[ShadyBro]

Rescued from the event.
For ABeardedDragon.

"This young filly seems to have very severe separation and noise anxiety - both of which made for a traumatizing experience in the auction house. Shes extremely green under the saddle and doesn't lead well with strangers. It was quite the battle getting her anywhere near a trailer and she screamed and bucked in fear the whole time. In her entirety, taming down this poor gal will be quite similar to taming a wild foal. She can not be around any sort of noisy arenas, should not be with children, and should avoid other equines for the time being. We do believe that over time her personality may change, especially if she can properly bond to her human, but that will take a lot of effort on both your parts. It should also be noted that having too strong of a bond may result in worsening her separation anxiety, so its a slippery slope to work down."

Owner: X
Show Name: Secret Wish
Barn Name: Vera
Gender: Mare
Post: X

Breeding Notes: This pintaloosa pattern may instead produce singular markings - tovero (50% chance) x minimal blanket (15% chance) x varnish roan (25% chance).

Halter will be added once all tasks are complete.

[ABeardedDragon]

Show Name: Secret Wish
Barn Name: Vera

Task 1 - Gaining Trust:
301/250
After our long journey from the adoption center, the car pulled up on the familiar gravel path with the trailer behind it. I stepped out and walked to the trailer. Looking through the window, I saw the poor mare, frozen in the corner staring at me from the corner of her wide, terrified eye. Her head hung low. I slowly opened the heavy door and stepped in. She snorted, turning away from me, her head bobbed slightly.
"It's okay," I said as I stroked her heaving sides. She trembled then kicked out at me. By now she was tired of fighting, after bucking and screaming the whole way here. There wasn't much resistance when I tried to slip her halter on; she did move her head away with pinned ears. I tried to gently coax her out of the trailer. But she was frozen in place and refused to move. Walking further away from her got a reaction. She became more anxious; shifting her weight, her legs splayed. Finally, she bolted out of the trailer, crashing into me. I barely managed to stay on my feet.
"Don't want to be on your own, huh?" I reached up to rub her face, she pulled away a little. As I turned to lead her, she started walking into me, sometimes nudging me. A few times I had to push her away. She refused to stray more than a couple of steps away from me. Slowly, we made our way to the barn. She would only stay here for her examination. After that, she would be free to roam the pasture. During our nervous wait, I stroked her and ran my fingers through her mane. Occasionally she would rest her head on my shoulder, though she would move away if I reached for her.

Task 2 - Medical Care:
243/150
I was dreading it. I'd heard how some rescues hadn't been so lucky when it came to their health. Some things you couldn't see. I stood there in the barn, cold. The vet arrived after a long wait, that seemed to last forever. One of the horses was walked into the stables, the door slamming shut and echoing throughout the building. The mare was startled. Her ears perked forward and she snorted. Her head was held high. She nervously pranced in the stable. I turned her head towards me and stroked along her soft neck. Slowly, she calmed down. Our first, obvious, observation was that she was a little underweight with slightly overgrown hooves and teeth. Nothing dangerous, though it showed she had been neglected for some time. Her eyes, ears and nose were in good condition. I walked the mare up and down the barn, followed by a trot, so the vet could examine her movement. Besides the discomfort from her hooves, nothing else seemed to be a problem. A quick flexion test also confirmed this. The worst part was when the vet took a blood sample. As soon as the needle went under her skin, she started thrashing. She pushed the vet away by walking into him. Most of the work was done, it only a few more minutes. I offered her a carrot at the end, which she happily took. But the exam would only tell us her physical problems.

Task 3 - General Rehabilitation:
After a few weeks, we decided on the name Vera for her; meaning hope. At this time, her anxious behaviour also started to show. She refused to leave her herd. Any attempts to remove her would be a fight. In her panic, she would attack handlers and use force to get her own way. I was the only one she wouldn't struggle with. However, she would whinny for me and be incredibly stressed whenever I left her sight. It didn't take long to figure out she had separation anxiety. I had left the mare in a stable with a friend from the pasture so I could train her. She was kicking at the door until she saw me. After slipping her halter on, I lead her out of the stable. We walked passed her friend. At this point she tried to turn and pull at the rope. To which I softly encouraged her with gentle words. I took her to a bucket of food further down the stables. But she refused to eat. Instead, Vera kept staring over her shoulder and crying out to her friend. I patted her neck as I took her back; a stable hand moved the bucket closer. The second time we repeated this, she ate. I let Vera put her head in the other equine's stable. She sniffed them as if checking they were safe. A few more times we did this. Each time she became slightly less anxious than the last. However, it would take more than one session. We would have to increase the time spent away from her friend. And after she learned she would be safe away from the herd, Vera would have to learn that she was safe without me.
290/200