So our 30 day trial was up yesterday on Midnight. You remember him? The Rehab case.
After alot of hemming and hawwing we found ourselves hunting for a good reason to keep him. We really wanted to keep him but it finally dawned on us, we shouldn't be talking ourselves INTO keeping him. In the end, there were just too many red flags that we kept seeing pop up, deeming him in both of our eyes as unsafe. it was clear this horse could /would eventually hurt one of us because of his fear/panic issues. Knowing this didn't make it any less heart wrenching to make the decision to send him back, because his future probably isn't good.
The drive to the owners was difficult and quite sad. There was still that question, "Are we making the right decision?" looming in our minds, but neither one of us said anything. The decision was made and as it turned out , that answer became glaringly obvious when we went to unload him. He nearly killed himself and my husband in the process. He attempted to fly out of the trailer backwards while still tied. The rope stretched enough to where he got his back feet out, scrambled, nearly fell because one leg was under the trailer, and then lunged forward back into the trailer. It all happened so fast I couldn't believe what I was seeing. We had hauled him twice before with out any issues. There was nothing to spook him but this is his thing. One time, ok, next time, panic.
Luckily he was only shaken up and he was missing some hair from his forehead when he hit his head as he came flying out. My husband , in the scramble, was quick enough to duck and only lost his ballcap in the process but it could have been really bad. He had no where to go.
To the owners credit , she is hoping to try to place him at a sanctuary. I put her in touch with two that I knew of that were reputable. I hope it works out because it may just be his best bet.
She was disappointed we didn't keep him, but she said she was glad to know it wasn't just her. She did reveal some stories of various "situations" he had gotten himself into. One story involved getting tangled in a swingset as a yearling and then running as he drug it for quite a while. He nearly died. There were more stories too. Hearing some of that answered the question of how this horse got to be the way he is. I have to wonder if maybe had she worked with him after the first wreck he had , if he might have been ok. Or is it really just bad wiring?
There was a time where I thought most horses could be fixed with the right care and training but as I have seen a couple of times now, that isn't always the case. Especially when too much time passes and the horse gets too mature. This poor guy I believe, is damaged beyond repair.
So onto more positive news!
Brego and I are still chugging along. His trot is getting super nice and he is getting really soft and supple, although he does have a tendency to get behind the bit. So we went from head tossing to curling up like a shrimp. GHEESH!
We have another schooling show this coming weekend. This time I am actually going to do the dressage and the jumping whereas I have only been doing the jumping in the last two. I will be doing an Intro dressage test that is only walk/trot with two 20 meter circles. We can handle that although I am pretty sure my 20 meter circles will look alot more like Amoeba's, or something unrecognizable as a true 20 meter circle!! It's all part of the learning.
The canter continues to slowly improve and we started doing more and more cantering over ground poles. He still gets pretty fast but it's getting more controlled now. I am developing the shoulders and hand strength of a weight lifter as a result. He is one powerful little horse. My trainer loves his boldness. I could do with alot less but I am learning so much.
After alot of hemming and hawwing we found ourselves hunting for a good reason to keep him. We really wanted to keep him but it finally dawned on us, we shouldn't be talking ourselves INTO keeping him. In the end, there were just too many red flags that we kept seeing pop up, deeming him in both of our eyes as unsafe. it was clear this horse could /would eventually hurt one of us because of his fear/panic issues. Knowing this didn't make it any less heart wrenching to make the decision to send him back, because his future probably isn't good.
The drive to the owners was difficult and quite sad. There was still that question, "Are we making the right decision?" looming in our minds, but neither one of us said anything. The decision was made and as it turned out , that answer became glaringly obvious when we went to unload him. He nearly killed himself and my husband in the process. He attempted to fly out of the trailer backwards while still tied. The rope stretched enough to where he got his back feet out, scrambled, nearly fell because one leg was under the trailer, and then lunged forward back into the trailer. It all happened so fast I couldn't believe what I was seeing. We had hauled him twice before with out any issues. There was nothing to spook him but this is his thing. One time, ok, next time, panic.
Luckily he was only shaken up and he was missing some hair from his forehead when he hit his head as he came flying out. My husband , in the scramble, was quick enough to duck and only lost his ballcap in the process but it could have been really bad. He had no where to go.
To the owners credit , she is hoping to try to place him at a sanctuary. I put her in touch with two that I knew of that were reputable. I hope it works out because it may just be his best bet.
She was disappointed we didn't keep him, but she said she was glad to know it wasn't just her. She did reveal some stories of various "situations" he had gotten himself into. One story involved getting tangled in a swingset as a yearling and then running as he drug it for quite a while. He nearly died. There were more stories too. Hearing some of that answered the question of how this horse got to be the way he is. I have to wonder if maybe had she worked with him after the first wreck he had , if he might have been ok. Or is it really just bad wiring?
There was a time where I thought most horses could be fixed with the right care and training but as I have seen a couple of times now, that isn't always the case. Especially when too much time passes and the horse gets too mature. This poor guy I believe, is damaged beyond repair.
So onto more positive news!
Brego and I are still chugging along. His trot is getting super nice and he is getting really soft and supple, although he does have a tendency to get behind the bit. So we went from head tossing to curling up like a shrimp. GHEESH!
We have another schooling show this coming weekend. This time I am actually going to do the dressage and the jumping whereas I have only been doing the jumping in the last two. I will be doing an Intro dressage test that is only walk/trot with two 20 meter circles. We can handle that although I am pretty sure my 20 meter circles will look alot more like Amoeba's, or something unrecognizable as a true 20 meter circle!! It's all part of the learning.
The canter continues to slowly improve and we started doing more and more cantering over ground poles. He still gets pretty fast but it's getting more controlled now. I am developing the shoulders and hand strength of a weight lifter as a result. He is one powerful little horse. My trainer loves his boldness. I could do with alot less but I am learning so much.
2 comments:
I'm sorry it didn't work out for Midnight, but he sounds like way too much of a project. I hope he finds a good landing somewhere, he must have had a really rough start (or some are just wired wrong too). You can focus on your own horses, good luck on another competition on Brego!
Exactly,jsut can't fix them all.
I am sure his owner will figure it out one way or the other.
Yes, I am really beginning to appreciate Brego more and more!
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