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| "Donnegal" |
Donnie’s Day
Donnie
and I had a good start on his journey to developing more confidence in himself
and his surroundings. I decided to start
slowly after a winter hiatus because that’s what always seems to work best with
Donnie. I want him to feel that any time he is with me he has nothing to be
apprehensive about and knows he will always have a good experience. This may sound odd but Donnie is a special
case and needs a lot of reassurance from everyone around him. He’s a very intelligent horse and very
sensitive.
Unfortunately,
he’s also a very nervous horse who has a tendency to become stiff and
unresponsive when he’s upset. We got him when he was 3 or 4 years old, (nobody
was sure of his age), Donnie has been with us for thirteen years and he does
trust us but he still has episodes of distress.
After
all these years he’s still a little head shy at times. When I went out to the pasture to bring him
in he threw his head up when I tried to halter him. We have to unbuckle the halter and stand
beside him and then put it on. He’s not comfortable when anything comes
directly at him from the front. We’ve
often wondered if he has trouble with his eyes but there really aren’t any
tests to diagnose nearsightedness or farsightedness in horses as far as I
know.
Donnie
and I worked with a little clicker training involving touching his nose to a
cone. I moved it in all directions and
he was a star. It only took him one click to figure the response that was
needed for a treat. We didn’t work for
long but it was enough to start with.
I’m
not ever going to ride Donnie. My goal is to make him feel good about himself and
gain confidence by his achievements. I believe all horses like to have a job of
some kind and feel useful. It’s also
important for them to feel special and get attention.
Donnie
is a sweet sensitive horse and to show his approval of what we did together he
gave me a little shoulder nudge and a Donnie “horse hug.” He gives the best hugs ever and will even
call you over to his stall to get a scratch or rub then give a Donnie hug in
return. I love this horse.
Here’s
Donnie’s full story from past blog posts if anyone is interested:
Quote For Today
In
the steady gaze of the horse shines a silent eloquence that speaks of love and
loyalty, strength and courage. It is the window that reveals to us how willing
is his spirit, how generous his heart.
Aww, you have such a big heart! Donnie is lucky to be part of your family. Every horse needs & deserves a caring home, but those sensitive smart horses reeeally need to be with someone who understandings them to thrive. Looking forward to reading his story :)
ReplyDeleteDonnie is a sweetheart and we're lucky to have him.
DeleteHe sounds an awful lot like my Tex. I'm just starting the journey with him -- he's a sweet horse with a lot of try ... and something that resembles PTSD or panic attacks.
ReplyDeleteThey are so sweet and try so hard. It's not always easy to figure out what they need from us so we can help them feel better in all situations.
DeleteOh wow, I teared up reading Donnie's story. I am so glad there are people like you to help horses like him.
ReplyDeleteI grew up with horses, but haven't regularly been around them in years (practically two decades now), and reading your blog helps me to still feel that connection and that magic. Thanks for this, I appreciate it immensely.
Thank you for your kind comment. Glad you are enjoying reading the blog.
DeleteGood for you and Donnie. I think you are both going to enjoy this.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lori. I think we will both have fun and form a closer friendship.
DeleteDonnie is so handsome! I have a soft spot for greys. I love how much he loves hugs!
ReplyDeleteI have a soft spot for greys too and he is the best hugger in the barn.
DeleteI hope to do some obstacle training with my horses. Maybe Donnie would like to do something like that. Playing fetch would be a ton of fun for both of you. He does sound like a bright boy who'd like to play some games.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jean, that's a great idea. We can certainly try it and have some fun with obstacle courses.
DeleteI bet Donnie loves his time with you! He's a handsome guy and I'm glad he's with you where he is both safe and accepted for who he is.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad he found us and we can try to help him be who he is without putting too much pressure on him.
DeleteWhat a sweetheart, and so good looking too. I like the sound of his horse hugs. I'm so glad he found you and you found him, and all that matters to you is that he's comfortable. You truly are a star, and an inspiration too :)
ReplyDeleteDonnie is one of the sweetest horses I've ever met and his horse hugs are very special.
DeleteNot sure what it is, but Donnie just seems like an amazing horse to me. Doesn't hurt that he's gorgeous!! If he could talk, I'll bet he has his reasons for why he acts like he does - likely a person problem. I feel sad that he still experiences such insecurities, but love and compassion will always help. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lorie. We will work on having lots of fun together.
DeleteMy old trainer and friend had a horse with the same issue. We had all, my daughter, her, and me, bought babies from the same sire. Her horse, a mare, was a beautiful strawberry roan, and she had her trained very well both in the arena and on cattle as a 3 year old. Then one day on one of their roundups, she tied up. Started sweating, couldn't get up...etc. The first episode sent off more. The colt I got from the sire was Cowboy's nephew and twin. I trained him and was riding him, and then he had a bad colic and had to be put down. Turned out, too, the sire started tying up and had such a bad episode he was also put down. At the time, people didn't know much about it. We didn't know anything about it, but apparently it can be controlled with diet, as you've done. Donnie seems like a smart, sweet horse and I'm happy you're giving him a job. I do think they take pride in it. :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like some very heartbreaking times you've all had with horses with tying up issues. We are lucky he's a very healthy horse on the whole. I feel there are some mental issues that we will never get to the bottom of. He's such a sweetheart and loves attention and his jobs. He asked to work yesterday so we did more clicker training fun.
DeleteIt was a heartbreaking time--Cowboy had broken his P3 about 9 months before losing my colt, too. I felt cursed. But, on the bright side, Sonny's death led me to get Leah, and she has been a sweet addition to the herd (and my life) all these years. And, Cowboy had a miraculous recovery. Yay!
DeleteIt still is distressing but like they say...when one door closes another opens.
DeleteHe's lucky to have you!
ReplyDelete