I really don’t like thinking about the first 8 years of my life, because basically, I was an orphan. I lived in a barren pasture with no company, and very little attention from my owner. I often wondered why he took care of my physical needs and ignored my emotional ones. During my long days of solitude, I had much time to ponder that question and the answers I gave myself hardened my heart. I must be a bad boy.
One day a man with curly hair and a funny hat drove up with a horse trailer. I immediately shook the cob webs out of my head and focused on the only interesting thing to happen that day since breakfast. My owner and the man walked up to me, and without even time for me to look him over, the man was pulling my lips up and lifting my feet. My owner had trimmed my hooves a few times over the years, but I was not used to being handled, or touched, so I was very frightened. What happened next was a nightmare that haunts me to this day.
The man with the funny hat walked up to me and put a halter around my neck and over my nose, which was again, a new experience for me. My owner had put a halter on me a few times before, but I had never grown accustomed to the sensation. Also, my horse sense was telling me that this man was SCARY. When I balked at his attempt to lead me, he responded with a vicious pull on the halter and a loud "ECCCHHH", bellowed in his scratchy voice. I knew that this man wanted to kill me, so I gave in and followed the tug of the rope to the horse trailer. I had never seen a horse trailer before, but my instincts told me that this was something that ate horses alive. When I was walked up to the gaping hole I wanted to run, but the man terrified me more than the trailer, so I stood there. I didn’t understand what he wanted me to do and he kept getting madder and madder. After about an hour, my owner got long ropes and a whip and they ran the ropes behind my tail and popped me with the stinging whip until I allowed them to shove me roughly into the tiny trailer. I am 15.3 hands and weigh 1200 pounds, so not only was petrified and bruised from their brutal treatment, but I was encased in a space much too small for me. I thought that this was the worst thing that could happen, but I was proven wrong the very next day when this man put a saddle on me (I had never even seen one!!), jumped on my back and gave me a "spur bath" (his words). Oh, how I wished for the boredom of my previous home!
The next month or so I was subjected to this human’s cruel treatment on a daily basis. I gave up my spirit and resigned myself to this miserable existence. I was fed and watered, but never given a sign of affection or encouragement. In my mind, I was still a bad boy.
The next time the man walked me to the trailer, I loaded without a problem. I knew that the pain would come if I balked. He drove me to a house that had three other horses and left. These people were much nicer to me, but I was their "extra" horse and was ridden erratically by a man and his teen-age sons only a few times before he left and the man with the funny hat moved in. My bad dream continued and I existed in a constant state of terror.
A few months after the man with the funny hat moved in, again came the trailer. I was very scared and could not help balking, so I was subjected once more to ropes and the whip until I entered the trailer a sweaty mess. I wondered bleakly what horror I was going to experience next as he drove much too fast over the 12 miles of windy, pot-holed, dirt road. When we stopped, he unloaded me and rinsed the sweat off my quivering body before tying me up to a rail. In a few minutes a car drove up, but I barely noticed, for my curious nature had been squashed by the burn of the whip, the sharp stabbing pain of spurs being dug into my sides and drug over my belly, and the coarse words from the man. I watched suspiciously as a woman walked up to me and gently touched my neck, speaking softly to me. I didn’t know what kind of a trick this was, but I was not going to fall for it. I was somewhat surprised when she didn’t do anything mean to me, but I was not about to let my guard down. Humans are horrible!!!
She looked me over, but didn’t pull on my lips or lift my feet (I didn’t find out until later that she had never had a horse before and was totally ignorant!). She told me that I was beautiful, but I didn’t believe her because I was sullen, fat (too many alfalfa pellets and not enough exercise) and one of the other horses had eaten off all the hair on my tail, so I only had a dirty white bandage tied to it to swat the flies (I’d never even seen fly spray at this point). When she looks back on the pictures she took of me then, she can’t believe that I’m the same horse!
After about 30 minutes the man with the funny hat drove away and the woman walked up to me with a goofy look on her face. I’d never seen anyone look so happy before so I was even more suspicious. She petted me and talked to me for a long time, then led me to a clean stall, gave me a flake of alfalfa and drove away. I was surprised when she returned early the next day and skeptically allowed myself to enjoy the carrots she offered, but I saw the world through dull eyes and was still distrustful of her intentions. Soon, a man she called Dr. Dow arrived and pulled on my lip and lifted my feet. He was not mean or rough with me, but I was very scared and pranced around. I remember he kept asking the lady, "are you sure you want this horse?". She assured him that she did (I also didn’t find out until later that I was the first and only horse she looked at in her search for equine excellence) and I passed the "vet check".
This lady came out to see me every day, and little by little, I started looking forward to seeing her. She never hurt me and always brought carrots and apples. She rode me in the arena and talked to me very sweetly. It was hard to get used to the kindness, but I slowly let my guard down. A few weeks later, she rode me the quarter of a mile to the stable which has been my home for two and a half years. Thank goodness she didn’t have a trailer!!!
I loved my new home with all the friendly horses and nice people, but my fear was not gone. The lady had no horse experience, so I got away with some very bad behavior for almost a year. I realized that I could bully her around if I didn’t want to do something, but that also left me with a scared feeling. If she wasn’t in charge, then who was?
Luckily, we met a very nice lady named Holly who loves beautiful white horses. She could tell immediately how intelligent I was and talked to my "Mom" (I’m no longer an orphan) about clicker training. I am very inquisitive by nature and within a couple of minutes I had Holly clicking up a storm (love those bermuda pellets!). I am learning all kinds of new things and am able to amaze Mom and Holly with my massive brain power. It’s funny to see them get all excited when I understand what they want me to do. Duh! Even the trailer doesn’t seem so scary, but we still have a bit of work to do on that. I wouldn’t want to make it too easy on them.
With the help of friends who believe in gentle, but firm horse training, my Mom and I have come a long way in the last year and a half. I am still not so sure that the trailer isn’t going to eat me, but I am much more trusting and am making progress toward loading without fear. I am a perfect gentleman on the trail, I’m enjoying clicker training and I know that I have a permanent home with my partner. Also, I no longer have that suspicious look in my eye and my curious nature is back in full force.
Today I am proud, gorgeous, toned, loved, and well on my well to becoming a perfect horse.
Retraining Harley to the Trailer
Harley is targeting by the rear of the trailer.
Harley is stretching into the trailer
to touch the target.
One foot into the trailer.
Two feet into the trailer.
One of those defining moments--should I?
or shouldn't I put the third foot in?
Nope, not ready. Harley backing out of
the trailer.
