From the horse owner’s mouth: Melba H.
Mr. Curious himself – aka Mica
Q: What’s Mica’s age and breed?
A: He’s an 11yr old Crabbet Arabian
Q: How did you acquire him?
A: I bought him for my daughter Elizabeth to do Pony Club in 2014, but then she quit Pony Club and now he’s become more my horse than hers
Q: What attracted you to him?
A: He was so curious and willing, when I went into the round pen to practice some of the things I had been learning in the training I was doing as an Equine Assisted Coach, I felt very connected to him and of course Elizabeth loved him
Q: Can you relate a profound moment you’ve had with Mica?
A: That was most recently – I’d been working with him to create a new start, a new story, and one day I stopped everything and communicated that to him, and in that moment he laid down and became so vulnerable. It was the only time he had ever laid down and let me be with him in that way.
Q: What has been the most difficult part of your relationship with Mica?
A: When I bought him, I moved him to a large farm, but he wasn’t the same as when I first met him. He came from a small farm, and although the new barn was an excellent facility and the people were great, there was a lot going on and he was missing his old friends and was nervous.
Q: What was appealing to you about Great Strides Village (GSV)?
A: It’s smaller and is a last stop for me and Mica because things weren’t working. I knew he didn’t feel comfortable where we were at. There is a different sense of consciousness around the whole horse here.
Q: How has it been for the two of you here at GSV?
A: Mica appreciates where he is and has bonded with the herd that he’s a part of now. When we first moved he was still really nervous. In the past he couldn’t be on the cross ties, now he stands quietly. He is relaxed when I lead him, and I have been able to ride him around the farm in a relaxed state. It feels more secure, and there’s more trust between us now. He’s become more of the horse I met 2 years ago.
Q: What were you surprised about as a horse owner coming here?
A: The connection and camaraderie with the other boarders, and how committed we are to each other, the horses and the farm.
Q: What’s been the biggest challenge of horse ownership?
A: Oh boy. It really takes time to get to know a horse in the way that you have to in a partnership, and having that time to invest… while managing the rest of my life, my kids, my business, everything…
Q: What advice do you have for people who may be at a crossroads with their horse?
A: Definitely I had to seek out help and resources and pay attention to what felt right to me and him. A ton of patience!
Q: Last word?
A: One of the things I highly value is the fact that I can do my work with my clients here, because it’s a safe, conscious environment, not only for the horses but for the people. And the open-mindedness, it’s not traditional. I appreciate that kind of difference around the consciousness of the being of the horse, the soul of the horse.
