Artie Shaw is worth his weight in gold. Actually, given that he’s not very large, let’s double that — triple, even, and that still might not be enough. While he has come quite a long ways under saddle and is going well as a solid little riding horse, you could argue that his true value lies in his impeccable social skills. This guy is an extraordinary herd mate, the type of guy who gets along with everyone, regardless of their differences in personality. It’s no secret that we consider Artie to be at the top of his field when it comes to introducing new geldings to the celibate lifestyle, but he continues to astound us each time we throw him out with a raucous or socially-inept fellow and he immediately clocks in and gets to teaching.
Recently, we introduced him to little Alvaro, who is still full of youthful testosterone and swagger. Alvaro had learned some pushy habits at his original home that, if left unchecked, would grow into dangerous behaviors as he aged. A nippy, curious weanling is one thing, but that weanling will soon enough be a 1200lb horse. The best way for babies to learn their boundaries and social graces is through the instruction of other horses, and Artie Shaw might as well have his doctorate.
From the moment they met, Artie sent Alvaro a clear message: we can play a little, but when I say move, you better be moving. And Alvaro said ‘yep, you betcha!’ Artie keeps Alvaro in check, but that doesn’t mean Alvaro doesn’t test the boundaries, and that Artie doesn’t put up with being a chew toy extremely well. Since going out with Artie, Alvaro’s propensity for mouthiness with humans has just about disappeared — we think his little jaw is tired from all the mouth games they play! He is learning good social skills, and we have the ever patient Artie to thank.
Artie is still available for adoption, but until that day, we are happy to have him on our payroll as educator of geldings, big and small.
