Name: Zena
Breed and Color: Palomino Quarter Horse or QH Cross
Age: 14
Height: 14.3 hh
Gender: Mare
Take a second to read up on this golden-coated dollop of honey! Zena is another auction rescue with a personality as sweet as her coloring. She’s friendly, great out of saddle, and is even a cool cucumber with kiddos grooming or working with her on the ground. Having been with Believe Ranch & Rescue for a few years now, we have had the opportunity to watch Zena make some fabulous progress in her training program. Her focus has been restarting under saddle after enduring, in our estimation, a rough and traumatic initial introduction to riding. These past experiences have left her with some quirks around the tacking-up process, specifically when it comes to cinches and bits. Zena can become quite anxious and fidgety when her saddle is being cinched up and when the bit is placed in her mouth. Our trainer has observed a scar on Zena’s tongue that provides a glimpse of what this sweet girl might have suffered in her previous life. Because of this mouth sensitivity and anxiety, Zena most frequently rides with a hackamore and does well! Our trainer has also found that doing ground work before riding helps her to burn off excess energy and zero in her focus on you. After that, you’ll find that Zena is good with obstacles, not generally very spooky, and is a comfortable ride with equal “woah” and “go.” With a stunning, athletic, and compact build, this lady is designed to be a sporty little ride, too! She also likes to work and would benefit from having a rider that likes to keep her busy.
At the Ranch, Zena is a barefoot, easy keeper living in a pretty little girl gang with some of our sassiest ladies. She’s the most laid-back of the bunch, though, and would be equally happy with a mix of geldings and gals! Zena is pretty low-ranking in the herd and is fine with other horses taking the lead. She is also friendly with visitors and good with the farrier, vet, and trailering.
Zena is up-to-date on vaccines, worming, teeth float, farrier, and vetting.
Recommended Rider: Suitable for an Advanced rider or a Trainer. Zena has made wonderful progress under the careful care of our trainers but is still working on overcoming some anxiety from past mistreatment. She will thrive in a home with a patient partner that will work to earn her trust, learn to read her cues and energy, and help her work through her quirks. Zena is currently a one-person horse and would benefit from working under saddle with a very limited number of people.
Adoption Requirements: None. Zena is a sweet pea and gets along well with the other horses in her herd. However, she is a pretty independent girl and is therefore happy to be adopted out alone.
Ailments/Limitations: None. Zena does have some scarring on her tongue from a long-healed laceration, but it is not painful for her. Our best guess is she suffered some sort of trauma involving a bit at some point, resulting in her being a little avoidant of bits and working with her mouth. Otherwise, she is a healthy girl and would even do well as a competition horse with the right rider and training!
