Last summer I went looking for an Icelandic horse for my husband. We
found a beautiful (aren't they all) 10-year-old gelding advertised as
perfect trained, bombproof, and old enough to have the sillies out.
He seemed depressed and a bit skinny but that would be easy to fix. An
Icelandic trainer was in town for the summer and she spent every day
she had left (ten) working with us. Our boy hadn't been ridden for " a
few months" and was soon trying to tolt around the arena. He didn't
seem to match his advertisement so I dug into his background. It's
sad. The story is absent malice except for the evil trainer full
of neglect and a clearly one of a horse in need of help. While this
horse proved to be NOT what I was looking for the idea of sending him
back was out of the question. We would give him a better home and see
if we could nurse him back to emotional and physical health.
Here's the story. The breeder sold him at three to a family who adored
him. When he was four they sent him out for 30 days and he returned
with no trust in humans whatsoever. The trainer called him crazy. The
owner put out an SOS and hired a TTouch person who later agreed to buy
him. He went home to a hillside and the following year was sent out
for a second year of training. That trainer said he froze when
confused, but was fine. Things got away from his owner and eventually
he put him up for sale. A woman spending the summer with the owners
had found the horses underweight and neglected and done everything in
her power to help get them back to health. We bought him three months
after she arrived.
My boy is making huge progress. His health was the easy part. I had a
hoof trimmer take care of his hooves within hours of his arrival. His
feet are good they'd simply been neglected for a long time. We had
his teeth floated, cleaned him up, wormed him and I groomed him daily
getting his old winter coat to finally come out at the end of August.
We got his weight back up in an acceptable range and he had friends in
the pasture. Life was looking up. He loved the attention.
I worked on the ground with the horse while we were getting his health
back. He was too weak to ride and was still nervous. He'd sweat and
his heart would pound at the site of the arena so we took it slow. I
rode him for short amounts of time, mostly at walk, often times with
my husband walking next to us. By October the sweating and racing
heart had slowed and I took him for trail rides down to a meadow where
the grass was delicious. He did spook once when my husband's new horse
spooked behind him but was able to stop himself. When the same thing
happened a second time moments later he barely jumped. It was a
different story in the arena.
I hired the trainer at our boarding barn to help review classical
basic training. There are four of us who ride him and he has dumped
all but one of us in a panic. Mounting seems to hold some evil
memories. Last week I mounted him and he was fine until I had trouble
with a stirrup and reached down to adjust it. The boy panicked, spun
around and took off leaving me on the ground with a broken pelvis.
I'm blessed with a mind and touch to train animals. I trained my own
service dog. My body is fragile and can't take abuse. I refuse to live
in a cage but do need to stick to safer horses. My husband reasonably
requested we find a better home for our Icelandic boy. I'm not the
only person who loves horses and someone will get a treasure with this
one. He is so close and I'd bet the farm he will bond with utter
devotion to whoever gets his demons to leave.
I love this horse enough to send him to a better home. Short of
better, I can't part with him. He'd be easy to sell. He has a
beautiful pedigree, is tall, loves kids and is absolute eye candy. His
tolt is a sweet ride. He was a great horse when he was young and will
be again.
If any of you have suggestions training ideas, know people who might
help, anything useful please contact me on list or off. Thank you
and thank you again for any help you can provide.
Gail
Portland, Oregon
