Daltons Queen Chic

1996 black granddaughter of Peponita, shortly after we bought her

Chic being brushed with no halter or leadrope while eating (2008).
She loves a good brushing, and is no longer afraid of people.
She is, however, hard to catch without grain.

Chic's Story

We inquired about Chic from a web site she was listed on, and were told that she was "hard to catch" but that she could be caught in a pen or stall.  She was supposed to have been recently palpated or ultrasounded as being in foal.  We were very excited to find a granddaughter of Peponita, and especially a black one!  After quite a bit of conversation via e-mail and receipt of photos (I like to have as much in writing as I can when buying), we bought her and made the trip to pick her up. 

We didn't even get all of the way home before we knew we had a problem!  Chic was as wild as a March hare.  In fact, she acted like a Mustang that was horribly afraid of people.  We overnighted with friends, and let me tell you, we had a devil of a time getting her caught in the small pen we had put her in despite the fact that she was dragging the leadrope that she tore out of my hands upon arrival there the night before. 

When we got home, I compared her to the pictures I had received from the sellers and could tell that the close up and clear photos were NOT of Chic.  They  turned out to be of a totally different mare. In addition, Chic was not pregnant despite the supposed preg check of a month earlier.

That was the least of our worries, though, because we had on our hands a mare that would take flight when standing 30 feet away if she even saw my FINGER move.  She was desperately afraid of people, and would flee even in a 40 foot round pen as if I was in it to kill her.  So, my work was cut out for me.  For the next year, I acclimated Chic to me but only caught her to give her shots and to pet her a couple times.  When feeding time rolled around, I stood within a few feet of the bucket until she decided that she could come eat. 

Now, I can catch Chic easily as long as I have a cup of grain or a bucket with grain in it.  We do leave her halter on her.  She likes to be petted and brushed.  I have still never trimmed her hooves or brushed her tail (she keeps her hooves short enough), but she and I have a good relationship.  She will stand tied, and one summer we had to hose down her back legs due to a cut she got on a hock a time or two, which she took well. 

Note:  Chic gets VERY thin around foaling time and during nursing.  We don't know why, and haven't tested her blood to see if there are any irregularities. It could be an inability to digest protein or soybean meal. She can't be fed much protein OR that she might be allergic to soybean meal in sweet feeds.  The more I feed her, the worse she looks. Or, it could just be that she just gives everything she has to her foal during nursing.

UPDATE:  In 2008, we gave Chic only a grass/alfalfa mix hay and straight OATS (no corn or bean meal) prior to and after foaling. She has maintained her weight much better than in years past, so we may have found the problem! She either can't have corn or can't have soybean meal.

Hours after foaling in 2008

Chic is chipper, happy, energetic, and just acts like she feels wonderful!  She was on an alfalfa/grass mix hay and no grain in the winter, and stays  fat and healthy looking all winter.  The rest of the year, she is on a plain grass pasture.

Pedigree

Pedigree research via Del Mar Pedigree Query and aqha.com

Chic's Foals: Sorrel, black, blue roan.