It’s a cold Sunday morning, three days after I first contacted Barb about teaching her timid horse the Parelli™ seven games. Xena is turned out with three other horses; two elderly mares and her 3 year-old daughter — the last foal she carried as a PMU mare.
Within moments of Barb and I entering the pasture, three of the horses come over to greet us. But just as Barb predicted, Xena remains well out of reach on the perimeter of her little herd. On the walk from the barn, Barb described Xena as uncatchable, even by people she knows. Seeing her now, I know that moving towards her would only drive her away.
Instead, I stand beside the round bale and extend my hand as far as possible in Xena’s direction. She gingerly takes a step forward and gives my knuckles a fleeting sniff.
Xena is such a forlorn creature, that I find myself immediately drawn to her. As she turns away, my heart breaks at seeing the number 26 branded on her butt; a chilling reminder of her many years in the PMU industry.
I would return in the afternoon for our first play session.
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