Texas Equine Photographer | Broke the Mini Horse

Brodie, Little America’s Field Man, is a Mini Horse Gelding. He was bred by Little America Miniature Horses.

This gorgeous guy is absolutely adorable. He is a Seal Brown/Bay with no marking but an amazingly stylish forelock and mane that is absolute perfection. Even through he is a young guy, he sports the old man grey hairs on his nose.

Brodie is currently on a care lease at RED Arena, and lives with his best friend Scout. I quickly learned that this pair doesn’t do much without one another so it only seemed right to let Scout join in on Brodie’s 365 Days of Horses Session. He has been with RED Arena for a few years and is a HUGE asset to their equine assisted counseling program. He is also a ton of fun during summer camps.

Kate, the Equine Manager at RED Arena shares, “Brodie is the most adorable horse I have ever met. He is tiny, even for a mini. He has a sweet face and bright eyes. He is best friends with our other miniature horse, Scout. Brodie is patient and fast friends with everyone he’s met. He likes to befriend the big horses through the arena fence.”

Brodie has done some long lining and does obstacle courses in hand. He can jump, go over a bridge, go over trot poles, weave cones, and navigate cones. I am certain that the kids at RED arena love getting to take this sweet boy all around and see him in action.

This adorable boy loves oats.

Brodie was the co-winner with his best friend Scout of the 2015 Horse of the Year award at RED Arena’s Round Up.

In 2014, Brodie suffered a major colic and underwent colic surgery. While this was a difficult time for him and us, his time at Austin Equine Hospital and his subsequent recovery period were catalysts for healing and understanding for a young boy in our Equine Assisted Counseling program.

I love the story about when Brodie was sick and how he and Scout helped a boy in one of our programs.

“In the fall, one of RED Arena’s darling mini horses, Brodie, was suffering from colic. He had to undergo surgery in the capable and caring hands at Austin Equine Hospital. While our hearts were breaking as he suffered through his illness and surgery, something magical was about to happen.

One of the programs currently underway at RED Arena is Equine Assisted Counseling, where individuals and families attend sessions facilitated by a Licensed Mental Health professional and an Equine Specialist. One little boy was referred to this program after traditional therapies were not helping him cope with the trauma of his mother’s cancer diagnosis and treatment.

The first step for therapist Lindsey Bussey was helping him to get control of his body and his emotions. He would come bouncing out of the car with a lot of energy and no way to control it. As soon as the little boy arrived, they would discuss what he had to do with his body in order to approach a horse. He learned very quickly that when his energy was very high, the horse would naturally move away from him. He learned to stop, center himself, and breathe. When he would lose a bit of control, the horse could sense it. The boy was able to take a step back and regulate his breathing. That was his first breakthrough.

When Brodie got sick, this little boy’s mother had just finished up her last cancer treatment in another city. She had been away for three months. He got very overwhelmed and was having difficulty functioning at school. He was not able to focus and didn’t have the words to be able to talk about it.

Brodie and Scout are two miniature horses that have a very big role at RED Arena.  They live together in a stall with a large paddock attached.  They are always together, and though they are not biological brothers, they are the embodiment of siblings and are very close. 

The day that Brodie had gone to the hospital, the little boy came out for therapy and saw that Brodie’s brother, Scout, was in a stall by himself, making noises and seeming a bit agitated. This little boy was very concerned and his energy shot up. Lindsey helped him regulate his body and they went into the stall together. She explained to the little boy that Brodie had gotten very sick and had to go to the hospital.  The little boy said, “Oh, I know just how he feels. I know what that feels like because my mom had to go away to the hospital and I know what it feels like when she’s not here.” Lindsey prompted him, “Well what do you think Scout is feeling?” He responded, “I think he probably feels scared and I think he probably misses his brother and he probably wonders where he is and if he’s going to come back.”

He had lots of words around what had happened to him, and put those words on Scout and talked through Scout about his experience. Lindsey asked, “What would be helpful for him? What could we do for him today to make him feel better?” The little boy said when his mom went away, his dad would let him call her, but he didn’t think Scout would be able to call Brodie. They decided maybe Scout would feel better if he got a special treat, so they cut up an apple and gave it to Scout. Then the little boy said, “He also needs to be comforted. He needs to be close to his family when his brother is away.” Since Scout didn’t have any other family, Lindsey asked, “Since there’s no family to do that for him, can we do that for him?” The little boy got really quiet and started rubbing Scout, telling him everything was going to be okay, and that he knows just how Scout feels. Then he asked, “Wait! Did anyone even tell Scout the story about what is happening with his brother?” Lindsey said no, she didn’t think anyone had.

So, the little boy told Scout the whole story, about who doctors are and what doctors do and about needles and pain, but that eventually Brodie would come home. He told Scout that Brodie was in good hands and that doctors were good people. Lindsey said, “It was beautiful. It was exactly what he needed to be able to fashion his own thoughts and put words around what he himself had been going through.”

When Brodie came back, he had to be in a separate stall from Scout, and they would whinny to each other. This opened up another issue for Lindsey to work on with the little boy because when his mom came back home, she was finally close by and the boy didn’t want to go to school. He didn’t want to leave her side. So, they were able to work through that worry also.

Though no one would ever wish Brodie to be sick, this story highlights the powerful impact sickness has on the family – horse or human.  This little boy could identify and empathize with Scout and the little horse’s story. Through that, the boy was able to put words and emotions around his own personal story.  This encounter unlocked the door to talking about his experience and he found comfort in knowing that he was not alone. “

Want to be a part of this amazing program and help to continue the amazing work of RED Arena? Head over to their website where you can sponsor a horse, you can also become a sponsor of RED Arena’s Annual Round Up.

Brodie isn’t the first Mini I have photographed as a part of 365 Days of Horses. Earlier in the year I also photographed Susie the Mini Mare.

Karinda K Equine Photography is a Texas equine photographer located in Montgomery, TX. Karinda creates timeless portraits of you with your beloved horses, and other farm animals. Serving locally Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin, Texas communities. KEP also serves Wellington and Ocala, Florida, Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky, Aiken, South Carolina, Tryon, North Carolina, and Norco and Woodside, California and their surrounding communities.