08/05/2026
Jake has had a few very bad weeks. It started with an incident with an adult client. He was inappropriate and unsafe. He has been on hold ever since.
To cover all the bases, I asked all clients to give Jake space. No attention when he was in his stall. He still got all the treats the other horses indulged in, but his were placed on the ground. He was not available for anyone to work with, except me. We kept things quiet around him, placing no expectations.
Step two came from the horses. Spirit consistently kept Jake from interacting with humans. She pushed him back in his stall, forcing him away from anyone who stepped too close. In the field, Elora kept Jake away from me, regardless of his wishes to come and say hi. A few posts back there was a picture of the two of them. Elora closely supervised Jake when I was sitting at the picnic table. He was only allowed to touch my hand when her nose was beside him. He was also blocked from seeing the minis by the herd. Zach stepped in to be sure anytime Chance and Amy were apart from Spirit and Andis, the minis were guarded for their safety. It's been... Fascinating to watch. I've definitely learned to listen to the herd. My human eyes don't see what they know.
During these few weeks, I had a lot to think about. Our horses are very safe. They're predictable, steady and I'm confident in their abilities. Having a horse not live up to that was extremely worrying. If a horse can't be successful here, where could they go? I went over all of the feeding, work and field arrangements. I spent hours watching him in the field and in the stall. I considered what messages Jake was trying to convey. He showed no real lameness, but I narrowed down this event to pain. At least I hoped it was pain.
Today Jake had his first osteopathic assessment and treatment. For those who haven't tried osteo, it's quite an amazing field. A unique blend of energetic, physical healing. It's done wonders for Chance. And it did no less for Jake. He had massive releases... Yawning, stretching, shaking. His body shifted and stretched in ways I had not seen before. And the feelings poured out of him. We can only speculate on Jake's history, but it seems he was a Mennonite cart horse, and life was very hard for him. He has extensive damage causing pervasive pain. As his body lengthened and relaxed, you could see the years of physical toll he's been through starting to release. He had some huge sighs of relief. The answer is clear, the cause was pain.
As Jake went back to his stall, Spirit thanked our wonderful practitioner and checked Jake over. She stood peacefully with him for an hour for the first time in 2 weeks. No nips, no corrections, just relaxed companionship. Relief for us all.
I have high hopes that Jake will continue to heal with further treatments, time and consistency. Recovery after injury and stress is a long road with many bumps. We will keep plugging along, patiently awaiting his growth and healing.
The biggest thank you goes out to our amazing osteopath Sarah Stephen Equine Osteopathy