In the eye of the beholder

Tell me what do you see in this horse's face?

To me she has a kind and intelligent eye. She looks interested and ready to 'talk'. But I know in her lifetime she has been described as 'evil' and a 'witch' (to name just two negative epithets).

The trouble is of course, she can't talk, so if someone says something emotive, inaccurate or just plain wrong there is very little she can do to defend herself. And of course defending herself in the only way horses know how, is partly how she ended up heading for the meat hook.

I have never found Grace to be aggressive or difficult. Defensive when scared, yes; but purely reactive and she lets it go when the threat is removed.

And this is why I have two particular pet hates; amateurs breeding foals and inappropriate use of language. More on those later.

The training went well today. If progress continues at this rate I am hoping to be able to start syringing sugar water into her mouth by the end of the week