Mia is Mia, I did not meet her until I started riding her 2 years ago. She had an occult spavin in her right hock, she had arthritis in her left fetlock joint and she had basically frozen into place even though she was out 24/7. She had been dumped on my riding teacher twice. All Debbie, my teacher knew about her was that she had gotten loose in a trail ride and they found her stuck in brambles two days later. The vets saved her, but I think Mia thought she had died when she was stuck in the brambles. She was so weak when I started riding her, she felt like she was falling apart at a trot.
Now, with good supplements and sane physical exercise, she moves pretty good for being almost 30! I finally convinced her that she was in fact still alive around a year ago. She's an opinionated mare and I can count on her to tell me when I do wrong. Often brave but scared, scared, scared of anything that might be a snake. Before I started riding her regularly she scared the little girls who rode her, now she gives them confidence. I'm at a hunt seat stable and she can't jump because of her spavin, but she has introduced some kids to riding gently and with consideration. Since I am disabled with MS it works out well, I am not strong enough and do not have enough endurance to work her too hard.
ALL mares are opinionated. This is why they can make horsewomen out of their riders, you just have to learn to deal with it!

She's not mine, Mia is an Arabian mare, around 30 years old.  I just get to ride her, yeah!  Riding is physical therapy for me, so my riding teacher put me on Mia who also needed physical therapy. 

I like your horse.

Hi again Kayla.  I see you ride bitless, that is a side-pull isn't it?  I ride bitless quite a bit, especially in the heat.