Registered arab mare born 5/4/1992
(Ibn Farlane x Carubi)
When I originally saw Rubi's sale ad, I was looking for an endurance prospect. She was pregnant at the time & the seller wanted to retain the foal. I didn't want to buy a horse & not bring it home immediately. I also didn't want to foal out a mare if the foal wasn't to be mine. I decided not to purchase her & told the seller I'd be interested in her after her foal was weaned if she hadn't sold by then. A few months later I received an email from the person who bought Rubi. This person was a small time horse trader & offered Rubi to me at 1/2 her original price. That piqued my interest so I contacted the original seller for more information. It was then that I learned Rubi had a reputation as a dangerous horse under saddle. The seller had no other details so I did an owner search & began contacting previous owners. One owner had given her away because Rubi went crazy in the stocks while being vetted. She flipped out over the stocks & almost landed on the vet. I've spoken with this vet many times over the years & she still maintains today that Rubi is a dangerous, crazy horse. Another owner told me how Rubi would just freak out under saddle & how unpredictable she was. She even put that owner in the hospital needing surgery. I did find one previous owner who had actually ridden Rubi without getting hurt. He said he was the only person ever to successfully ride Rubi but that he wouldn't actually call it a success. He said Rubi reacted explosively to situations with no seemingly reason. He also said that the normal soothing voice & pats just served to exacerbate Rubi's explosive nature. He was yet another former owner who warned me not to buy the crazy mare. I imparted all this information to the horse trader, declining to buy the mare because I was looking for a riding horse.
Another month went by & I received another email from the horse trader stating Rubi was now for sale at close to auction price & was being offered as a broodmare only. With her pedigree & substantial size, both of which I loved, I couldn't resist the offer so bought Rubi. I was her 8th owner, as far as I could tell, & she was only 10 years old. When she arrived she had a body score of about a generous 2. She was wild eyed & spooky & I wondered what I had gotten myself into. The previous owner was right when he said soothing words & pats didn't work. I also found out rubbing the crest of her neck didn't work either. It just seemed to panic her. I wondered what the poor mare had endured at man's hands to get her in such a state. I know I've been told the extreme sensitivity runs in her pedigree, but her behavior was beyond sensitivity.
After a week of groceries & no handling with just me hanging out in the stall, Rubi began to settle down. It wasn't long before I could groom her, I just had to move slow & be ready get out of her way. There came a day when I could clip her bridlepath & she'd stand quiet for the farrier. Eventually she learned that pats were good & crest rubs felt wonderful. In 2005, Rubi had a premature colt. I was so worried that she'd be panicked by all the people & activity in her stall. I was prepared to tranquilize her to keep everyone & her foal safe. She proved to be the most wonderful of broodmares, trusting me to handle her colt & allowing me to milk her so I could bottle feed her foal. She never needed to be tranquilized. Not once did she panic, spook or act aggressive. She was calm & seemed to know that I was helping her baby. When her colt was 4 hours old I had to rush him to the vet for an umbilical hemorrhage. Rubi loaded & road quietly in the trailer with her newborn between her feet. She never moved a muscle as the vet worked on her baby. She remained the well mannered mother over the next few months as she & her colt made numerous trips to UCDavis Vet Hospital. I couldn't have asked for a better mare to work with or around. She'd come so far & was no longer the crazy mare.
A friend of mine loved & coveted Rubi. Finally I gave in & Rubi had a new home. Today Rubi is a prize treasured by her owner. She's loved & pampered & doted upon, getting the attention she's always deserved. She's someones best loved horse & there are no indications that she was ever a crazy, dangerous horse. It's amazing how far a little TLC will go.
When I originally saw Rubi's sale ad, I was looking for an endurance prospect. She was pregnant at the time & the seller wanted to retain the foal. I didn't want to buy a horse & not bring it home immediately. I also didn't want to foal out a mare if the foal wasn't to be mine. I decided not to purchase her & told the seller I'd be interested in her after her foal was weaned if she hadn't sold by then. A few months later I received an email from the person who bought Rubi. This person was a small time horse trader & offered Rubi to me at 1/2 her original price. That piqued my interest so I contacted the original seller for more information. It was then that I learned Rubi had a reputation as a dangerous horse under saddle. The seller had no other details so I did an owner search & began contacting previous owners. One owner had given her away because Rubi went crazy in the stocks while being vetted. She flipped out over the stocks & almost landed on the vet. I've spoken with this vet many times over the years & she still maintains today that Rubi is a dangerous, crazy horse. Another owner told me how Rubi would just freak out under saddle & how unpredictable she was. She even put that owner in the hospital needing surgery. I did find one previous owner who had actually ridden Rubi without getting hurt. He said he was the only person ever to successfully ride Rubi but that he wouldn't actually call it a success. He said Rubi reacted explosively to situations with no seemingly reason. He also said that the normal soothing voice & pats just served to exacerbate Rubi's explosive nature. He was yet another former owner who warned me not to buy the crazy mare. I imparted all this information to the horse trader, declining to buy the mare because I was looking for a riding horse.
Another month went by & I received another email from the horse trader stating Rubi was now for sale at close to auction price & was being offered as a broodmare only. With her pedigree & substantial size, both of which I loved, I couldn't resist the offer so bought Rubi. I was her 8th owner, as far as I could tell, & she was only 10 years old. When she arrived she had a body score of about a generous 2. She was wild eyed & spooky & I wondered what I had gotten myself into. The previous owner was right when he said soothing words & pats didn't work. I also found out rubbing the crest of her neck didn't work either. It just seemed to panic her. I wondered what the poor mare had endured at man's hands to get her in such a state. I know I've been told the extreme sensitivity runs in her pedigree, but her behavior was beyond sensitivity.
After a week of groceries & no handling with just me hanging out in the stall, Rubi began to settle down. It wasn't long before I could groom her, I just had to move slow & be ready get out of her way. There came a day when I could clip her bridlepath & she'd stand quiet for the farrier. Eventually she learned that pats were good & crest rubs felt wonderful. In 2005, Rubi had a premature colt. I was so worried that she'd be panicked by all the people & activity in her stall. I was prepared to tranquilize her to keep everyone & her foal safe. She proved to be the most wonderful of broodmares, trusting me to handle her colt & allowing me to milk her so I could bottle feed her foal. She never needed to be tranquilized. Not once did she panic, spook or act aggressive. She was calm & seemed to know that I was helping her baby. When her colt was 4 hours old I had to rush him to the vet for an umbilical hemorrhage. Rubi loaded & road quietly in the trailer with her newborn between her feet. She never moved a muscle as the vet worked on her baby. She remained the well mannered mother over the next few months as she & her colt made numerous trips to UCDavis Vet Hospital. I couldn't have asked for a better mare to work with or around. She'd come so far & was no longer the crazy mare.
A friend of mine loved & coveted Rubi. Finally I gave in & Rubi had a new home. Today Rubi is a prize treasured by her owner. She's loved & pampered & doted upon, getting the attention she's always deserved. She's someones best loved horse & there are no indications that she was ever a crazy, dangerous horse. It's amazing how far a little TLC will go.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.