08/28/2026
ATLAS UPDATE
Ride 1 Aug. 3rd - Today’s ride Aug. 27th
It may not look like much…
But I worked *REALLY* hard to get those two “letting go” snorts under saddle. You have no idea. 😅
Honestly, I spent a whole lot more time on the ground in this past month with this horse than I did under saddle.
First, we had to get a handle on some raging thrush in his hooves. Then we went through a tiresome desensitization program that turned into a “will you even look at me?” program when I realized he was simply dissociating so hard he was in an entirely different universe which is what was causing his sudden and “random” jumping to a stimulus I had already been doing for minutes at a time. In fact, this stoic ex-Amish boy was so determined NOT to actually look at me I could be doing jumping jacks right beside him and he’d refuse to even glance in my direction, so much so I even questioned if he could be blind at one point.
So the look he finally gave me today when I dismounted really made me smile.
From there our mission became more about connection and as he realized he was allowed to have a voice, his personality began to appear in small increments and he became very guarded and defensive of his body and the extent of his physical suffering became more apparent.
From there we recruited Bethany Kaiser to work her magic and give us some thoughtful exercises to continue with. This began to open a door of healing for this sweet soul both physically and mentally.
Even in rides we did have, most was walking, a lot of sweet talking and rubbing, and even some cookies. I think the side by side videos really do show a big difference to the trained eye. We might not be doing cool spins and lateral movements, but we have the beginnings of balance and relaxation which for a horse like this, are integral.
That said, Atlas still has a lot more healing to do both physically and mentally before he will really be ready for meaningful ridden work. His owner and I have decided it will be in his best interest for him to go home and pursue continued rehab through purposeful, postural in hand work, body work and relationship building.
Taking on a rescue horse with an unknown history and unknown traumas is a mountainous endeavor with unknown mysteries to be uncovered and truly takes a special person like Sherri Leasure-Russo to pour their love into. I remain optimistic that this is the start of something beautiful for the both of them and in due time a trusting partnership will blossom.