Wrong Horse, Wrong Time - Part One
|
|
The problem with having a horse dealer in the family is that the horses they bring through can be a terrible temptation. Such was the case when a little grey Arabian arrived at the barn. He was shipped to a meat auction because he had scared his previous owner out of ever riding again. His game was spook and bolt. He terrified the poor woman who owned him by charging down the side of a paved road. When he spooked he could do an 180-degree turn at lightening speed. One second you’d have a horse under you, the next you wouldn't.
Article: Wrong Horse, Wrong Time - Part Two
During the time I owned him, I rode Mark all over the countryside. He didn't really like to move out strongly as a good distance horse should, but sometimes it takes a while for a horse to learn to really cover ground efficiently. Most of the time, he was fairly predictable, although I could count on him to spook at certain things - like an oddly coloured mailbox, and be ready to react. Three weeks after I bought him, I rode him in an easy twenty-five distance ride and placed sixth.
As hard as he could spook, he only unseated me once. I was riding in a thirty-mile distance ride. We were trotting smartly along a sandy forest trail when he spooked out from under me. I somehow landed in front of him, on my behind, padded by the big wash sponge tied around my waist. Thankfully, I kept hold of the reins and he came to an abrupt stop, looking down at me as if to say, “how the heck did ya get down there?” I remounted and went on my way.
He was even flighty in hand. After the thirty miler, I was walking him up a lane and he spooked. He knocked me flying, and I ended up underneath him. I was unhurt but embarrassed: he had knocked me down in front of a crowd of people who all ran over to help me.
I was always worried Mark would knock over or step on my kids. My son was only two at the time, and my daughter, four. My daughter was typically horse crazy. She wanted to brush him. But it wasn't safe for a tiny child to handle him - even in cross ties. It wasn't that he wasn't well trained. The way he lead seemed to indicate he had been shown ‘in hand’ at horse shows, and he was fairly well schooled under saddle. He simply had an unpredictable spook in him.
Over the winter, things got worse. Where I kept him exacerbated the problem. I could have kept him at my mother’s. However, that was a half-hour drive. Anyone with little kids knows you don’t have much time for yourself, and I had no car. So I boarded him in exchange for doing weekend chores and mucking out stalls at a farm within walking distance.
The owners of the barn had several horses, but they weren't very horse wise. He began to develop some dangerous habits. As he grained confidence intimidating them, they became more scared of him. They couldn't get his halter on or off him. He would turn his backside to them when they entered his stall, and he would charge in and out of the barn when they did turn-out
In hindsight, I should have taken him out of that barn a lot sooner than I did. In addition to their ineptitude - or perhaps because of it, I suspected that Mark was being harshly dealt with when the barn owners were able to get their hands on him. I moved him to my mothers, but the damage had been done.
I didn't ride much during the winter, so when I started up again in the spring, I found Mark was back up to his tricks and making up for lost time. I couldn't get on without him offering to ‘explode’. Even lunging him before didn't help. Clearly, I had a problem.
Image Credit: © Shawn Hempel | Dreamstime.com |
|
|
Related Horse News
|
|
Indy is our seven year old Paint mare. Until we purchased her at auction she had a rough life. She was a gorgeous brown and white Paint that my Grandma just had to have. When we got her home from auction we put her a stall, but un ...
|
|
25th Sep 2011 |
Horse Stories |
mosquito
September 6 was the date of the Washington Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association annual yearling auction. Each year, the very best of Washington bred yearlings (plus some incomers form out of state and some mares and older ...
|
|
Horse shopping is very exciting. If you're looking for your first horse (or second, or nineteenth), you want to choose wisely so you can stay safe, while still having fun. Here are some very common mistakes people make when buying ...
|
|
The problem with having a horse dealer in the family is that the horses they bring through can be a terrible temptation. Such was the case when a little grey Arabian arrived at the barn. He was shipped to a meat auction because he ...
|
|
I’ve seen horses that were drugged - and I knew that because I knew of the horses before they got to the auction. And I’ve seen horses I didn’t know were drugged, but saw after the auction when the drugs wore off. Drugs can be use ...
|
|
A popular slogan amongst pet rescue groups is adopt, don’t shop. As someone who has adopted several dogs, and is currently working to rehabilitate a badly abused puppy mill survivor, I’m inclined to agree with the sentiment. But w ...
|
|
Horse auctions attract sellers and buyers, but they also attract spectators with no intention of either. When one man saw a tiny pony being dragged around, he knew that he was going to make the transition from spectator to buyer. ...
|
|
What is a loose horse sale? The Clever Cowgirl is looking for horses to rehab and rehome and heads to one of the largest loose horse sales in the U.S. Approximately 500 horses were put through this sale, and similar sales are held ...
|
|
One of the best-known and prestigious Throughroubred auctions is the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale held August 7 and 8. Many top racehorses have passed through this sals ring such as the 2022 Horse of the Year, Flightline and numerou ...
|
|
More News by Winniefield Park
|
|
3P *Starring Ruth* has captured two spots on the leaderboard joining * Queen Of Hearts. Starring Ruth is a 17.1 hand Friesian mare out of the PythonPonyPalaces stable and was foaled September 7, 2023. She not only was #1 ranked ho ...
|
|
DNA testing can tell you a number of things about a horse’s risk of developing a hereditary disease, coat color, genetic markers for speed, temperament and gait and can give some insight into a horse’s breed. In this video, The Cl ...
|
|
Here is a story of how a passion for horses led one woman to a life of secrecy and dishonesty. Over twenty years she built a life of glamor and competitive success. But many people asked how she funded her extravagant lifestyle th ...
|
|
One of the world’s rarest breeds is the Suffolk Punch. Native to Britain, these stocky draft horses once had pride of place in agricultural work, hauling artillery, pulling public transportation vehicles like busses and towing bar ...
|
|
*V For Victory* is entrenched on the leaderboard and still holds the Best Streak with an 18,792 run and a jumpoff record of 29,444 - 19. But two mares have taken over the Top Rank and Highest Jump records. At 16, the 17-hand Crown ...
|
|
Get your daily dose of nature with this 49-minute video of wild horses travelling to a water hole in Sand Wash Basin, a BLM managed area in Colorado. The small herd drinks, grazes and swish's flies in the semi-arid desert environm ...
|
|
Halloween is just around the corner and it's time to consider costumes for you and your four-legged friends. A recent viral trend is dressing your pet as a ghost. Some sheets and paint are the basis of this costume, and you can se ...
|
|
Good riders do what they can to make their horse’s job easier. Especially when jumping, your position can help or hinder your horse as it adjusts its strides and balance between and over obstacles. Here’s a video with good suggest ...
|
|
|