Here are some things we love about Pepper:
Her playfulness — she and current herdmate Veronica spend the afternoon chasing each other around the paddock, bucking and biting and having a grand ole time in the way horses do.
The way she gives herself a water bucket facial each night in her stall. There must be a method to her messy eating madness, but we certainly haven’t unraveled it yet. After dinner, it is common to see alfalfa-generated foam in each of her water buckets, and a vast majority of said water bucket’s contents covering her face. “Why do you look so damp?” we ask her when we pull her from her stall, and if she could answer she might say “because I am!”
Her curious nature. She’s got an investigative personality, wanting to touch the world with her wriggly little lip. What’s in that brush box, and can I have it? Whatever’s in that bag of chips looks awfully good (the answer is: Cheetos). In fact, orange things have been of particular interest to Ms. Pepper. Once, when being led out of the arena after working, she spied a half-drank bottle of orange sports drink that someone had left. In the blink of an eye, she had managed to grab the bottle, and in shaking her head with it, mimed as if she was drinking. Only fair, really, since she did just work very hard – gotta restore those electrolytes!
She is a silly and delightful little horse, full of antics. But don’t let her goofy nature fool you – she is also very brave. She’s been out on the trail several times for walks (and a ride!) and has crossed bridges and passed bicycles with barely a blink. She is certain to make someone a wonderful partner in the future, just the right combination of cautious and curious.
