[zorse]

Ok..some of you probebly know that I have an arab colt who was abused as a weanling. We bought him from the local auction to save him from meat...not knowing untill after the sale that he had neurological damage and was deathly afraid of humans.

Anyways...this spring I had been doing Monty Robert's join-up with him..and it seemed to be working very well..I could do basically anything on the ground to him and he was like a normal horse. Then one day he had a relapse and became wild again..I couldn't get within 20 feet of him. My sister brought him up to her barn in Vanderhoof..and started round penning him again.

This month I came up to help her break a couple young ones. The arab was going very well, and had learned to long-line perfectly. He was more responsive then any other horse I'd seen in the round pen..all you had to do was turn your body and he'd slam to a halt and immediately come into you. We could jump up and down by his side, bumping into him, and putting weight on his back.

We decided to try backing him one day when he was being super good. We were both a little scared because we'd seen what had happened the last time someone had tried to break him- with just weight in the stirrup, he went ballistic and jumped about 20 feet in the air..legs flying everywhere and mind totally oblivious to anything other then flight. However..we both sucked in our fear, grabbed a safety vest, and went nice and slow. To our amazement...Brody acted like any easy horse...he was relaxed and took it all in stride. We were very thorough...getting on and off numorous times, making sure he was used to everything that could possibly happen. We were over-joyed...we had tamed the wild beast that everyone else thought would never be broken.

2 days later we were working him again. We decided to start from square one again, and make sure he remembered everything he had learned. My sister was just laying over his back as I walked him forward when he all of a sudden blew a fire cracker. My sister managed to jump off before he jumped about 10 feet sideways, up, and forwards all at the same time. We were so deflated and depressed about his relapse...it's so frusterating.

Do any of you think it's worth all the time and effort to break him? Everyone tells us to give up and send him off to the can...but that was the whole point of saving him in the first place. I'd love to prove everyone wrong about him, but it's so depressing sometimes.

Advice or comments welcome.
-zorse

[sher327]

How do you know he has neuro damage and what kind and to what extent? I ask because that would weigh in my decision whether or not he is worth the time and energy.If he has anything severe that makes him a danger to him or yourself then unfortunately he may be one of the ones who is better off being let go.

He is very pretty by the way and you're braver than I am LOL

[zorse]

I think it was just temporary neuro damage. He was temporarily blind in one eye, and that same side of his head didn't develop like a normal arab head.
When it's raining, he's very spooky..I think the rain must get in his ears and dull his hearing so he has to rely more on sight or something.

When we first got him, he'd run around with his head crooked, and he'd always turn in one direction. He was very wary of having his ears and poll area touched...only recently can you bridle him like a normal horse (we used to undo the cheek pieces so it could be put on like a halter, rather then have to lift it up over his ears).

He's a quick learner and very smart like all arabs are. He does really like people and wants to please..he just has these brain f.arts where he forgets his mind. Its just..he's not like a normal horse. When he does have a relapse and spa.zz out...he doesn't think about anything other then fre.aking out. He'd kill himself rather then stop to think about what is happening.

[wyldterv]

He's LOVELY! I think if he were MY project I'd continue with different types of ground work with him... Keep adding MORE things from the ground, get him to jump a barrel, back through a gate, etc... keep looking for those 'holes' that trigger his emotional breakdowns... Find the holes and you can find a patch. Patch them up on the ground FIRST and you'll be less likely to have an issue with them on his back. IT sounds to me like he may still have some trust issues, which would be expected if he had a bad start in life.

You and your sister have him looking in lovely condition and he's very pretty! If you ever decide he's more then you want to deal with, drop me a note, I live on the WA, BC boarder, have truck and trailer, can travel, LOL.

[*BaRrEL_BaBE*]

It's tough breaking a young horse, but to deal with one with mental problems and no trust is another thing. First of all, I think you are a great person even to attempt this and I do hope that you have another seasoned horse to turn to after you're spent on this guy for the day lol. As for your question, it's really up to you. I know how you feel about wanting to prove people wrong: my first horse was a 3 year old Appy with trust issues, never been beaten but just naturally timid, who had been bought and brought back twice. I was eleven years old. I spent four years working with him and he became an INCREDIBLE gamer; we even hold a record. However, it was a tough four years and even when we had defied everyone it was never easy. I sold him just a couple months ago because he just wasn't what I wanted for the rest of my life. I had done what I wanted to do; I had trained him and made him into a great horse. But it took a lot out of me. It's such an accomplished feeling to train a horse, especially one who has had previous problems. But what's it to you? Do you think this horse will ever be 100% sound in the head and become what you want? I'm glad I'm not the only one who's been in such a position..sometimes I just wonder if I made the right choice.

[belle4]

He is lovely. I would take the time it takes to get him broke. I like wyld approach, slow down, find the holes on the ground, and keep adding more speed bumps along the way.

[cowgurly02]

Oh zorse he's gorgeous!!! Man I really think you should stick with him. Some of the toughest horses to train turn out to be the best horses. He's so gorgeous, it'd be such a waste to let him go. I like wylde's method too, taking it slow with him. Especially with the trust issues and such.

[arabianlvr87]

He is a gorgeous guy! From everything you have done with him, DONT GIVE UP! You bought a wild, untamed, afraid of people horse, and you worked hard to get him to a point where you can lay on him in only a matter of months. I think that's a HUGE accomplishment.

[QTRgirl]

He is truly great looking. You've come this far don't stop now. Try to see what triggers him when you're working together. Maybe something you do brings back bad memories.

[Blistering Winds]

Exactly what QTRgirl said.

Find the triggers. Once you know the triggers, bringing the horse around will be easier, as you will know what NOT to do. Then you can work on eliminating the triggers. Teach him those triggers dont mean bad things all the time.