Gem spent the first year and a half of her life being raised by a family of five (three girls). As a result, she is a very friendly "member of the family" type of filly...but also a bit spoiled. She is rapidly learning to buckle down and do a job, but she is also only three right now (2008), so undoubtedly she'll mature mentally as well as physically as time passes.
While with the family, Gem was lightly ridden bareback through trails and frields by one of the girls. After Gem came to Florida, she was backed under tack by a professional and continues to be developed that way. She walks, trots, canters, picks up her leads pretty consistently and jumps whatever you put in front of her (she has never even thought about stopping!).
Because she is only three, however, we have not overworked her. She goes u/s three times a week, often on trails, and is longed o/f through gymnastic grids once a week. Gem also loads the best and is easy to handle by a firm hand, but can be pushy and/or bratty with someone timid. |
