Dear Sheila,

 Just wanted to give you an update on E Jinta, my Jewel. As you
know, being green starting with a green, is no easy task, an "accident
waiting to happen". Both you and Jan followed your instincts, and believed
I'd have what it takes to buck the odds with E Jinta. For this, I'll be
eternally grateful, for she has been an incredible teacher, and has truly
made me become a stronger person as well as a horseperson.

I sought a sweet, gentle, beautiful, strong companion horse capable of a lot
of trail riding. Her big B-S brand bothered me slightly, so I told myself it
stood for Beautiful and Sweet. On a wait list for an excellent trainer, I
got impatient, and being naive, rode her out of an arena too soon. A huge
dump truck, with air brakes and whistles caused a panic attack in me and her
that sent us reeling towards a 3 ft jump with 4x4 on top. I'd never jumped
anything taller than a log before and seeing it coming at me, well, she
looked back at me, and knew, and did an abrupt sideways stop, my finger
nails gripping into the saddle, flipped me over on my back onto the top of
the 4x4. Had to go to the emergency room, couldn't "get right back on". One
week later, the Parelli trainer I sought pushed us to the top of his list
and evaluated the two of us. No doubt about the horse, she responded so
quickly even he remarked she was exceptionally intelligent & he'd seen many,
many smart horses. But me, hmmmmmm, I'd be the hand-full, as I was petrified
to get back on. But he was a wise ole' cowboy, and he saw hope. But we only
had 5 weeks, he was moving away. I'd rank him beyond any doubt, better than
Pat Parelli, and believe God got us to the very best. He kept her for 2
weeks, riding her every day, and yes, totally bitless. I told him that now
her brand meant Brave and Smart. Five weeks later, he called her "A GREAT
HORSE". My training with him, got me back on her only twice before he left,
and I still had barely any confidence.

At his departure, I also moved Jewel to a new barn, a horse paradise for
riders and horses alike, being her 4th move in 3 months. Needless to say, we
both still felt nervous about all the new everything we were being exposed
to. Ground work, horse basic training, and rebuilding trust was all we could
do together until I could locate the next trainer we needed. I headed to a
nearby dude ranch to continue my riding lessons on older, schooled horses,
hoping to rebuild some confidence and repair the damage on horses other than
my sensitive mare (who responded willingly and as bravely as possible to
experienced, confident riders). I studied fervently, bought hundreds of
dollars worth of videos and books and magazines and sought advice
everywhere.

Non-Arabian horse people silently scoffed, believing I'd fail. For 3 months,
I stayed on the ground with her, battling feelings of inadequacy and fear,
and therefore hers. Slowly these feelings dissipated as we learned about
each other. I witnessed an amazing composure in her at things I knew she'd
either never or very rarely ever experienced before...and realized that
she'd be intently searching my eyes each time. If something was ok with me,
then she'd relax and submit, and I knew she trusted me to not let anything
harmful happen to her. I learned to not baby her, to be gentle but firm. But
still, she didn't want me to get on her back if she detected fear, so I
decided to let her be my barometer. I knew she'd keep us safe that way. And
I continued to ride other horses, making my way back to trotting and then
galloping. But since I want to go out into the wilds with her, I need her
B-S, to go to Bold and Safe. And, I needed someone that wouldn't cost me a
fortune to get her there.

About two weeks ago, our breakthrough occurred. I met a man who owns 3 Arabs
and relished taming wild mustangs. He's been separated from his horses for 2
years due to a divorce and he missed riding intensely. He jumped at the
chance to put some miles on Jewel, and bring her through her spookiness
outside the arenas. With him present, and Jewel's willingness, I got back on
her. At first we only walked inside a round pen....then trotted. My
confidence flowed back in as I felt her calm and responsive beneath me.
Before the fall, her gait at best, was timid and unsure. She now was
forward-moving and had improved in many ways. She tested me slightly but
only at whether I was the one leading. With each firm direction, she seemed
to like me up there more. Up went her proud tail and I felt us both calm and
proud. While he can take her places I'm not yet fully capable of, she still
gives me the "best ride". He's perfect for her though, firmly making her
confront any object that scares her, refusing to let darkness, or the wind,
or any object be an excuse. With more time and practice, I'll be doing the
same. She's coming forward fast, and is relishing this new world.

I now know, beyond any doubt, that she's the partner I sought. With
continued miles on the both of us, we're not only going to ride well, we're
going to prance into our future. We're even going to dance.

But the main thing I wanted you to know, is that every person who has
handled her in any way, remarks that she's amazing for a horse 9 years not
ridden. They always say that she had to have a great base relationship with
her previous owners. And I want to tip my hat to you and to the man you had
start her under saddle...and to all your fellow handlers. I want to thank
all the people who coached me and supported me mentally. For these reasons,
she's no longer an uncut gem. She sparkles. And I love her. Thank you.
Sincerely, your friend,

Cindy