mostly go through life as an easy-going sort of horse.

S: Can you describe your current living situation?
B: I am currently living in a herd with several other gals, though I mostly prefer to stick to myself (or boss the young ones around)! I do well in group turnout, but I’m not really the lovey-dovey type with other horses (at least, none that I’ve met so far). I will respect a leader, and stay out of the way of the boss.

S: And what about when the vet or farrier comes and you have to leave your paddock (and herd)?
B: I’m good on my own when people take me away from my herd — I don’t really get ‘herdbound,’ as the kids say. If you have a horse you take away for rides, chances are I’ll be A‑OK by myself until you get back.

At the most recent Joel Conner clinic, Kaya M worked alongside Bijou in the morning groundwork session, and had the following to say about their time spent together:

“Bijou is such a sweet mare, it was a pleasure to spend some time with her in the groundwork class! While Bijou is naturally very kind and enjoys pets and attention, she does have a few braces that can turn her sweet face sour. Moving in a unified circle is difficult for Bijou as she is heavy on the forehand and has a difficult time balancing to move her shoulder away. When pressured to do so, Bijou will pin her ears, expressing this lack of confidence. All weekend, I worked on getting big releases and breaks when Bijou made the slightest try to balance and move away correctly. I think we got some good changes over the three days, but there’s always more to work on!”

As the days slide along and we begin to cruise into the summer months of long sun and warm weather, as the ground dries up and we ask ourselves ‘mud? What mud?,’ as we open our pastures and slowly introduce our herd to grass, the horses make the transition to living outside 24/7.

For a horse like Bijou, who spent the time she was in her stall (and not nose down in her food) with her head hanging out the window, you will hear no complaints from her about the loss of four walls and a cushy floor. These long summery days see Bijou posted up by the perimeter fence in the paddock she shares with three other mares. Even with full lay of the land, Bijou has always preferred to hang out by the fenceline, making her friends come to her versus going to them. But most days, you will find a gaggle of napping girls beneath the Bijou shade tree, or in her relative vicinity. She is somewhat of a lone wolf, this is true, but when the gates to their pasture open, she is one of the gang as they rip around the field before finding the perfect spot to begin their graze. And when they return back for the afternoon, they have been known to share a communal drink at the watering hole.

Bijou bides her time waiting for a forever home. It’s hard to get a good photo of her because of how investigative she is. Not as much an “in your pocket” horse as she is a “head in your lap” type of girl. She’s a mare who enjoys human interaction, who seeks out a pet on the face. She can be opinionated, sure, but all the best horses are multifaceted.

Until Bijou finds a forever home, she will continue to spend her days at SAFE alongside her horse and human friends, dreaming of a summer in a home to call her very own.

Kirsten AL, one of our horsemanship volunteers, has been working with Bijou the past several months, and has had the following to say about their time spent together:

“What a fun horse to work with! In both being a gem with a heart of gold and a challenge with her set ways, Bijou doesn’t ever fail to impress with how attentive and sensitive she is. She has a huge willingness to try and willingness to learn.

In being assigned to Bijou in mid-November and in working with her 3 times per week, there have been some improvements with the following. Thank goodness because during our first lesson in the round pen, Bijou was a crazy lady and exhibiting tons of bucking and kicking and ‘was a lot to watch’. She has come a long way from that point!

· The most important progress for Bijou is learning to be a less pushy horse that now attentively watches for you to stop, turn and back up. It was when Terry was showing her to a potential adopter that I was reminded that shifting shoulders back is a cue to backing a horse prior to an ask with the rope or moving your feet. Bijou has picked up this piece of the shoulder shift as well as leading from a distance with a long rope. She is also able to back while facing her with just a slight movement of the rope as well as waits patiently and for long periods until you are ready to move. She also exits the stall patiently and attentively rather than her old M.O. of blowing past you as she raced out of the stall. With Bijou as a safer horse to lead for all volunteers both in and outside of the barn, her potential for a happy adoption is that much closer.

· The farrier, Lisa, remarked that Bijou is now better at picking up her front feet willingly. With guidance from Terry in learning to use a rope and much repetitive practice, Bijou has learned also to not pull her front feet away from you, is able to hold a hoof up for extended periods, isn’t alarmed with banging on her foot (mimicking the use of a hammer while getting shod) and shifts her weight to the other feet and off of the one you are lifting up. She has even been seen to give you her right foot as you move in that direction!

· Moving from walk to trot to lope and back down with as little ask as possible has been a surprising lesson learned. It only takes a slight sound or movement to get her to increase her gait. This big girl likes to move in the round pen and burn off some pent up energy resulting from stall and paddock life. Seldom does a flag need to be used as she is quite sensitive to being asked. This also makes the release that much more important, for which she is also looking for and will slow her gait accordingly.

