Yesterday I took off from work early in order to get a ride in my new mare Jewell while we had a day of warmer temperatures and bright sunshine.

My neighbor has been giving my musician husband riding lessons. I saddled up to go join them in her arena. Jewell was looking around as usual, then spied the mechanical gate walker used at Kentucky Equine Research to exercise the horses used for nutrition research. The fast movement of several horses and the mechanical noises had her on edge.

I walked her and stopped several times so she could see it from several angles, then entered the arena and walked her around there to see it again from that angle.

Then a couple of other research horses were turned out with full muzzles (they can’t graze, but they can drink and get exercise). I’m sure they are a strange sight to an unfamiliar horse