In The Rough

01/16/2022

10/13/2021

In case anyone is struggling with veterinary costs for their own horse, or is looking to help save one, please check this out!

Contact Colorado Horse Rescue Network for more details. And please share!

10/04/2021

I know we have been quiet here lately. Busy times!

But here is a quick update of Barney. For those who don't know, Barney is with us for training from Colorado Horse Rescue Network. He is 7 years old, and comes with some serious mental issues that will take some extended rehab. BUT! Physically, he is a completely different horse! So proud of his progress. His coat is so thick and soft now, and he looks like a proper horse again! He was so thin before 😕 But he bulked up and turned out to be pretty sticky (as I thought he would be!).

And though he is a longer-term work in progress, he is still coming along. He is still learning to trust, but he is exceptionally smart and willing. He will get there 😊 and he is still so young.

Today, he learned how to wear a blanket, because, well...WINTER IS COMING! Lol but he acted like he has work one his whole life. He was so calm. Super proud of him! ❤️

I will keep posting updates as I can. With daylight reduced and working more hours, our training time has suffered, but he doesn't backslide between sessions. He will be one to watch, for sure! He will be available for adoption after he completed his training, in case anyone is interested.

08/13/2021

This is so true! 🤣 Anyone else fit any of these? 😆

08/05/2021

Wow! I honestly don't have the words to express how proud I am of this guy! He has really turned a corner lately, and I really think I can day that he is no longer dangerous 😀

His feet and legs have been his biggest issue from the start. He had to be double sedated to get his feet trimmed before, and had such severe reactions to his legs just being touched b

Today, he let both Vicky and myself pick BOTH of his front feet, without any issue! This is such a huge step for him, and a tremendous sign of trust on his part.

We are still working on those back legs, but he will get there.

He has also graduated to not having to wear the halter 24/7 so he could be easily caught! He can now only get haltered to be worked with. And I have desensitized him to the lead rope being thrown over his neck and body, so we can just throw it over his neck and get the halter on. This is also a BIG step for him! We can walk right up to him and pet him almost everywhere without a halter, too.

He is doing so well, and almost surpassing my expectations. But it is just further evidence of how making an effort to build trust at the beginning can help with everything down the line.

08/03/2021

Oh Barney...

When you first came to us, you were a terrified, dangerous shell of a horse. And today, you let someone brush your tail, and LIKED it! 😀

Thank you so much to Vicky, who took a chance and went in to brush his tail. Until now, he has put much of his faith and trust in just me, and still been wary of other people. But Vicky is finally starting to break down that barrier. He needs to realize that other people are nice, too!

All it takes is some kind ess and trust, and horses that seem like lost causes can really turn around. Even if they are "dangerous", they usually have a good reason for being that way. We try to use as much information about horse behavior and psychology as we can, to change their patterns of thought into something more positive.

With Barney, when he got afraid, he would throw a tantrum - backing and rearing. It is an avoidance tactic that has obviously worked on people before. We needed to correct this behavior so that instead of instantly moving into a defensive state, he took a second to think about the situation and give it a try. The more he realizes that we aren't hurting him, the more he tried and trusts.

I am so proud of the progress he has made! I think he will turn out to be a great horse. Just needs more time.

08/02/2021

Came across this today, and just wanted to encourage everyone to do their part! Get your horses vaccinated if possible, and if not, you must have a rigorous mosquito prevention program, as they are the primary carriers.

Let's all do our part to keep our horses healthy!

BROOMFIELD, Colo. — A horse residing in Weld County has been diagnosed with West Nile Virus, marking Colorado’s first confirmed equine WNV case in 2021. The horse, which had not been vaccinated against WNV, developed…

08/02/2021

Here is a bit of what we are dealing with Barney. And this is an improvement compared to when we met him at the rescue, because this would have elicited a kick from him.

But we have spent a lot of time so far building trust and confidence. He has made tremendous strides in the trust department; still working on the confidence. He is at the bottom of the pecking order if horses at the moment.

We are working on just touching him everywhere. When you get near his flanks and back knees, this is the response. It obviously really irritated him, but I think now he is at least trying not to kick. I touched him with my hands, too, and he had the same reaction. But no kicking! Which is progress!

He is just going to be a longer term mental rehab case. It's really obvious that he hasn't had a good life until now. But hopefully we can change his future for him!

07/31/2021

Mr. Barney had an AMAZING day today!

First, he somehow wound up outside of his paddock, and into the pasture with the rest of the horses. Not a huge deal, but I am still working on gaining his trust and catching him easily, so I was a bit worried. But when I drove up, him and his best friend Brego came right up and got pets! I was easily able to lead him right back to his paddock for dinner! So incredibly proud of har far his trust has come b

And, even better...HE GOT A BATH!! 😀 Poor guy has had it rough before he got to the rescue. Malnutrition, lice, probably some fungal stuff. His skin and coat are in bad shape. He gets great nutrition now, so that will help from the inside out, but I can't even imagine how itchy he must have been. He has bee sloughing off tons of skin and coat. So I wanted to give him a bath with some good therapeutic soap. He tolerated it amazingly well! Way better than I expected.

He has already proven to be super smart, but I think he will turn out really sweet, too. Keep an eye on this boy! ❤️

07/27/2021

Every once in a while, a horse in training will have a huge breakthrough suddenly.

Barney had one today.

He came to us terrified of people, with some pretty bad learned habits he used to escape fearful situations, instead of staying in the moment and working through it.

He was scared of being touched in many places, scared of being brushed (mostly because grooming tools were new to him, and they make noise). Scared of being caught.

Today, he came up to me to be caught, and just let me grab his halter. He came out and enjoyed some horse popsicles with the other horses, and had some mutual grooming time with Toro.

And when I brought out the curry, I let him sniff it, and then he proceeded to enjoy every minute of his grooming! He even had spots that felt extra good (super itchy!), so he would line himself up with me so I would brush that certain spot. His poor coat is in horrible shape after being starved and heavily infested with lice. So a lot of that dead coat and skin are sloughing off to make way for new, healthy growth.

But there was no fear. No worry. Just a horse figuring out that being around people can actually be a good, positive experience. I am so incredibly proud of this guy, and can't wait for his next major success.

07/27/2021

If horse popsicles aren't in your horse's life this summer, they should be! 😆 They are a HUGE hit around here, and super easy to make! Water, molasses, oats/grain, and carrots/apples/whatever. Our horses say they are definitely worth slurping!