Some of you may remember Julie’s post. Ruth emailed me about it and I thought her story was very touching.
“What a beautiful email.
I wish I could meet her and she could meet my horses.
Tell her please not to give up hope and that somewhere there will be a horse suited to her that she will bond with. Maybe starting with groundwork might be the way to go rather than straight onto the horse’s back.
I know it’s rather long but I will cut and paste a section of my experiences with a rescue who initially was quiet but once he was rehabilitated he became so scary I just wanted to rehome him. When that failed I had no option but to start retraining him myself and in the process overcame my own fear of him.
He is still with me and I love him. Maybe it will help Julie. Please tell her again not to give up:-
Jaxon’s previous owner had said he was a gentle giant and that was about right_ until he was fully rehabilitated and then he was still a giant and anything but gentle. It’s not uncommon for a rescue in severely malnourished condition to be quiet and calm to start off with and then with a return to good health to start to display intimidating or dangerous behaviour and this was the case with Jaxon.
Standing at around 16 and a half hands, he looked massive and then add flattened ears to a head held up high and suddenly you had a pretty scary sight. He did not want to be rugged and after one dangerous episode I decided that after all he was better off unrugged. At his size, it was not an issue I wanted to argue with him about. He did not want to be brushed? Fine. Pick up his hind feet? No way.
As his condition improved his temperament deteriorated and with so many horses to care for I simply did not have the time or energy to put into retraining him and as my plan was to rehome him to a good home anyway, why bother? I had done the hard part of bringing him up to good health, let someone else take it from here. His aloofness did nothing to endear him to me either and frankly, I was scared of him.
Sometimes he would spit the dummy and put on an amazing performance to intimidate Spice (a little taffy mini gelding who had totally no idea of his size compared to Jaxon and would fly at him from the other side of the fence very much like a Chihuahua attacking a Great Dane) and rear and buck and gallop angrily up and down, scattering sand wildly. Me? I would hide behind a tree until he was done and had calmed down before venturing out to continue feeding or whatever I was doing at the time.
Looking back I know now that it was a vicious cycle. Jaxon was chockfull of fear for some reason and my fear of him only exacerbated the problem.
Anyway, my plan was to rehome him and the sooner the better. I asked around: no-one wanted an untrained SB. I sent magnificent pictures of him to friends who then posted him on their FaceBook pages and got no response. Julie Merrit who runs the Stampede Sales where I bought Melody kindly wrote a short story about him and posted him on the Stampede Sales FaceBook page with totally no result and finally I advertised him on Gumtree and Cavaletti for $400. That price was simply to deter any knacker from approaching me.
Sometimes you wonder how well people can read. I had stated clearly that he needed training to be rideable and cannot remember how many queries I got of “Would he suit a beginner?” No way!
Finally I got another call from a Gumtree customer.
“I’m ringing about Jaxon. Is he still available?” a young man with a very Australian accent asked me.
My spirits lifted. I assured him that he was indeed still available and he then asked me about his temperament. Was he quiet or did he hang off the trees? What an unusual question and while I puzzled over that I said to him that Jaxon was not rideable, if that was what he meant. Oh no, they did not want to ride Jaxon, they wanted to eat him. WHAT? This is a hoax call my mind concluded but he continued by saying that he belonged to a particular religion and they ate horses and would I mind? Would I mind? Are you kidding?
Yes, I did mind and Jaxon is a rescue that has cost me a lot of time and effort to rehabilitate I explained but he went mad and started shouting and swearing and to my comment “Jaxon deserves to live” he shouted “He does not deserve to live. He deserves to be in my f***in’ freezer”. I put the phone down and was shaking as I told my husband what had happened. He was equally horrified and told me to take Jaxon off Gumtree immediately.
The next day I received another strange enquiry:
“I am interested in your item. What is the final asking price? Do you use PAYPAL and if so, please send me your details”
I told her in no uncertain terms that Jaxon was not an item but a beautiful horse and he was no longer for sale.
