Meet Sugar, a Mustang/QH mare and her trainer, Cara McWilliams of Crazy L Horsemanship in Alvord, IA. #ShowdownTeamSugar is competing in the Challenge Division of the 2023 Dakota Showdown Horse Trainer Challenge
Sugar is an approximately 10 year old Mustang/QH mare who stands about 14.2 hands tall. Little was known about her before start of the Showdown as she came from another rescue specifically to participate in the Showdown. She was reported to have been cared for but not handled.
Sugar entered the Showdown with a strong fear/spook response and unable to be caught. Once she was caught, she did have basic ground manners but was too reactive to pick her feet or do more than lead and load on a trailer. She has a quiet personality but it hides a very scared and unsure mare. She's slow to trust but has learned to trust her trainer and is much better. She is now one of the first to come up, loves having her fly blankets and sheets, has her hooves trimmed regularly, is much calmer (though still spooky) on the ground, lunges well though is still a little protective of her right side, and is well started under saddle.
From Her Trainer
This little mare has been a tough one, not in the aspect of her being hard to train per say, but in gaining her trust. Sugar is a very timid and untrusting mare when it comes to humans. She requires a very kind and patient approach. She needs you to go slow, she needs breaks often or she gets overwhelmed and all your progress goes down the drain. But underneath all those nerves is a willing and smart girl.
Though Sugar has made amazing progress in training and everyone was getting excited about her potential to find a home, unfortunately she will not be available for adoption at this time. Now that her trainer is able to touch her all over, problems in her vaginal area were found. Upon veterinary examination, it was discovered that Sugar has a large squamous cell carcinoma in her vaginal area that is too large and too close to the urethra to safely remove at this time. She has been started on a chemotherapy regimen in hopes that the tumor will shrink enough to be removed.
Sugar will remain with her trainer, Cara, during her treatment which will include monthly chemotherapy that will likely cost about $200 and hopefully surgery some . If you'd like to help with the costs of Sugar's treatment, consider a donation:
Sugar came to Gentle Spirit Horses Rescue as a transfer from another rescue specifically to participate in the Showdown. She was an owner surrender to that rescue and had been with them only a couple of months, so little is known of her past history or what caused her fear and distrust.