Pet Perspectives on a Family in Crisis

Dear Kim,

I am sixteen years old and I have my first horse, a twenty-two-year-old Arabian mare named Gem. She was neglected and abused by her previous owners and doesn’t take the bit very well at all. She throws her head back and tries to get out of it. I’m not sure what the problem is.

She intimidates my dad as well as most of the other horses. She’s brave and has a lot of spirit. And I really don’t think she’s mean. I hope you can help me with our problems; I love all animals, and I really want to keep her. I have sent a picture of her so that you can see how beautiful she is.