Little Sister
Breed: Quarter horse
Sex: Mare
DOB: 1984
Height: 14.1 hh
Location: Austin, TX
Adoption Fee: $100
 

Temperament: Little Sister probably hasn't been treated like a pet for much of her life, but she does enjoy attention at her foster home. She will stand nicely for grooming and readily approaches to see what you are up to (as long as you don't have a halter). 

Physical problems / health issues: Little Sister has been blind in her left eye (likely from uevitis) for many years. Her other eye is not affected.  The left eye is still intact, though it is flattening over time.  She can be led from that side with no problems, she has no issues with it.  She has some scarring on her lip from an accident with a hay rack some years back, but it does not bother her.  On her right side, there is a lump of scar tissue.  Again, this does not seem to bother her.  She is sound, has good legs/feet.

Interaction with horses:  Little Sister is dominant in her pasture with two donkeys, especially around food.  Otherwise, she gets along fine.  She can be standoffish to other horses that enter the herd and likes to protect her little herd of two donkeys.  She's currently being turned out with another mare, who is dominant over her, so Little Sister will not always be dominant (she will likely always protect her food from others though, so she can definitely hold her own there).  In her previous home, she was the low mare in a larger herd.

Interaction with people: Once caught, Little Sister is mostly cooperative.  She can be unsure of new things, like entering the barn or a stall if she doesn't know the person she's with.  Even if she's done these things in the past, if it's been a few weeks, she can act like it's somewhat of a new experience.  She can be fearful and sometimes this can be construed as being stubborn, but again, in her life, we think she was treated very roughly.  Positive training techniques weren't used, likely only force.  She needs someone to work with her one on one to build up her trust.  She's a smart mare!

History:  Donation in lieu of law enforcement seizure. Reportedly used as a riding horse (barrels) in her younger days.

Training / abilities: Although there is really no physical reason Little Sister cannot be ridden, she needs some work on trust building on the ground first.  Her foster mom believes that she will need an experienced rider and at her age, she might be better suited for a retirement home.  She still has a lot of spunk though and you would not guess her age from her energy level. 

Experience level required to work with this horse: Intermediate.

Has this horse ever:  Bucked? No. Reared? Yes, when attempting to load her.  Kicked? Yes, when attempting to load her.  Bitten? No. Other? No.

Ground handling: Catch? Needs work, will walk away if she sees a halter, but usually will come for feed. It takes a bit of trying, but she's not impossible to catch by any means.  Lead? Yes Tie? Yes Trailer? Needs work, very scared. Clip? Unknown. Trim Feet? She's okay for fronts, but with her vision issues, needs more work with the farrier on the backs. Bathe? Yes

Special needs: Senior feeding, though once she's put on weight, not a hard keeper for her age.

Other comments: Sister needs continued TLC, kind words and reassurance.  Needs work on trailer loading.  Can be unaware of her human's presence on her blind side, though this could improve over time since total blindness in the left eye is relatively recent for her.  Most of all, this sweet, sometimes scared mare, just needs someone to work with her.   

More pictures:

Adopt: Please contact us regarding adoptions at adoptions@habitatforhorses.org or call 1.866.HFH.LSER(866.434.5737).

Are you unable to adopt but would still like to have Little Sister in your life?
Sponsor her through our Virtual Foster program.

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