OMG, I love him! Great find. He’s going to look amazing after a little TLC and groceries.
Video would be LOL-worthy
My horse finishes his grain & if I’ve left his stall door cracked open, he’ll toss the empty pan into the aisle Room Service!
I have Video & will try to attach (new device, Learning Curve )
VID_20250105_062544431~2
I hope he lets you wash his face.
That’s what water buckets are for.
Two weeks tomorrow:
I can pick up his front feet for a few seconds, curry and brush his itchy spots. Semi decent at haltering. He leads ok but lots of holes have been found. He is terrible in a stall, completely trashes it. I’m stripping if he’s in more than a couple hours. He dumps his water bucket and plays with it.
Since he feels better, his spice level has increased, we did above grounds on a lead rope for our first and hopefully only time.
He did his first canter in the field I’ve seen and trotted a couple laps. Usually he just walks around like a grandpa.
He’s still extremely shy and acts very immature for a 3 y/o, but meets visitors at the gate and will take a nice scratch.
So did an animal communicator session with Theo. It was so sad and made me have tears.
Basically they said he was very sweet and a goof ball, but was afraid of expressing himself as he’s been hurt before by people.
He doesn’t feel solid or developed - swaying back and forth - he doesn’t feel the ground, very disconnected - very true as he’s cautious where he puts his feet and how he stands.
He was in a small space for a long time which I’m assuming was the trailer ride.
He’s scared he won’t get fed, get hurt, and scared to pick up his feet as before they used ropes and tied up his feet to his body - he has healing rope burns on his legs and withers.
The goats are very smelly and he hides behind my pony and asks him all the time if everything is going to be ok. And I feed him really well and he showed her himself backing up.
Thought it was very interesting, and he was actively backing up when she said he was, I was watching him from outside the fence. He seemed like he was distracted by something the whole time and let out a big chew after we hung up.
Wow! interesting.
Wow!!! How cool and yes, how sad!!! Does anyone else find it adorable that he’s showing himself backing up? So good to hear he approves of the new meal plan and look forward to him feeling grounded.
Suggestions welcome. I’m not sure about the whole grounding part.
I can only speak for what I did with my mare because the holistic vet said she doesn’t really know where her feet are (I had told the vet about how my mare would crash through caveletti). She told me to get the book by Linda Tellington Jones and work on the part that shows how to ground a horse. It worked.
That’s actually really helpful as I have her book somewhere. Her mouth work was instrumental in getting one of my horses to stop biting. My other saddlebred loves the body wraps his massage genius puts on him.
I’ll go dig it out.
When I got my 8yo TWH, per the registration I was his 6th owner.
A year later I brought him & my TB home & used an AC.
He told her he was worried he wouldn’t be staying here.
Theo will come around & realize you aren’t whoever mistreated him
Poor Theo. I cried reading this. Poor boy.
Agree with this. Horses can lose their trust of humans so easily. But fortunately, with consistent, patient handling, they will come around. I’m so glad Theo has you in his life!
When I was shopping for an ASB,
I called and spoke to Amish owner advertising a 4 yr. Old in Pa.
He told me the horse had NEVER
Been out of the stall or even turned out in a pasture or paddock. The horse had lived his entire life in a stall Also had very limited handling.
I quickly dismissed that one.
But I still wonder how that poor horse did and if he got a better life.
Oh man, that is heartbreaking.
It wouldn’t surprise me if that was the way Theo was kept. I have no idea how he supposedly has driving training. He has the education of a yearling at best.
Today was the first day, he let me put meds on a cut on his hindquarters. So that’s our weekly win.
Never used a communicator but noticed that younger horses who were always confined in small places with little or no exercise had some trouble adapting to larger spaces where they could move more than 2 steps at will. It is a completely new concept for them and, like a foal, they simply do not know where their feet are.
Another new concept is choice. Where to stand, how far to walk, what to look at? All new. They can get a little overwhelmed. IME they soon figure things out with being allowed out in big spaces and watching how their horse buddies handle things.
It is a possibility here that that is what has happened with Theo, isolation and confined space. So much is new for him. Give him some time…you’ll have him spoiled and a bit of a brat in no time
That is a massive win! Good boy, Theo.
I hate to say it for K. Kooky’s sake but her boy is trending the same in the feet department. He’s so pure of heart that he tries but reacts almost like you’re going to give him a tickle attack. A little “oh. Oh. Oh” dance. I haven’t pushed it with his sheath trauma but hopeful for a quick turn around. These boys didn’t receive the tender loving care they deserved!
Some people suck
My Walker was 8 when I got him & gelded at 7 by Owner #5.
She’d bought him because he’d been kept as a stallion Old School style: stalled 24/7 & she felt sorry for him.
Why he’d been kept whole was problematical as he had just one colt on the ground per TWHBEA.
She was a timid rider, he was an energetic ride = bad match.
Theo may have been greenbroke to drive as a 2yo, then left on the backburner for whatever reason.
Once you get to a place it feels doable, maybe try ground driving him.