He first learned about "the horse in the mirror" which Jag referred to as "The Scentless Bastard" but Hola seems to think "the guy might be ok but he startled me." That's a good start!
Hola is the lowest on the gelding totem pole out in the pasture but he's slowly making friends. The other horses don't hurt him or go after him, they just simply let him know he's not welcome near them when he tries to sniff their behinds.
Hola also seems good with cross ties. We put him on a longe line and worked him to see 1) if he knew how, 2) see how he moves, 3) see how fit he is and 4) just to get to know him. Wow is all I can say! He's a gorgeous mover!! Just gorgeous! Betsy was thrilled with what we saw. She said he's actually a better mover than Jag for dressage. He also seemed to be a sensible guy. No bucking, farting or yahoos while he worked. He just did his job with a startle or two from his reflection in the mirrors. Here's a video of some of his work on the longe line.
Of course I shot photos of him while he worked too. He's just such a pretty guy. He has a very dished face which is actually dented on his left side. So we refer to his right side as his "Thoroughbred side" and his left profile as his "Arab side". See if you can notice it in the photos I shot today: Hola C Bright Photos
Hola's story seems to be getting bigger and bigger all the time too. I had sent a letter to Hola's breeders a week or so ago so on Monday night I received a phone call from a gentleman who reported to me 1) he lives next door to where Hola was bred and his breeders showed him my letter, 2) he has a home in my hometown and 3) he has important information about my horse for me which he refused to tell me over the phone. All he said was that the hairs on his arms raised when he read my note about getting Hola...
We have a planned lunch on Thursday at a restaurant down the street from my home. I'll keep you posted.
Wendy, he is gorgeous. And he sounds sane and sensible, too. Everything you want in a horse, all wrapped up on one beautiful package. Congratulations again and yes, keep us informed on all you learn about him.
ReplyDeleteI am SO excited for you! You waited, and the right horse DID come along! Looking forward to watching your journey with him through your blog posts.
ReplyDeleteHe is breathtakingly beautiful Wendy!!
ReplyDeleteHola looks great to me! Effortless mover. Very weird about the neighbor guy. That should be interesting.
ReplyDeleteJen
Hola takes my breath away. I am so happy for you. I would imagine that the previous owners, trainers and breeders must be thrilled he is in such good hands and can keep up with his progress on your blog.
ReplyDeleteVery cute and nice movement too - you must feel lucky!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful horse!! I almost envy you.
ReplyDeleteYour Grey is a stunner! Total Arab eyes! What a great shot you captured of him checking himself (or the other horse) in the mirror out. I've read that other horses typically shun grey horses...have you found that to be true?
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