The horse who acts like a puppy
COLLARED
The chestnut-and-white colt had been all by himself in a paddock and largely without human contact for two years, since he was 6 months old.
But in 2006, when Tara-Maria Gorrera, who was 15 years old at the time, walked up to the fence outside the Pennsylvania field where he was living, Neo took one look at the girl and it seemed that somehow the horse knew she would be a friend.
“It was the strangest thing,” said Gorrera, a veterinary technician for the Humane Society of Harford County who now lives in Street. “When you first meet an animal, they usually have that little timidness. But Neo walked straight up to me and started nudging me to pet him. It was like we’d known each other our whole lives.”
Neo, who is part quarter horse and part draft horse, was Gorrera’s 16th birthday present from her grandmother.
“We have grown such a bond,” she said. “It is stronger than anything I have ever known.”
Gorrera said that Neo, who has lots of energy and loves to play, has the personality of an overgrown puppy. He took to such competitive events as barrel racing and pole bending as though he’d been born to it. From his very first show, he flew around the obstacle course, beating other horses Read about local pets, or share your own story. We’re interested in cats and dogs, but also hamsters, hedgehogs, turtles, horses, chickens — the whole pet gamut. For more information, email pets@baltsun.com and be sure to put “Collared” in the subject line. — Mary Carole McCauley with fancy pedigrees and price tags to match.
“I have caught him on many occasions running around the barrels out in the field on his own,” Gorrera said, “bucking and hopping, having so much fun. It’s pretty hilarious to watch him.”