Lucky Little Bear
Nickname: Bear
Horsenality: You can’t miss Bear’s flashy good looks with his golden Buckskin coat and he knows it! Bold, playful, and highly intelligent, Bear loves to be the center of attention. In a herd of other horses Bear is dominant so he can be bossy at times, but he will respect another horse if they set a firm boundary with him and he is also very playful so loves social time. Even with people, Bear prefers to be in the leadership role so he holds his human partners accountable for communicating clearly with him and being assertive when necessary, but he is also extremely sensitive and responsive to gentle energy, making him an excellent partner to practice balancing kindness and firmness to achieve both trust and respect.
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Work and Education: Bear was trained as a Working Cow Horse, a highly competitive and athletic sport requiring focus, intense bursts of speed, and turning on a dime. While Bear loved chasing cows and thrived at it (even winning big money) the sport was hard on his body and his owners used him like a tool rather than a partner so he is relieved and grateful to have found his “forever home” at the Golden Gate Dairy Stables where he enjoys his new career as a therapist and has a strong bond with his “mom” Jess.
Family and Relationships: Bear’s best friend is Pico and their favorite game is tug-o-war. These two will use anything they can get theirs mouths on to play with and they are well-matched in terms of dominance so its difficult to tell if either of them ever win the game. Bear’s brother is an English Bulldog named Chunk (whom he tolerates) and sometimes they play tug-o-war together too!
Interests: Chasing cows (and coyotes when they try to enter his pasture!), playing with toys like balls & cones, tug-o-war with Pico, playing “at liberty” with his mom (a dance between human and horse without any ropes or other tack so the horse is completely free and responding the human’s body language and energy), being groomed while he naps, TREATS!
Program participation: Bear is an excellent teacher for young children and new riders because he is so sensitive and smart and he loves showing off his tricks to an audience. [/read]
Championed by:
Mr. Levi Valentine, Diamond Horseshoe
Mr. Frank Shippey, Gold Horseshoe
Ms. Nancy Raulston, Gold Horseshoe