Phase 1

It had been a couple of days since the mare—so far nicknamed Ellie—had arrived on the property. She’d been a bundle of nerves when she stepped out of the horse trailer, her body tense after the flight to São Miguel. Being able to safely get through a long trip to an island was no small feat for a horse who hated to be confined. But she'd surely prosper here, in the endless pastures with plenty of other horses and animals to make friends with.

For now, the roan mare was being kept in a smaller pasture by herself. They were awaiting a vet checkup, and Frankie wanted to also ensure the safety of the mare, as her clinginess and habit of getting too close to others looked like trouble. She didn’t want the mare to annoy the less patient horses or to get herself hurt.

Still, Ellie had quickly made friends with her neighbors—Wilbur and Tejo— who were hanging out on the next pasture over. It had been a good call placing her near them, as the duo were probably the most friendly and easy-going of the horses. If anyone could make her feel at home here, it was those two.

Frankie approached the fence and smiled as Ellie whinnied and cantered over. She seemed to be thrilled about her current arrangement.

"Hi, pretty," she said with a smile, reaching out to affectionately scratch the mare's cheek. Frankie had been smitten with Ellie ever since she first saw her on the rescue website—long before her tag number ever showed up in the e-mail in her inbox. Her jagged markings were so unique, and the halo on her face made her look all the more showstopping. "You're such a lovebug. You won't give me too much trouble, will you?"

So far, she’d been surprisingly well-behaved. A good thing, too, since this was Frankie’s first real “project” horse. Which is to say that until now, she’d only trained pretty non-problematic, eager to work sweethearts. Ellie might be the same way, despite the warnings and issues listed on her file, maybe those were just overkill observations, as so far she seemed completely normal and well-adjusted. One could hope...

Or maybe... there was indeed a little terror hiding behind that sweet face. Only time would tell.