>>>> 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.
Hi, Gail. Are you new to the list, or have you been lurking for a while? I ask, because I don't know if you know that I'm one of the suckers on the list. I just got still another project horse last week. These stories just kill me. Oh man...don't you just want to strangle some horse traders? Your poor horse. Bad enough that he had these experiences, but to be misrepresented as a safe and trained horse so that he might hurt someone is just inexcusable. >>> The story is absent malice - except for the evil trainer - full of neglect and a clearly one of a horse in need of help. Do you know if he was ignored in the pasture for the first three years, before he was sold? That seems to be the "Icelandic tradition" and frankly, I think it stinks. Some horses seem to do ok despite that early lack of attention, but I'm seeing many who suffer the rest of their lives from lack of trust in humans. I have several horses here from the same family (sisters, a brother, a couple of nieces), including two born here (and handled from birth), and four others raised with varying degrees of the old "leave 'em alone until they're four" attitude, and you can certainly tell the difference. The new Icelandic mare that I just got is 11, and probably had the least handling/attention of any of these. She doesn't seem spooky AT ALL about "stuff" - leaves blowing, a fallen limb stuck in her tail, tractors starting up, dogs or cats appearing from nowhere - but let a person make a sudden move around her and she jumps like crazy. She's getting better already, but, gee, I wish someone had handled her as a baby. I really doubt she'll ever get over ALL of her wariness towards people. Horses have tremendous memories. >>> 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. Well, it sounds like you've done a great job with him, but obviously he still has demons haunting him. A couple more questions - have you had his back really checked well for pain? (I don't trust every vet or professional to do this well, although some are great.) My first Icelandic rehab was so stoic, he wouldn't flinch for a "normal" type back check...but man, when the chiropractor first touched him with her more aggressive pressure, I swear he lunged forward about 20 feet. I then took him to a vet who does acupuncture and traditional medicine (since his problems SEEMED to be more soft-tissue related) and that vet recommended a massage/acupressurist to get us started. The vet said the horse had more pent-up pain than any horse he'd ever seen, and he couldn't tell where to begin checking him, and unless I wanted to spend thousands on a full body checkup... After we saw some progress with the acupressurist, maybe just 3-4 sessions later, he advised us to return to the referring vet. He horse had loosened up enough for them to agree that the pain seemed to be originating in two spots. X-rays were negative for kissing spines around his withers, so he injected his withers with steroids. The horse has been physically fine since. He's gotten much better with his trust issues too - he always wanted to trust people. The second question: have you had him checked for ulcers? I had one Icelandic "problem horse" who had none of the "traditional" signs of ulcers - he was in good weight, had a good appetite (boy is that an understatement!), and his coat was healthy and shiny. When all else checked out well, the vet (the same one who helped me untangle the first gelding's issues) suggested that we treat him for ulcers. The horse would buck, was reactive to pressure around his belly...and the real clue to me was that his last owner told me he would always get worse after a session with a trainer - he too had some unfortunate early training experiences. (I think his saving grace was that he had some loving handling from birth, so he had some good associations with some people.) Newer research is showing a strong link between stressed horses (stressed from all sorts of causes) and ulcers. Gastrogard isn't cheap, but the good news is that a tube will treat up to a 1400-pound horse. My vet checked with the manufacturer, and they said that it should be fine to give a 700-800 pound Icelandic a half dose, so that cut my cost in half. His reaction to some simple loving, LOW-PRESSURE ground-work, along with the Gastrogard was amazing... And, finally, what kind of saddle are you using on him? Bit? Other tack? These guys can be some of the hardest of any horse to fit a saddle to, so if he already has "demons" from memories or pain, then a poorly fitting saddle may just put him over the edge. It sounds like you have done a commendable job on winning back his trust in humans, but if he also has pain issues, and humans inadvertently cause more pain, there is a limit in how much trust you can regain. My new saying about horses that are in this cycle is that, "they can forgive, but they'll never forget." That's why I think it's so important to give the young horses a good foundation of trust from the time they are born - they don't have to be over-handled and spoiled, but they certainly should be handled in a loving way, so that they associate humans with good things. I know you can't turn back the clock with this gelding, but I hope more breeders will stop that barbaric and neglectful way of non-handling of the young ones. When they lack those early, positive memories, bringing them around after neglect/abuse is much harder. These stories are just too heart-breaking, and people in this breed need to work harder at stopping these cycles from starting. Good luck. If you feel up to it, I hope you'll share more about what you know about him. This list is a great place to air these issues. We may be able to offer you some suggestions, and we can certainly offer you encouragement and moral support...but mostly, more people need to hear the stories about these horses. Since I've taken in some rehabs, and have tried to get a few more, I'm sure I've heard way more than most on this list have heard. These stories need to be discussed openly - if we can't help every problem horse, maybe we can at least stop some of the cycles that create them... Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.15/1173 - Release Date: 12/5/2007 9:29 PM
