HAPPY update on my young Westphalian

[YasandCrystal]

Just an update on my 17hh rising 6 yr old whom I bought last September. Almost immediately after coming to me he started showing very aggressive behaviour which got progressively worse. He was biting, kicking, front leg striking; he was distrustful and disrespectful. He also didn't move right for his superb breeding and clearly was unhappy ridden.
Some friends suggested he was getting worse because I was fearful of him (I did get badly bitten!) and the vets suggested that he was comfortable with me and therefore showing me something was wrong and expressing his unhappiness very clearly.
He was scoped and some low grade ulcers found and basically we turned him out and away, put him on a course of GastroGard and on adlib hay and 3 forage feeds per day, unrugged (as we couldn't get one on him). He has done nothing since January. The 2 attempts to handle him (teeth check) resulted in him rearing full up. The only thing I started to do was a little clicker training to make him back up when I fed him. He took to this very quickly.
I found out his history and he was ridden abused. He had never bonded with anyone and had no respect of people (all down to poor handling as a youngster). We basically all agreed that we would have him pts if we could not turn him around. He then got a reprieve in the form of a new friend (experienced handling) who said she would work with him over the summer and then if no improvement we would know we had exhausted all avenues.
I have spent a fortune on supplements and had a couple of ACs done which were very accurate and helpful I feel. I also recently had iridology and that was excellent and concurred with the AC’s comments too.
We especially built a 20m round-pen for the purpose of my friend training him at our summer grazing and he has been turned out there on good grass since Easter weekend. He boxed well - funny he has always been good for farrier, boxing, but nothing else!
It is early days but amazingly he has become really sweet in the last week. No ears back threatening (really is a breakthrough). He has always been interested in people when he sees you and seems to want to be friendly but then threatens (sign of insecurity).
My friend started work with him yesterday and incredibly she got the bridle on with no grumpiness and even a roller, she did some join up work. I am gob smacked. It has taken him 6 months, but alleluyah he seems to be trusting us! Can’t tell you how happy I am!!!

I will update again once ridden work commences. This beautiful horse deserves to be great. He has had a very unfair start in life. It makes me laugh to hear people get rid of horses after a few weeks as they cannot bond with them. My friends and advisers on this forum kept telling me it could take him a year just to settle in and what wise words.

A BIG thank-you to the many folk that posted advice and support to me regarding this horse and his problems - your support has been tremendously helpful to me and honestly kept me going and persevering with him. I have kept in touch with some forum users who have now become friends - people’s kindness and support is amazing and really appreciated.

 

[Tamba]

aahh, thats such a lovely post, I do hope he keeps improving for you !,
It certainly does take atleast a year, i think for horses to bond with their handlers, esp, if they already have trust issues!.

 

[jeeve]

I have had a pony that took a good 6 months to settle in with us. 13.2hh Aust pony that had done pony club with the previous owner 14-16 yrs (2 yrs pc) and had done everything eventing dressage hacking etc. My kids all rode her and liked her, the vet liked her except he did warn that she had reared up. (Since I have found vets send her completely batty).

Brought her home, she reared and napped contsantly, really head shy, pulled back every time she was tied up. Could not put the kids on a pony that reared up, so just left her, after a while I decided I had to make a decision about her, and started taking her to adult riding club and NH group, we worked through some stuff and she was suddenly almost overnight as good as gold.

She is really trusting and does not rear or nap, jumps almost anything, good on roads,and they all love her. I think that she needed time, she does occasionally have a moment, some one strange comes into her space and she really has a phobia about vets, (very sensitive to smell), but will never sell her.

The other ponies all took some settling in but not as extreme as she was. I think that we expect a lot of horses to adjust to new surrounds, new people, new routine, new feed, new horses and not expect them to react at all. Of course, having teeth checked and all those pain related issues, back, muscles etc doe not hurt as well.

If he is the one in your avatar he is lovely and well worth some time and effort, all the best with him. He sounds like he has landed on his feet with you.

 

[YasandCrystal]

Thanks for your posts. Yes jeeve he is the one pictured on my Avatar and the poor lad had so much expectation of him at such a young age which can be typical sadly of well bred dressage horses. He is such a baby mentally - when he wasn't being aggressive he just wanted to mouth and chew everything. He is a real stressy worrier. I am unsure whether we will ever be able to properly stable him again (I know he was beaten in a stable). The vets said that he was the most aggressive horse they have ever come accross in a stable. I must say our vets have been so supportive and lovely about him, offering help and advice. This winter he had the field shelter and next winter the intention is to take part of our barn wall away making a stable accessible from outside then he can have the choice to join the others or stay out and not feel locked in.
My trainer friend has been doing groundwork with him again this morning, getting him to back up and she said he has just been a pussycat - I feel so proud of him, it's lovely. There was a not so dissimilar story in the H & H of a WB that had to be given a year off through stress and ulcers and being difficult ridden and has now come back winning everything for his 20 yr old owner.
Lovely story about your pony jeeve. I agree Tamba - it does take time. It took a year for me to really enjoy and bond with my mare, but that was due to me having surgery and her having surgery and I only rode her a handful of times in the first 18 months. I have never had to deal with such a big young spirited horse with issues before. I would cry trying to get his rug on feeling a failure after he kept biting and striking out at me. Hubby kept saying 'shoot him', but I knew it wasn't his fault and there was a chance he would change with my consistency (consistently scared lol).