Aside from the unsettled expression on her face, Jalila demonstrates an affected gait pattern in her walk.
Note the way her reaching hind leg has come to full extension in the air and is about to slam flat to ground. She is not lifting in her base and the right front leg id “hanging” off the shoulder instead of being elevated and propelled by it. Her legs were all going in different directions.
Note the way her reaching hind leg has come to full extension in the air and is about to slam flat to ground. She is not lifting in her base and the right front leg id “hanging” off the shoulder instead of being elevated and propelled by it. Her legs were all going in different directions.
Behavior: Any inadvertent contact with Jalila elicits a flight response of tensing in her body, throwing her head up with wide eyes and flared nostrils. Left unattended in her pen, she is flighty and paces the fence line, occasionally running at the fence and pushing her chest at it. She is terrified of the hay string curtain that hangs in the shed doorway if it moves in the breeze. I understand that horses get upset by new surroundings, and activity such as I am describing can result from that cause.
I did notice that the new surroundings perplexed Jalila and I was impressed by how levelheaded she was about analyzing her new surroundings. She came from a wooded, riverside ranch in a narrow valley where there were lots of other horses. My place is out in the open high dessert and my horse, Parker, an older Appaloosa/Mustang gelding was suddenly her only company. There are not even any other horses in sight from the location of her pen. I think her biggest adjustment was to accept feeling a bit lonely, but she handled it remarkably well and it helped her bonding to me.
I did notice that the new surroundings perplexed Jalila and I was impressed by how levelheaded she was about analyzing her new surroundings. She came from a wooded, riverside ranch in a narrow valley where there were lots of other horses. My place is out in the open high dessert and my horse, Parker, an older Appaloosa/Mustang gelding was suddenly her only company. There are not even any other horses in sight from the location of her pen. I think her biggest adjustment was to accept feeling a bit lonely, but she handled it remarkably well and it helped her bonding to me.