Text by Ishbel Moore Photos by Martha Parish
issue 6-2013 | www.horsecountry.ca
“I was surprised when my name was called. My rosette is a cherished reminder of new friendships, and a testament to how determination and acquiring knowledge can build a bond between human and equine.” – Sue Sheridan, upon receiving her rosette after passing testing in the Beginner Level of Horse Agility at a clinic on June 9-10, 2013 at North 9 arena, Stonewall, MB.
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Sue and her husband, Rod, live on 16 acres surrounded by forests and lakes at Ear Falls, which is a small settlement and township of 1200 persons, located in Northwestern Ontario, on the right bank of the English River near the outlet of Lac Seul. “Neither Rod nor I had any experience with horses, but as a child I collected china horses and spent many hours drawing them,” admits Sue. “I have a friend in Red Lake who owns a stable and Rod forced me to call her and arrange some lessons.” A 13.2 hh black and white pony was Sue’s 50th birthday present. Says Sue, “I fondly refer to her as ‘my million dollar pony’ because I would not sell her for a million dollars! Of course, it was no fun horsing around alone, so within the next six months we acquired horses for Rod and our daughter.” Sue explains, “Both Rod’s and Teanna’s horses died the spring of the year we purchased Daisy. Rod’s horse, Cream Bee, had been a gorgeous buckskin Arabian Quarter Horse cross, and Teanna phoned me that fall to tell me that there was an ad for a buckskin mare in Dryden. I knew the owner
and we arranged to see her. Rod and Teanna fell in love and Rod bought her – for me! The owner had gotten her from a friend in Thunder Bay who had taken her as a rescue. She had been foundered and her feet were a mess.” Over the next few years, Sue learned a lot about the treatment of founder and how to deal with abscesses. “It also quickly became evident that Daisy has confidence issues,” adds Sue. “She spooks easily and bolts.” Sue turned to Parelli to acquire skills and confidence. She and Daisy passed level 1 and are working at levels 2 and 3. A Parelli playground has been built, including a pedestal, pylons, carwash, tarp and a teeter-totter. During Sue’s quest for knowledge, she also has taken an online course in equine first aid, Equine Massage Therapy with Sidonia McIntyre, and Reiki level 2 which she then learned to administer to the horses. Now Sue’s attention has turned to Horse Agility, because despite all these useful and helpful methods, she felt the true bond with Daisy was still lacking. “In surfing the internet for more ideas for obstacles for my playground,” Sue says, “I had come across Vanessa Bee’s International Horse Agility site and subsequently purchased her book. It seemed like a natural progression and fun way to improve upon the skills we learned from Parelli. Then, on the Internet, I saw Wendy Clemis’ ad for the Agility clinic. Vanessa was including Stonewall in her North American tour.” After much soul searching, Sue