So much for Plan A – rehoming. I then had to look at Plan B which was: if I can’t rehome him, then I will have to retrain him myself.
I started doing groundwork with him. The first time on a lead rope he huffed and blew great fearful breaths through his nostrils but we both made a discovery. Groundwork wasn’t too bad. It was not that scary and Jaxon was actually very quick to learn and wobbled his lower lip with delight when I enthusiastically praised him.
The more work I did with him the better he became and the less afraid of him I was. It was the opposite of the previous vicious cycle and both of us began to look forward to the short training sessions we did. Things like walk neatly beside me; stop the instant I stopped; turn in circles and back when asked. Jaxon learnt quickly and I also rapidly learnt that Jaxon was a smart horse. He was a horse who wanted to please and the more we worked, the more confident I became and the more Jaxon responded by trusting and co-operating.
The flattened ears started to prick up more and the lifted head started to drop. He liked me and I liked him. He began to greet me and stand close to me and his skin, which had twitched every time I touched him, stopped twitching. Infact, he began to enjoy being stroked and groomed. He even began to insert himself between Rebel and myself so that he would get the attention and not Rebel.
What an amazing transformation, not just in him but also in me. My fears disappeared along with his. I thank God for bringing this magnificent creature into my life and for the lessons he has taught me of facing and overcoming my fears and of learning to be willing to change my plans and give a horse a chance.
Right now I can say that I adore both these boys and enjoy time spent with them. I have no fear of Jaxon and if he goes thundering off in a gallop I no longer hide but stand and watch and marvel at the difference one short year has made to a horse that was thin and fearful who is now majestic and becoming more and more outgoing and appreciative of friendship with a human.
Thanks
Ruth”
A wonderful story from Ruth. Big thanks for sending it in.
Best
Al
😉 As i used to have a horse rescue I know how she felt. I now have one that was lunged for more years then done anything with. He is now trained but has a cold back so back to lunging. I hope in time he will be able to just go for a ride.. time will tell. Keep up on these horses, they can become a great one.
What a wonderful success story for both horse & human…I know how she felt as I’ve had some starved, abused horses that I was a little afraid of when I rescued them. Took me three months just to get near one he was so afraid of humans. I’m so happy for Jaxon as every horse deserves a chance.
I totally understand where you are coming from. Two years ago I had not been near a horse other than to drop some winter hay down for the poor tethered travellers horses.
Then I became involved rescuing two of them. I used Monty Robert training and learnt the equis language. Hidden inside these horses is love, intelligence and loyalty. It all just needs to be brought out with patience and care. I love your story. 😛
I also rescued an emaciated horse last February. At first he was so docile, I thought his spirit was broken for good. About 6 months later, his spirit, and his naughty nature, appeared. When I approached him, his ears would go flat and his nostrils would flare. I wonder what went on with him before he came here. The vet didn’t give him much hope to survive the starved state he was in, but feeding him little piles of grain every four hours (around the clock) brought him up to a better weight, enough so that I could stop the 2:00 AM feedings. To make a long story short, I kept reminding myself that he’s more afraid of me than I am of him and trudged on up to him with more courage than confidence. After we started walking together, he began to “ask” to come out and go for a walk. Now I am riding him and loving him to pieces and I no longer need a rope to keep him with me. Horses are smart, sometimes smarter than humans; don’t give up.
What wonderous creations from God !!He gives us these horses to care,love & treat with kindness.
Your story in inspiring.
😛 I just wanted to take a moment and thank all of you who have rescued a horse. I have always loved them and rode extensively as a kid. Until I decided to peruse rescuing a horse of my own, I had no idea there were so many unwanted and uncared for and abused horses. With people like you on earth they have a second chance and that just warms my heart and makes me smile. Hopefully I’ll be able to rescue more than one horse! I look forward to it. Thanks again for caring about these majestic creatures!
