Andy and his best pal Bowie

How much you can tell about a horse's personality by how much effort it takes to halter him? A lot.
Old timer Maxx practically dunks his heads right into the halter. He trusts even strangers. His attitude speaks volumes of how he has have “seen-it-all” and reads people well enough to cooperate.

And then there's Bowie, the youngster who arrived with the name Mister Bones . Bowie is getting much better about the halter. When he's hesitant, it's about fear. Bowie has filled out nicely and is a striking little guy (at all of about 14.2 hands); trust is slower in coming. In the stall, Bowie is a gem, but in the pasture, something can set him off: his nostrils flare, his eyes widen, and he evades the halter.

Clearly Bowie associates being haltered with some sort of abuse. He's more confident by the day, and his panic attacks less frequent, but the occasional fright in his eyes tears our hearts out.

Then there's Bowie's best friend Andy, the high-energy upstart--the one so severely starved a year ago that we didn't think we could save him. That was then.

These days, Andy is a spotted CLOWN filled with spunk and moxie and play. The halter? Why it's not a halter: it's a toy with which to play tug of war! Try to quickly slip it on, but Andy is faster every time. He grabs it--over and over--and yes, it seems he's grinning.

Big Ted the draft horse has another take on the whole haltering business. You'll remember him from Where the Blind Horse Sings (available on Amazon if you've not read it!). Ted is often anxious, and dislikes anything touching his ears. Yes, an 1,800-pound horse bent out of shape about over a thin piece of nylon brushing over his ears for no more than half a second. Go figure. When he lifts his head skyward and out of reach imagine being April, our staffer who may be five feet tall in her boots.

In the end, it's our job to show them all that there's nothing to fear. If in the process April needs a ladder or Bowie needs ten minutes, well, it's just part of the healing process. As for Andy? Let him play...