Meet Maverick

I forgot to post last week so I suppose it's better late than never.

Meet Maverick

The following image is one I've used often and it's of Maverick.

Maverick came to use in October 2009 on a rainy night. I'd just come home from a birthday party and it was raining and getting late. I noticed that two horses were in our pasture that didn't belong there. They were Brego and Maverick. They'd been in with Queen, who'd they'd been with in their previous home.


I had agreed to take Maverick and Brego but needed a bit of time to get things ready. The owner must have thought he'd waited long enough and dropped them off. Brego was thin and Maverick was a little underweight. As a two year old, he'd been sent to a trainer but I knew the methods in which he'd been trained and wanted a different trainer.

I was originally scared of him. I'm prone to swing my legs over corral panels and expecting horses to get out of the way. Maverick didn't and threw a hoof at me when I got on the ground. He had the better of me so in the spring, I sent him to a trainer (on my dime, not the Sanctuary's). He came back a bombproof horse. To the point where he was taught not to lope while under saddle. I wish I could get him to lope, but that's not in the cards right now and he'll make a fantastic riding horse for the little kids.

Maverick is a total ham. He's always inquisitive and trying to figure things out. He's downright bored at times and finds things to entertain himself. That includes untying notes, pulling off fly masks, ripping blankets, pulling the siding off the barn, and destroying automatic waterers. I have a jolly ball for him but that doesn't seem to entertain him enough.

He's best friends with Jim. It's an odd combination. A 12 year old is best friends with a 30 year old and Jim is the stoic one while Maverick is the clown, always trying to see what's going on. He's a total extrovert.

Maverick has really proven himself. I though the was a diamond in the rough, but in truth, he's simply a sorrel diamond. If I rode more, he'd be less inquisitive (I hope) and he'd probably feel more fulfilled but there's not enough time in the day. This is not an invite to offer to ride him. I'm simply saying that he needs more of a job than he has, which is nothing. But we'll get there. I've had people want to buy him or ask for a good riding horse and he'd fit the bill But I made a promise, and I stick by my promise. And that's to keep him at the Sanctuary until his last breath.

So for now,  I'll continue to deal with Maverick's antics and hope that this Christmas he doesn't destroy the automatic waterer. He's an easy keeper and only needs hay Of course he could go for some additional toys to keep him occupied. I and his herd mates would greatly appreciate the reprieve from his antics.