Pretty Little Maximus

I started looking a another horse in the winter of 2008.

I wanted a horse with attitude like Mars, but I was looking for a horse that I could compete with and go far. But the problem was I wanted to train my own horsed so I was kind of stuck.

I tried out a few other horses, but all of them just did not feel right.

When I finally saw Pretty for the first time, I was looking for a horse for my Dad.

In 2006, when she was 2, she got caught up in some barbed wire that cut her open from stifle to hip. Her owner at the time thought that he'd have to put her down, but luckily the vet said that she could go out into pasture for 2 years and just let it heal itself.

Her would when I got her

She had been trained a great deal before the accident, but now she was out to pasture for 2 years in order to let the wound heal.

When I got on to ride her for the first time all she wanted to do was buck and run, but once I asked to spin, she acted as though she forgot how. But not how to stop.

We spent the whole winter getting ready for the shows, which was hard because we just about had to start all over again.

I was worried about her cut, that it would take a lot of time to heal and with training, I was scared that it would rip open more.

But it never did.

Her wound in March 2009

We continued to train all winter and were ready for the first Central Canada Reining Horse Association (CCRHA) show. Our first 4 runs together during the weekend of May 23-24, 2009, we got 66.5 and 0 in R.C. Beginner. In Green Horse/Green Rider we got 63 & 68.

I was very happy with her. We didn't place, but I was happy.

Since our first show in 2009, Pretty has come a long way. She constantly scores in the high 60's for Reining, as well as doing very good in Trail and winning Western Pleasure and Western Horsemanship this year.

January 3 – 9, 2010

January 3, 2010 (4 miles):
It was a long ride today, the usual 4 miles, but Pretty kept wanting to quit. Mars doesn't really like to turn his head to the right and likes to fight. I'm working on when I say “whoa” that they both stop and the same thing with humming to slow down and easy.

After we were done riding, Pretty was in her standing stall, backing up and trying to break her rope, when she kicked out with her back right and caught me in the leg, just above my knee. If she would've gotten 2 inches down, she would've hit my knee straight centre. So now I have some black & blue bruising going, but I also got after her for that so that she knows that she is not allowed to do that.

January 4, 2010 (5 ½ miles):
My riding student Ashley came with me for a ride today. It's been sometime since she was riding last, so Mars was giving her some attitude. I rode Pretty and she was deciding that she didn't want to back up anymore when I was asking her, so when I asked her again, she threw up her head and I just pulled back and she actually sat down! She wasn't very happy about that. Mars seemed to be limping a little on his front left, but I didn't feel any heat or swelling, so he might just be a bit sore. I'll check on him tomorrow to see how he's doing.

January 5, 2010:
I just rode at home today with Pretty. I didn't see Mars limping but I figured I'd give him a day off. Me & Pretty worked starting and stopping, backing up (which she hates), stop and back-ups and making sure that she didn't sit down this time. She only likes backing up 3-4 steps and then she quits and I have to get after her in order to keep her backing up until I tell her to stop. We'll get there eventually, she just has to keep remembering who's the boss and to start respecting me and quit giving attitude all the time.

God of War

It was a bad day at school again, everyone teasing me and calling me names, but dad had a surprise for me. A long drive to Marshand to pick someone up that would change my life.

I told dad I wanted my own horse, since both my sisters have one of their own. And I found him, but dad did not like it. How can I get anywhere in life if no one thinks I can really do it. Oh dad believed in me but the horse I wanted was a wild mustang.

School is hard for me because I have ADD and my writing and reading is not good. I was 12 years old but a 5 year old could read better then I could. Even the teachers stopped giving spelling tests and I had an EA in every class.

But this horse would change that all. He was 4 months old and completely untouchable. He was to be sent to the slaughter house because no one would give him a chance but I bought him for $250.00 dollars out of my own pocket. Getting him home was not much of a problem. We just chased him into the trailer and we were off. Even before we got home! even before dad took a good look at him, he said we should take him back, but I would not let him. I saw that same fire burning in his eyes like it was in my heart. His name would be Mars God Of War, I liked it. All the neighbors had come down to see my new horses and they all had told me to send him back or he could kill, me but I said I would take my chances.

It was "show and tell" in class so I told them about my new horse and it did not take long before all my nicknames changed. Ones like horse killer, horse arouser, horse eater, now there’s two failures, or like blondes are dumb, how do you kill a blond, stupid horse and stupid girl. It did not matter; I was not listening to a word they were saying.

I spent all my free time with Mars and it did not take long till he was following me around. By giving him my trust I got his. I got him used to loud noises, cars, semis, bright and big objects. I was making him a bombproof horse; my little wild horse would not be scared of anything.
I did all the training myself, it was hard and long, but when I gave up on him he did not give up on me. I broke him in December when he was 2 and half years old and to every one surprise he did not freak out, he was perfectly calm. The kids in school never were nice about it but I found a quote that really meant a great deal to me with failing in school and friends. I don’t now who it’s from but it’s: "I have not failed; I have found 10,000 ways that don’t work."

Mars and me have gone on to many C.W.H.A. horse shows and we have earned around $2000 dollars and we hold the high point Horse & Rider of 2004 & 2005, High point Horse & Rider of the Eastern Regional Team of 2007 and we also still hold the high point Trail Rider for 6 years including this year. And my dad wanted to send him back.

School was still hard for me but my reading and writing is slowly improving with lots of help from family and friends. The teasing and name calling has come down a bit but I can still hear those words being said. I am 20 now and Mars is 9 and we have both come a long way together. When I look back at my life I don’t think I would be as far as I am today if it weren’t for MARS. I believed in myself when times are bad in school but it was Mars how showed me that even if we are a little wild and different, we all need someone to believe in us.