Valentine
Breed: Quarter Horse
Sex: Mare
DOB: 1995
Height: 14.2 hh
Color: Chestnut
Markings: Wide blaze, LF half-pastern
Arrival Date: Adopted and returned December 2005
Location: Abilene, TX
Adoption Fee: $500
 

Temperament: Valentine is a very sweet horse.  She can be skittish around people at times and in new situations, but overall is very cooperative.  With a confident handler, she's much more confident in herself and a joy to be around.  With daily interaction, she really comes out of her shell more and would make a dedicated friend.  Valentine is not the type of mare you can leave alone for weeks and then one day go out in the pasture and expect her to run up to you and shower you with love.  The more interaction she has, the more social she is. 

Physical problems / health issues: None known.

Interaction with horses: She is pastured with a mare and gelding. She prefers the mare and is in the middle of the herd order. She is not aggressive toward the others. In the past she has been fine pastured with cows and older calves but recently has developed some aggression towards some of the baby calves.

Interaction with people:

History: Seized due to neglect by law enforcement, then awarded to HfH. She was then adopted and returned through no fault of her own.  Her adopter just didn't have the time to invest in furthering her training or to ride her as much as she needs.
 

Training / abilities: With consistent work, Valentine is easy to saddle, walk and work with on the ground. She went to two professional trainers. The first for 2 months in Dec-Jan of 2005 and she unexpectedly had a foal which interrupted her training.  She was much more calm and easy to work with until she had the foal.  Then, she and the foal went to a John Lyons certified trainer, when the foal was 3 months old. She was with that trainer for nearly 4 months, though was not worked consistently throughout that time, the training probably amounted to about 2 additional months of work.  She was riding nicely in a round pen, turned well and stopped well.  She was also ridden by both trainers in fields and woods and did fine.  Her adopted rode her a few times, but then stopped working with her, so she will need some refreshing since it's been months since someone has been on her. Once she gets the attention she needs and more riding miles, she will be a nice
pleasure horse.  At this time, she is not a horse that can sit in the pasture and be ridden infrequently or handled infrequently.  Like many "green" horses, the more work she has, the more she learns and the better she goes.  She produced no bad habits under saddle during training.  Her current foster family has ridden her and she did well for them just around the ranch.

Experience level required to work with this horse: Intermediate on the ground and under saddle.

Has this horse ever:  Bucked? No. Reared? No. Kicked? No. Bitten? No. Other?  

Ground handling: Catch? Yes, but can be difficult at times Lead? Yes Tie? Yes, has set back when scared. Trailer? Yes Clip? By hand Trim Feet? Yes, but needs someone with patience  Bathe? Yes

Special needs:

Other comments: Valentine needs a job and a home that can give her some one on one attention and training.  She is a willing learner.  With some daily interaction, she will make someone a great riding horse and companion.  She is a gorgeous horse and very well put together, stockier than her photos make her out to be. Her ideal adopter is a fairly experienced rider (until she has more miles), that would shower her with attention.
 

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 Valentine in your life? Sponsor her through our Virtual Foster program.

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