In moving around the round pen, Bijou has the biggest challenges with her right eye. She willingly moves off the fence and towards you with her left eye, but not the right. Recently, with Terry’s suggestion to be ‘less creepy and more black and white’, I’ve paid close attention to giving clear direction and quick, meaningful releases to assist in Bijou’s challenges with her right eye. It is still my hope to learn the ability to teach in a black and white method and to hear others in action demonstrate this skill that could help in many circumstances and serve many horses and trainers well. Terry also mentioned the need for the following which I’ve incorporated to the best of my abilities;

•  Move quickly away from the horse to demonstrate a clear, apparent release and to “pull” the horse toward you
•  Increase “the ask” to move forward and decrease “the chasing” to move forward

With suggestions from Candi; more trouble shooting with Bijou’s ability to come toward you from the fence with her right eye resulted in a recent win with Bijou happily walking all the way across the round pen toward me and my ability to quickly approach her right eye to catch her ‘like the barn is on fire’ but in a “non-greedy” manner.

Lesson learned from Lily, ‘progression is not linear’, which is always a good reminder for patience in the process and the twists and turns in learning new skills for both horse and human.

Work in progress include;

• Picking up back feet with a rope and then more safely with hands
• Continuing to assist Bijou to turn in and walk forward from the fence with both eyes
• Increase the use of short transitions between gaits to create a more pleasing expression and decrease pinning ears and a cranky face
• Moving through the isle of the barn when other horses are absent to increase her confidence in this space

It is with lots of licking and yawning (Bijou’s – not mine) that most sessions with Bijou end as well as a sweet face rub and affectionate head hold. I’m fortunate to work with and learn from Bijou to best help her find a forever pasture in which she will be adored.”

“Bijou” means jewel in French, and never has a horse embodied her name so fully. Sweet Bijou truly is a gem of a mare, her kindness radiating outward from her gentle eyes. Hers is a face that enjoys being pet – she is the perfect horse for someone looking for a companion to dote over and love on, for she will soak attention up like a sponge.

In a herd, she can adjust to a pecking order, and has been out with both a gelding (Sebastian, her companion when she arrived) and a group of mares (5 to be exact: Fancy, Frosting, Rae, Nova, and Veronica), all with various personalities. She has managed to stay out of trouble, and would likely fit in as a friend to most herd dynamics.

But she is also multifaceted, like any good gemstone is. She is an easy mare to get along with, but would really thrive in a home with someone willing to set some boundaries, and also be able to support her on the occasions her nerves get the better of her.

If Bijou sang karaoke, she might sing ‘Brick House’ (to represent her hefty build), and if she had to pick a jewel to be, it might be a diamond – for she overcame the pressure of adversity to turn into something that sparkles and shines. So if you’ve been looking for a companion horse to love on, fix your eyes on this mare and let her dazzle you.

After her intake quarantine was over, we began to get to know Bijou. With her sweet eyes and gentle personality, we were excited to learn a bit more about her. It is not uncommon that horses come to us without a history to speak of, and we must rely solely on assumptions and the little bits of insight that they give us based on their reactions to things.

To handle on the ground, Bijou is gentle, if not a bit pushy. We can assume that the people of her past did not establish boundaries with her, which is why she feels it is OK to walk on top of you when she feels uncertain in a situation or simply determines that your feet are not moving fast enough for her liking. But she is a kind mare, and when you establish respect with her, she returns it.

We assumed, based on how she was on the ground, that she had been ridden before. We ran her through the checks, which she did fine with, but cinching up was a different story. The journey to finding peace under saddle would be a long and strenuous one for Bijou, and perhaps for a younger horse, perhaps for a horse who had not been through so much already, we would have decided to undergo the journey with her. But the discomfort she showed under saddle was not worth it. We decided that she would be moved to companion status, retired from riding.

And her status as companion suits Bijou just fine. She is a sweet, kind mare, one who loves face pets and time out with horse friends. We are very much looking forward to setting Bijou up with a family who will love her just as much as we do, just as she is.

Kirsten L. worked with Bijou in the September Joel clinic, and had the following to say about her experience:

“With a fitting name of French origins, Bijou means a rare gem and that is certainly the case for this 20 year old mare indeed. She shines both in appearance and attitude. Her muscular image makes her seem much younger and quite capable of holding her own. And then her willingness to learn and try also implies a youthful spirit.

In the groundwork classes she caught on quickly to leading on a float, backing and changing directions/eyes. She listens well while leading and is ever attentive from either side. Needless to say, she is easy to catch, can be brushed all over and is getting better with front feet cleaning.

Next steps include cleaning back feet, trot while being led, working with a flag and gaining a pleasant willingness to yield the hind and cross over the front,s as well as hooking on in the round pen.

Bijou has won the hearts of many, many volunteers at SAFE. When you meet Bijou, you will find an extremely kind and cuddly mare that won’t take your eyes off you. You also won’t take your eyes off her. She IS a gem.”

It’s been a busy first few weeks here at SAFE since Bijou arrived. Now off of Quarantine, she had her first set of vaccines, dental float and microchipped. She also got a lovely pair of front shoes from our farrier and was a super star for it! Here is a short little video of our first day working a little with her in the round pen. She is very gentle, kind and has a wonderful disposition. We are looking forward to assessing her for riding and making her available for adoption!