Meet Cain!
- Leanne Dunn
- Feb 18, 2018
- 2 min read
Everyone, meet Cain! This handsome fella is a six year old Paint/Arabian standing at right about 15 hands. He was started as a four year old and mostly used as a trail horse, but he has also been hauled to local shows for fun. He’s a phenomenal trail horse that can handle just about anything. Those are his “specs”, but let me tell you the good stuff!
Cain is coming into my life when I need him most. I had a horse recently come after me aggressively during a normal lunging session, and after I retreated, they repeated the aggressive behavior even if I just entered their field. To say the least, it’s caused a lot of fear, distrust, and loss of confidence. I’m not a professional horse trainer, and it was beyond my ability to correct. So, I knew I had to find a professional who could correct the behavior. I was actively searching for a trainer when I happened across the ad for Cain, and even though I really didn’t need another horse, I decided to call the owner and find out more about him. While talking with them, I found out they actually specialize in training horses like the one I had. They were willing to take the horse to train and rehome, and I had an appointment to meet Cain at the same time.
So as we dropped one horse off, I got to meet Cain. He was sweet, gentle, and calm as he was groomed and saddled up.
He hadn’t been worked much in the past couple months (it’s winter), so the test ride would give me more of an idea what he would be like without being in consistent work.
The owner hopped on and rode out to the arena, which was through a pasture. On the way there, a young gelding came galloping up behind Cain, and actually ran into him. Cain had no reaction, which was a great sign to me!
The owner rode him walk/jog in a rope halter and then in a bit, and then I hopped on. He definitely had a lot of energy, but stayed controlled. Eventually I worked up the courage to take him for a lope in the field, and that was the moment I was sold on him. He has spunk and speed, but he was taking care of me at the same time. It was FUN! It reminded me of riding Fancy (and we all know I love Fancy more than anything).
I made the decision to bring Cain home with me, and I think this is the beginning of a great partnership. He loaded up to go home without issue and settled in quickly.
After settling in, it was time to get him to work and get familiar with his new stomping grounds. He worked great on the lunge and has such a great mindset.
It’ going to be a long road for me to gain my confidence back, but I’m hopefully that my new friend Cain will help me get there. I’ll be taking things slow with him, but I hope to have great stories and memories with him soon. Welcome home, Cain!
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