Our Horses: Sapphire
Acorn, Aspen, Athena, Beryl, Blackhawk, Cedar, Chaparral, Daisy, Everest, First Star, Hickory, Honey Girl, Jade, Jasper, Joyee, Juniper, Navajo, Onyx, Pearl, Pepper, Pinon, Raven, Sapphire, Sequoia, Springtime, Starbright, Teak, Teton, Tiger Eye, Topaz, Vaquero, Wild Sweet William, and Zoey
Adopted in May of 2002, Sapphire is from the Little Owyhee herd near Winnemucca, Nevada.
Sapphire is a red roan with amazing athleticism and speed. Red roans have a history of being hardy and are able to endure when other horses fade. Her intelligence and alertness is immediately recognized. Sapphire is not horse you can "break", coerce, or manipulate any more than you can handle explosives while smoking a cigarette. Her instinctive fear of the human must be transformed into trust. We don't want to numb out that explosive energy; instead, we aim to create a "Willing Relationship" and give her peace of mind and a purpose, to be Mary Lee's dream horse.
Sapphire's training has had starts and stops because we have had other mustangs to train. We stress the importance of the "Gift of Time" for the human and the horse. If you think of your relationship with a horse like a fine wine, then you will be patient because no one wants to drink vinegar! The finer the grapes, the more patience and care are needed. But the journey is heavenly. Sometimes you aren't sure what the horse needs, but your experience, and the horse clearly tell you that what you are doing isn't working, there is a gap in your understanding. Tom Dorrance said: " You can't push through the bad to get to the good."
Sapphire is magnificent without us. We desire to experience her without changing a single thing about her. So, we stop, look and listen. We build trust from the beginning and add more "baby steps" and more patience. It is so worth it to wait until she trusts us and chooses to be with us that everything else doesn't matter anymore.
