Osa Update
- Emily Cristofich
- Sep 3
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 28
Osa, also known as Mama Osa, is our most recent addition to the horse rescue. To recap, she was an 11 yr old not halter broke mare that had not been around other horses. In 3 months she was solidly halter broke, controllable on a lead line, and integrated into the herd.
So, what have we accomplished in 8 months?
Osa began work as a lesson horse for our basic horsemanship program a little before her 3 month anniversary at HOR. She loves being brushed and lets you know when you've hit the right spot. She's easy to lead, matching the pace and stopping when her person stops. With a sweet personality to boot, she's the perfect lesson horse to educate people on basic horsemanship.
After her progress with basic groundwork I started preparing Osa for riding. I would bring her to the mounting block or a tree stump and just ask her to stand and pet her. Slowly I worked my way up to laying my arms or body over her back. I started with a bareback pad and she had zero reaction to it. It was hard to believe she'd never been ridden.
On April 9th Osa carried her first rider. She was perfectly calm and trusting the whole time. It was a beautiful moment. We'd gradually walk a little more each time, but I didn't want to do too much until I was able to trim up her hind hooves.
Our next milestone was trimming her hind hooves! Just shy of 5 months since her arrival I did a full trim on her hind hooves. It's remarkable that Osa's hooves were not in worse shape when she came here. My guess is the rocky ground she was on allowed her to self trim. The overgrown hoof must have also acted like a horseshoe taking pressure off the sole. Since I've been keeping her on a regular trimming cycle she is especially tender on rocks. It's just my theory, but it looks similar to other horses I've seen come out of metal shoes. She walks fine on soft ground. We just started putting hoof boots on her front feet to help on rocky ground.
One issue we are still struggling with is picking up her hooves. She knows the cue and she'll lift her hoof eventually. She doesn't seem to feel safe and balanced without four hooves on the ground. Her hind hooves especially seem restricted and make her nervous when she gives up control. I would love to get her evaluated by an equine bodyworker or chiropractor to figure out what's going on in her body that makes picking her feet up difficult.
The last important training objective to tackle was trailering. I didn't have time to ease her into her first trailer ride with me so I took it real slow when we revisited it. First I had a buddy go in for support. I put alfalfa in for both of them to eat. It wasn't long before Osa and her buddy were quietly eating alfalfa in the trailer. The next time we took a quick trip to town. All went well loading up and at the park. When we got back though she was visibly upset and drenched in sweat (it wasn't that hot out). To unload I put her halter on and went around to open the butt bar so she could back out, but instead she tried to turn around in the trailer and fell. I should have stayed at her head and had someone else open the butt bar to avoid that.
For other reasons, mostly not having the time, we didn't haul anywhere for a couple months. Recently Osa has been on a couple trips to town. I make sure I'm careful and have help when unloading her.
We haven't progressed with riding anymore than walking around the arena. I trust her to carry myself and experienced kids. I can tell Osa has stiffness in her body and the difficulty picking up her feet tells me she struggles with balance. Add the weight of a rider and the problems in her body will get worse. I want to make sure I preserve her longevity and fully believe she will become a great riding partner someday.
Some other potentially minor issues with Osa are skin irritation on her face, under her jaw, and armpits. It appeared when the weather got hot. I've tried different things, hopefully a salve I made with coconut, tea tree, oregano, and lavender oil will help. Osa also has a curious swelling under her jaw that may have been there since I got her. I only noticed it after she got her teeth floated in February.
Time and money are the biggest factors to getting Osa where I'd like her be. I'd like to be able to work with her 3-5 times a week to improve her balance and condition her body for work. I experiment with bodywork to relive her tension as well.
However, my knowledge is limited and I really need to take her to a trainer and/or bodyworker that can point me in the right direction for her symptoms. As of right now we don't have spare money to go towards anything besides necessities.
Overall Osa has met all my expectations and is a joy to have around. Riding is not a requirement for the horses here, we don't teach riding, and she will be able to help teach the basic horsemanship lessons either way. The best thing you can do for your horse is teach them to be a good citizen, that will make them valuable and less likely to end up in a bad situation. I want to give her the tools to be a valuable horse, and being rideable is a valuable skill. Most importantly I want her to be as comfortable in her body as she can be and I see room for improvement there.
Consider donating or becoming a sponsor for Osa
Comments