"R&S La Margarita" Bay Mare Paso Fino

For your consideration:

R&S La Margarita

14.2hh Dapple Bay 17 year old PFHA registered Paso Fino mare

The good - She is fearless and highly experienced on trails. Sloped terrain, tunnels, bridges, deep woods, sand, and traffic is no problem for her. Crosses creeks and rivers safely and smartly. We have ridden multiple times on the American Tobacco Trail that winds through the research triangle in Raleigh where she’s encountered huge groups of runners, dogs, bicycles, and traffic crossings without a hitch. She is NOT spooky or looky under saddle and is a confident ride. Sensitive and very responsive to your legs and hands, no harsh kicking or pulling necessary. I do not ride on property, I haul out and she has always been wonderful. She has decent brio (I’d say a 4 or 5), so I would not recommend her for someone who is older and only wants to do slow calm trail rides. She gets bored and likes to move out at a purposeful medium pace. Amazing smooth corto and when in shape I’ve clocked her largo at 18 mph before. She can swap to a canter comfortably. Does not fino, even when excited. Easily takes the bit and has no issues being groomed or tacked up. Ties well and has never sat back with me. Loads easily and if in regular work she will self load. Will usually stand well for mounting but may take a couple steps off before you’ve settled, this gets better with consistent work. Awesome work ethic, she likes to move out but won’t yank your arms out over it and will settle down into a walk after you get a mile or two in. I have gone a year or more between riding her and she locked right back in like no time had passed. I’ve ridden her in huge groups and over long distances all over NC, SC, and VA. She has competed in hunter paces and placed along with being conditioned for endurance. Easy keeper on grass and coastal to supplement in the winter and I’ve never had any issues with soundness. Grows a thick full coat in the winter if you aren’t a fan of blankets. Has raised multiple beautiful TALL foals and is good mother.

The bad - She is the dominant mare in the pasture and has ran horses off their food before in a herd boarding setup if they aren’t the type to stand their ground. In large groups she doesn’t like horses getting up in her butt and will threaten to kick out at them, so a safe respectful distance must be had. She is buddy sour in our current setup, and I do not ride alone. She is SMART and if you are the type who is easily scared she will take advantage of it. I am a calm and confident rider who does not take no for an answer. Give her an inch and she will take a mile, so you need to be firm and ready to win the argument on the rare occasion she tests you. We have had less than a handful of disagreements and they are not repeated. You need to be active and alert and conscious of your seat and hands. You cannot sit on her like a drunken bag of potatoes and expect her not to have an opinion about it.

The other quirk to note is she is tricky to catch in a large pasture. The smaller the area the better and easier she is, so the ideal situation would be if you have access to runs or the ability to close her into a smaller paddock when it’s time to get her. A small space makes this effectively a non-issue. This problem gets better with consistent and routine riding but it’s something to be aware of.

The ugly - In the 7 years I have owned her I have not been able to get her shod or trimmed without sedation. If you live somewhere with sandy soil where she won’t need shoes this is not a dealbreaker but we are looking at a long distance move to a very rocky area where this would become too expensive of an issue to continue to deal with.

If you are interested in her and need more videos or have questions not answered in this ad please reach out. I think she could still be a perfectly capable riding horse, or easily return to happy broodmare life. She has a fantastic pedigree from older lines that you don’t see as often today.

Do convene with your husband, wife, mother, father, children, family priest, and grandma’s ghost before inquiring.

Located in Vass, NC. Price has plenty of flexibility to the perfect long term home.