Stormy the scared

Stormy arrived here in May with a horrible wound on her near hind leg that looked like a clean slice and flesh bulging out. Why her previous owners had not dealt with this at the time, I can only wonder. She was terrified of everything and everyone. She had no manners and would drag a handler around, even with a chain over her nose. She would fling you away with her head if you tried to touch her ears, freak out if you sprayed her with something or put anything in a bottle on her. She was also probably a 3 on the body index scale. All ribs, spine and hips.

Her leg needed at least two weeks of treatment and bandaging, which succeeded in reducing the swelling somewhat, but she still has a large lump and scar there.

We spent weeks working her from the ground, teaching her manners like how to lead politely, how to stop without having her face pulled off. We turned her out with other horses, but she bullied those lower than her and was bullied by those above her, so eventually she went out alone.

Daily we'd have to repeat the same lesson over and over, respect your handler, let us touch your ears, never using whips or ropes, just sharp, loud noises, and respect training methods like if she pulled back, backing her up fast.

She learned, slowly, and put weight on, gradually. Once she was a healthy weight, she was put in foal, but lost the fetus before the 60 day scan. I began longeing her 3 or 4 times a week. At first she wouldn't go, either way. I started circling work with her, swinging a rope at her quarters to get her to move away and then encouraging her to move her shoulders too. This terrified her for weeks, even once she had got the hang of going round in a circle each way. Raising a rope or a hand to rub her face would make her suck back and desperately try to get out of your reach. I was in turns frustrated, angered and saddened by her. I was never using violence and I never reprimanded her unfairly. Yet she wasn't learning. We spent weeks doing 'whoa' and 'walk on' and in each 30 minute session, she would have a number of tantrums where she appeared to not understand my requests and would react with fear. One session, she was working very nicely, whoa-ing with a voice command and a gentle tug on the rein, and then standing till asked to move on. I was just about to quit, when I asked for a last 'whoa' and she ignored me. I tugged harder and she still ignored. I yanked. She turned in, ears flicking, eyes rolling, trembling and as I walked towards her, gathering the rope, she took off backwards. I urged her on with the rope at her quarters, trying to get her to move forwards, through her fear of the rope, which hadn't touched her. She ran and ran, snorting and tense, so I let her. When she finally walked, I took her back to whoa and walk and after a couple of good ones, we stopped.

In the next few weeks, I alternated this work with walking her out on trails in hand, which she seemed to enjoy and didn't seem scared of much at all. Her panics lessened a little, although her first reaction when not understanding or doing as I ask is to turn in and tremble whilst waiting for the beating that has never come here.

Yesterday, I put a saddle on her. According to her past owners, and my boss, who had seen this horse fat, happy and well behaved in April in her previous home, She rode well and was a great trail horse. I longed her first and we had no tantrums. Valerie came to hold her while I mounted and she tensed as I got my foot in the stirrup. I got on and her ears went back. I talked a lot, I patted and scratched her neck but she remained uneasy. At walk, she pulled at the bit, she threw her neck side to side, she didn't walk in a straight line, she jogged, she tensed. I stayed as relaxed as possible with no leg or hand contact, just using my thighs and seat and voice to control her, an opening rein to turn. She was very fast and uneasy. She wanted to gait and rush. When I asked her to whoa, she danced and tried to trample Valerie who was holding her. She got her tongue over the bit so V went to get a ported shank bit, which is apparently what she used to be ridden in. I dismounted, not wanting to stay on without someone present, and as I swung my leg over the cantle, she spooked and started forward, throwing me backwards. I kicked out of the stirrup, but my right arm came down hard on the cantle, bruising instantly. Out of pain and annoyance, I immediately backed her up, fast, shouting a few choice words. She looked surprised, but soon quietened.

I tried again with the new bit which she mouthed at and didn't get her tongue over. We walked and whoa'd a number of times, but she felt like a rocket, about to explode if I asked the wrong thing. We halted as she was spooking at the split reins and as I was tying the ends in a knot, they hit the saddle with a thud. She leapt forward, waiting for something, dancing nervously. Eventually, we did two big circles with a number of halts without fuss, but she is mad. She does not trust, nor particularly even regard a rider that much, so I'm puzzling over where to go next. Whether to ride her inside, so there's a solid wall in case she does go crazy, whether to keep her outside where she's more comfortable. To longe her longer before I ride so she's less 'jiggly'. I rode a lot of spooky, untrained ponies as a kid for my trainer, but he was usually there to guide me. Now I have to think on my seat and out manoeuvre this beast. I have time, sure, but I allso need a plan!