I had a similar situation with my horses. Sonny is a very dominant horse and I was a relatively green rider. I did have a horse for over 20 years and then bought a Thoroughbred at an auction that was 1 1/2 years old. I broke and trained another horse when I was in my early twenties and thought it would be easy. Not so. My first horse was a laid back sweety and my TB was a monster horse. He would chase me around trees in the pasture. At first I thought it was funny and later realized how dangerous it was. Well to make a long story short, I had a few accidents. My husband hated the horse and I was about to give up. I tried rehoming him and had him up for sale. The bad penny always come home. Finally, I realized it wasn’t him but me. I needed to be the stronger leader and make him behave. I had the help of friends, trainers and instructors. Sonny is now a nicer horse with a future. He still needs to learn his place but he is a nicer and sweeter horse. He is 8 years old now and I feel we are a working team. In another couple of years, he will be my ideal horse.
I had a similar situation with my horses. Sonny is a very dominant horse and I was a relatively green rider. I did have a horse for over 20 years and then bought a Thoroughbred at an auction that was 1 1/2 years old. I broke and trained another horse when I was in my early twenties and thought it would be easy. Not so. My first horse was a laid back sweety and my TB was a monster horse. He would chase me around trees in the pasture. At first I thought it was funny and later realized how dangerous it was. Well to make a long story short, I had a few accidents. My husband hated the horse and I was about to give up. I tried rehoming him and had him up for sale. The bad penny always come home. Finally, I realized it wasn’t him but me. I needed to be the stronger leader and make him behave. I had the help of friends, trainers and instructors. Sonny is now a nicer horse with a future. He still needs to learn his place but he is a nicer and sweeter horse. He is 8 years old now and I feel we are a working team. In another couple of years, he will be my ideal horse. 🙂
What a beautiful story and I am so glad that Ruth persisted and discovered the real Jaxon.
I am an animal natural therapies practitioner and have wonderful plans to partner with my rescued horses in assisting people to overcome fear, gain self confidence and self esteem.
My ‘terror’ Buck is a 9yr old SH/QH horse who was given to me 2 years ago, after being diagnosed with severe ringbone in his offside front foot. He obviously did not have a good start to life and was very suspicious, very defensive and the flattened ears were obviously a successful defense for him whenever anyone would try to get too close. 👿
Not having years of experience with looking after and caring for horses (I received my first horse 4 1/2 years ago), I couldn’t envisage just how I would be successful in reaching this boy and ultimately gaining this boys trust.
Well, with lots of ground training and attendance at confidence/training clinics with Fran Griffen of Hunter Natural Horsemanship , and Carlos Tabernaberri of Whispering Acres, Buck has become a different boy and like Jaxon he loves the interaction we have.
Well done, Ruth. My perspective is, never give up on something that is worthwhile and deserves every chance! 😆
Virginia
Great story from Ruth. I bought Pregnant Paint. Noone knew she was pregnant so my calm mid herd mare turned into an alpha who is still in charge of her herd. She too is smart fearful forgiving and wants to please. Ground work and just hanging out and letting her be a horse has been huge for both of us. It’s all about the relationship.
BEAUTIFUL. Stevie Wonder will write a song about him if Stevie was with the horse.
With a rescued horse take long time to build thrust. I love to rescue abused and extremely traumatised. You don’t build thrust only with work, but spending time with the horse in his pasture too, namely to become member of his heard too
I just have to say that that was one of the best stories I’ve read. Jaxon reminds me somewhat of my horse ‘Pitot’. He’s a wild child, and I’ve been afraid of him too. Anyway, I think your story has shed new light on the concept of human-horse interactions and relationship. Fear is an amazing phenomenon that is difficult to put into perspective. Somehow your story helped me….thank-you for sharing!
ps…so HAPPY you kept your boy!!!!!
Shelly L.
:smile:thats a good story it will bring tears to ur eyes how can people do horses like that people that has them that does not need them .me aAND MY BOY FRIEND HAS HORSES THERE WELL TAKEN CARE OF I DONT GO FOR MIS TREATING ANIMALS OR HORSES