3 minute read
Western Ag Life Magazine - Spring 2020
THE MYSTERY OF MARES ARTICLE & PHOTOS
BY PATINA THOMPSON
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More often than not when you talk to horse people, you’ll hear them say, “my best horse was a mare”. My own experiences with mares are limited. I’ve always heard they are moody and temperamental, that they mess up the dynamics when you bring them to a branding. On the other hand, there are some cowboys and cowgirls that will only ride mares because of their tenacity. I do know it was a mare who bucked my mom off when I was young, and the only other mares I’ve liked were broodmares. My husband has had mares and you can say he agrees they are unique in their own ways and a force to be reckoned with. I would say that applies to the human species as well.
You can imagine my hesitation when I got a call from a friend in November 2018 and she said she wanted to give us a filly. “A filly? JJ, you know I don’t like mares!”. The idea of a free horse is awesome, but I sure as heck didn’t know how to start a colt and didn’t know if we even had the time to do it! I know that it can go wrong fast if a colt is not started right. When the fuzzy Appendix bay came out of the trailer, so small and so very curious and sweet, we immediately fell in love. Our little Holly O’Hara.
She needed time to grow, so I bugged friends with questions, researched online, worked on ground manners, loading, brushing and overall handling, and little by little we both matured and grew. She quickly found her place as the alpha in our herd of geldings. I got used to the little squeals heard more often out of her pen, and how to tie her correctly because I’ve also found her to be quite mischievous. A friend’s son put some time into her, and this Fall she was old enough (3 years) and big enough to go off to “high school” for 60 rides. Mike andCrystal Magoffin out of Willcoxdid an incredible job with her, and she came home just after Christmas.
We had some calves to gather, so the first weekend in January, we took her to the ranch. She didn’t take a bad step! Through water, over obstacles, through some tight rockpiles (that made me tense up), and she pushed cows like an old pro. We rode about 14 miles and she was as steady as they come. She dropped her head and knew she had a job to do. I really couldn’t believe it, given it was all new territory to her. Now I don’t want to discount the incredible geldings in the world, but mares just seem to have that extra “it” factor. They seem to have more drive, more heart, and a born confidence about them. They will give you their all and then some. Perhaps it’s because mares are typically the leaders of the herd and survival is something they don’t take lightly. Whatever you attribute it to, mares are special creatures that I believe to be less complicated than they seem. Respect them and they’ll respect you. Isn’t that what we all strive for? They say mares pick you, and I hope she’s happy she’s mine.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Contributor Patina Thompson earned a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife, Watershed and Rangeland Resources from the University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz. She works in the agriculture insurance field. She is a wife, mother, rancher, hunter, photographer and conservationist in southeastern Arizona.
