Horses, Part 1 - MJ

Briefly - I have attempted to start a few blogs before, but I can't seem to keep with it. I've made a bit of a resolution to stick to this one, so I'm set to try my best.
I have 3 horses, and my sister has a large pony. I'd like to start off my new blog with an introduction post to each of them.

M J Point, aka MJ


MJ is a 2002 Thoroughbred mare. She raced as a 2 & 3-year-old, with 14 starts total. She sat in a field for a couple years, and then I bought her as a resale project in late 2007, when she was 5. Despite not being the easiest horse I've worked w/, I put basic flatwork and a very light introduction to jumping on her, and sold her as a started prospect in early summer of 2008.
At the beginning of the summer of 2011 I saw her advertised online at a rather low price, and called her owner just checking on how she'd been doing. The daughter(for whom MJ had been purchased) no longer rode and MJ had not been worked in over a year. I simply let them know that if they were unable to sell her I would take her back and provide a home. A few months later I got the call, and went to pick her up and bring her back home.
She's a very nice mare, well built, and a lovely mover w/ a great jump. Mentally however, she is incredibly sensitive, "easily traumatized," I say. If she has a bad experience w/ something, she never forgets. She is to this day very frightened of small spaces due to what I can only assume was a negative issue w/ the starting gate.
When I took her back, she was extremely footsore from lack of quality hoofcare, had a mysterious swelling on her right hind, was covered in fungus, and wouldn't tie. She is finally sound, as of quite recently. We are still working on tying and some trust issues on the ground. Once she gets her teeth floated she'll be started back under saddle. It should be interesting! At this point she hasn't been ridden in 18 months.