MizScarlet and Her Rhet

So now that you know the flashy MizScarlet does indeed have her tall, dark, handsome Rhett, it might be fun to share with you a bit of their history together. Right from the start when Rhet came to Rising Rainbow Arabians, Scarlet was his companion whenever the colt was turned out and also when we first began conditioning. They also were stalled right near each other.

At this time the then weanling filly, Scarlet, was going through her own issues. Mad over being weaned, she wasn't co-operating either acting more like the untrained colt than the responsible filly she'd previously been. Regressing back to the willful days right after her birth, Scarlet wasn't wanting to be caught nor wear a halter. That meant turnout was tricky....getting either one of these weanlings caught could be a real trick.

For leverage to get them caught, I was turning these two weanlings out together in the small paddock in front of my house. The small area gave them less area to escape being captured when it was time to come in. I also knew I could use their attachment to each other as a tool to catch them.

Sure in the beginning I had to have help. The first few times they were out it took three of us to get them into a corner. Once there, with halters already on, it was fairly simple to catch Scarlet. The colt only allowed himself to be caught thinking if he didn't he was losing her. But, hey, it worked. That's what mattered.

After a week or two, it only took two of us to catch the weanlings. One for each horse but Scarlet was always caught first. The colt would position himself on the opposite side of the filly thinking he could avoid us. Without a halter there was no way I could have caught the little bugger.

For conditioning I hauled both Scarlet and Rhet over to Richard's in the same load. Rhet always had to be worked first because I couldn't trust tying him to the horse trailer while I moved horses around if he wasn't tired first. Scarlet always rode right next to him.

Scarlet and Rhet were definitely an item, it seemed like they were inseparable. When the two horses were out together, you never saw one without the other. They moved around the paddock like they were joined in by some hidden force. When one got into or out of the horse trailer Rhet always acknowledged Scarlet. It was hard to imagine they'd ever be separated.

Then suddenly in late spring Rhet got hormonal. The two now yearlings were turned out together in the usual small paddock while the farrier was here resetting some shoes. When we finished a horse, I always checked Scarlet and Rhet to be sure things were OK.

It was when I was bringing the last horse into the farrier that I heard the commotion. The previously quiet yearlings were now racing around the paddock. Rhet was trying to mount Scarlet and the poor filly was frantic trying to escape. Both horses were dripping in sweat.

I dropped Dandy off for the farrier then headed to the house to get help. I knew in the heightened state there was no way I could capture these horses on my own. Rhet's days turned out with Scarlet were definitely over.

It was another couple of weeks before I had to change his stall location as well. He'd been living in the midst of mares without much notice. Then just as suddenly as he'd decided to jump Scarlet, he turned into a little horn-dog in the barn. He couldn't walk down the aisle without talking and blowing up into this big snorty stud colt. That particular barn aisle is very narrow and really not conducive to dealing with naughty colts so Rhet had to be moved.

Rhet's new stall was in the first barn which houses two stallions and a mare. Rhet could have cared less there was a girl right next to him, all he could think was that his beloved Scarlet was gone. He cried for days............and dropped a ton of weight. He was obsessed with Scarlet.

Scarlet, on the other hand, couldn't care less. I think she was glad to be rid of the little monster.........just like her namesake, Scarlett O'Hara, the filly had put Rhet totally out of her mind.

To this day, he still looks for her. If Scarlet walks by the barn, Rhet always speaks to her. It a soft rumble of recognition, "That's Scarlet, she's my love!" I'm pretty sure the day will come when Scarlet appreciates that sweet talking.............but for now, it's a one sided relationship. Rhet is left worshipping Scarlet from afar............

To be continued............

Halter



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