Reggie

UPDATE:

Reggie has made super progress, but like all horses that have experienced trauma, his path has had its ups and downs.  We will have a breakthrough and he’ll start to relax and trust, then a little set back and then another breakthrough.  The good news is that after every set back, he returns to trust sooner and more relaxed than before.  We have uncovered some physical issues that we are addressing with our wonderful team of vets and body workers that all make sense when you think of a 16’3 sport horse living without a job.  As he gets stronger and finds his body again, he gets more beautiful and athletic.  His flatwork as progressed to the point where he is very consistent in the contact and just needs to build up the strength to carry himself more at the canter.  We are mixing in jumping more and more, but that is a place where he still worries, so we are taking it slowly.  We should know by the end of the summer if that is something he can do happily or not.  Regardless, we are enjoying the journey with this very sweet, sensitive horse 

UPDATE: 

Our giant red head is making good progress.  He went to his first “show” in September.  The reason it is in quotations is because we weren’t actually going in with competition in mind.  It was more of an experiment to see how he would do off the property and in a more energized environment.  All in all, we had a good week.  He jumped all the jumps and got more relaxed with every jump and every day.  There’s still lots of work to do before we can get competitive and put a couple more rails in the cups, but he is learning to trust us and starting to believe that life might be okay.  Just the other day he did his entire flat session without an inverted/panic moment in his transitions.  They’re not exactly going to get an 8 on centerline, but he no longer looks like a scared llama when you ask him to change something.  Progress!  This winter is going to be full of more flatwork, more therapy to help rebuild his topline and jumping exercises.  Who knows, we may even attend another event where other people compete…

UPDATE: 

We have an update on our big red friend.  After several resets on his front feet and trims behind, we have his feet stabilized and thanks to Shana’s expertise in animal nutrition, he is putting on weight and the muscles are starting to come back.   We have been rebuilding his base of flatwork and he is learning that our hands aren’t going to cause him pain.  He still worries about transitions (up or down), but no longer freezes and kicks out.  What is interesting is that when he does something correctly, he relaxes and it is clear he had a proper start because it doesn’t seem new to him, just something he needs to remember.    

We are starting to do trot rails and low jumping exercises.  He is so athletic, it will be fun to see how he develops once he gets stronger and more confident.    On top of that, he is incredibly sweet with his owner, Gail, Lisa’s Mom.  When he first came, she was very intimidated by his size (and frankly, he was so on edge, I don’t blame her!).  Now, she holds him and leads him in the barn.  It is very rewarding to see the two of them together. 

The Beginning

Reggie is an 11 year-old gelding that was very well bred (Roc USA baby)  and got a solid start in life.  At 7, he was jumping around clear in the 1.30m young jumper classes.  He was a big, bold young horse with a great future.  Unfortunately, his life took a difficult turn and he was purchased for a young rider sight unseen as a surprise.  It was not a good fit and after a year, Reggie was very confused, frustrated and became difficult to ride.  He would jump the jumps, but then stick his head in the air and run or he would slam on the brakes in the middle of the corner and kick the wall.  The rider moved on in life and so did the family. Over the past 2 years, he was rarely ridden.

Meanwhile, back in Omaha, Nebraska, Lisa’s mother, Gail, had invested in a young hunter with several friends.  She enjoyed the experience and asked Lisa to find a project that she could own and enjoy watching progress.  

Thanks to Shana’s connections, they found Reggie and now he is settled in at Far Hills Farm.  Gail visits him regularly and he is in our program starting to relearn and rebuild what he had lost.