Keep-Her – previously named Ariel
Adopted by Kasandra Olson on 2019-06-01
“Keep-Her” My “Best Kept Secret”
About two years ago I adopted a horse named Ariel. I had recently outgrown Mylee, the pony that I’ve had since we were both three years old. This was a hard decision for me because we had been riding together for over 10 years old and jumping 3 feet and showing all over. She is my best friend! I knew that it would be hard to fill her hooves and I never expected to fall head over hoof again!
A new horse was not going to pick up where my pony left off, and I wasn’t sure what my next horse would be. My mother and I reached out to Phyllis at the Rescue to ask about fostering. I didn’t want to rush into getting a new horse, so I thought since I had a stall I could rescue-rehab-rehome until I found my new partner.
Ariel was the first horse I met. She didn’t trust people at all and it took a long time for her to come around. When I met her she would not let anyone take her halter on and off, and you couldn’t fly spray her without her flipping over. She was always nervous, picky about what she would eat, and generally just worried about everything. The first time I met Ariel I wanted to take her home, but my mom said it was too fast. My mom said if I like her we could schedule to visit her again—and we did just that.
On our second visit, I convinced my mom that I really wanted to take her home, so we made arrangements with Phyllis to make that happen.
As soon as we got Ariel home I started working with her. She had her own paddock and shelter so nobody else had to handle her, which was good because she was able to settle in. First, I just started hanging out with her. I would go into her paddock after school and sit with her while I did my homework. When she started to get more comfortable with me simply being around I started grooming her in her paddock and then bringing a wheelbarrow in and cleaning her paddock. Yes, these are all little things we take for granted sometimes, but they were a very big deal in the beginning for Ariel!
I worked with her every single day, not because I wanted to rush her but simply because I wanted her to feel loved and safe and have consistency. Ariel and I bonded pretty quickly. She started to come to me in the paddock and meet me at the gate just in the first week or so. I could now take her halter on and off, and I was even able to get her a fly mask. Next, we worked on simple handling. First, she needed to be safe for others to halter and lead around, and safe to be handled by the vet, farrier, and dentist, and secure outside of her paddock around other people and horses.
In the first week, I knew I wanted to keep her but my mom still thought it was too soon. She wanted me to be sure, because I still was not able to do too much with Ariel. We were not even close to thinking about riding. I don’t know how long it took but I finally convinced my parents that I was in love with her and I wanted to keep her no matter what. I didn’t care about riding. My parents made the deal with Phyllis and I got to “Keep-Her”!
Ariel, now known as Best Kept Secret (Keep-Her), is my second-best friend. She and my pony love each other, so it’s perfect! Keep-Her is now completely under saddle and loves trail rides, swimming, gymkhana, and jumping! We have been to several shows and were Reserve Champion in the2’3” Jumper Division at the NHHSET 2022 State Finals. She is fast and sassy and is the most challenging horse I have worked with, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Every minute has been worth it! “Keep-Her” is my “Best Kept Secret.”
