CHIEF
Birth date: July 3, 1999
Chief is a horse that you’ll want to bring home! He’s a very quiet guy with a naturally gentle disposition, making him an excellent horse for similarly mannered riders of all experience levels. Not only is he a totally reliable and friendly fellow, but he has the most amazing smooth and fast gait, and will happily lead any group.
Chief came to Dunrovin after serving the needs of a very special woman rider who had MS. She had to be very careful to have a completely safe horse and to train him to her special needs – and Chief more than excelled as her companion for several years. However, as her disease progressed, it became apparent that she could no longer safely ride. She hated to quit riding and she was distraught at the prospects of having to sell him. Our vet happened to also be her vet, and he arranged for us to meet. She reluctantly agreed to sell him to us – and she came to visit several times to see him. I regret to say that we have not heard from her in recent years.
When Chief arrived at Dunrovin, he argued with us about mounting from the left side and would try to position himself on the opposite side. But that was totally understandable. His previous owner could not mount the horse from his left side, so she taught him to stand very still while she got a short ladder and mounted from the right side. In no time at all, he got accustomed to us and is now a champ at mounting from both sides. Not long ago, Chief took another woman with MS on a ten day trip into the Bob Marshall Wilderness. She fell head over heels in love with him and has returned to ride him again. He is just that kind of horse.
In the summer months, people may get alarmed when meeting Chief for the first time because he often has a little trickle of blood running down his nostril. It may look bad, but it really is just a broken capillary from the dry weather. Like humans, some horses can be prone to bloody noses. In the summer of 2013, Chief developed a bad infection on his back which put him out of commission for several weeks. He was a great patient and quickly recovered. He was back to his cheerful self in no time. We are blessed to have Chief with us.