Rescue Horses Take Dedication, Time and Money

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Rescue Horses Take Dedication, Time and Money

October 2, 2010 by Native American Jewelry Tips

Hi Cherry,

I rescued two horses- a large Fell pony and a mini. Both had been abused and were starving. I’ve got their weight up, their hooves cared for, shots, worming etc.
But it has been almost 3 months and they are still very hard to halter, to clean their feet ( both have thrush) and to separate them to work with them ( just the simplest ground work in a nearby round pen)! When I have someone else, we can work it out fairly well but usually I am alone. I have few expectations, maybe short rides or a little pulling a cart ( both had some draft experience) – I’m now 65, and even though i had been a horse professional teaching in riding stables, training and judging in dressage, I’m having an awful time with them. I need encouragement to keep them. It has been very expensive and wonder if others have rescue horse experience. Eileen

HI Eileen,

Just in my email box this morning was an article from The Horse which states that

Each year there are about 100,000 unwanted horses in the United States, too many for the registered equine rescue and sanctuary groups to handle, according to a recent survey by experts at the University of California, Davis. They found that the 236 registered rescue and sanctuary organizations could only help about 13,400 horses a year.

I have no personal experience with rescue horses but wanted to post your note so that if others want to reply, they can do so here.

I do know that retraining any horse can seem like it takes twice as long as it does to train a horse from scratch. Some of my colleagues say ten times as long !

When I taught in college and university equine programs, one of the ways we would get horses for the training and riding classes was through donations. Well, we received some wonderful horses and also some with interesting previous experiences and challenging behaviors. Some took several semesters to sort out and even then, might not be trustworthy with novice riders.

I do encourage you and applaud you for your efforts. It will take time, repetition and very frequent regular handling to alter their suspicious behavior. But it can be done.

Please refer to the many useful articles here on this blog related to ground training, desensitization and more. Here are some examples:

Head Handling

Horse Training – Handling, Gentling, Desensitization, Sacking Out, Flooding

Horse Behavior – Licking and Chewing

Also visit my Horse Information Roundup where I have posted hundreds of free articles related to behavior and training.

Best of luck and let me know if you have specific questions.

Posted in Behavior, Catching, Dental Care, Desensitization, Deworming, Feeding and Nutrition, Grooming, Ground Driving, Ground Training, Halter Training, Handling, Hoof Care, Immunizations, In-Hand Work, Safety, Sheath Cleaning, Skin Ailments, Training, Veterinary Care | Tagged confidence, equine, grooming, ground training, health care, hoof care, horse, horse adoption, horsekeeping, rescue horses, retraining horses, training | 7 Comments

7 Responses

on October 2, 2010 at 9:00 pm | Reply Debbie

You are a lifesaver, and should be proud of what you have done.
on October 3, 2010 at 2:57 am | Reply Tweets that mention Rescue Horses Take Dedication, Time and Money « Cherry Hill's Horsekeeping -- Topsy.com

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on October 3, 2010 at 4:52 pm | Reply Cooking in Mexico

I can offer no experience to help Eileen. I can only say, from the bottom of my heart, how generous and compassionate you are to care for these horses. They would not be in their predicament were it not for human abuse. Their behavior is through no fault of their own. For you to take them in and try to help them is inspiring and encouraging. We all need you and your efforts as an example that we each can make a difference in the lives of others, human and animal.

Kathleen
on October 5, 2010 at 11:51 pm | Reply Patty Hansen

I have a rescue as well and although he wasn’t abused, he did have some issues. He has been with us for almost a year and it has been only recently that he has warmed up to me and to the other horses. Time is an amazing thing! They may be animals, but they have feelings too and once your horses learn to trust you, you will have more success. Keep up the good work! For encouragement, check out a local (I live in WA state) group of people who rescue horses by networking to find them new homes. http://auctionhorses.proboards.com/index.cgi

There may be some stories/people who inspire you!
on October 18, 2010 at 7:50 pm | Reply Beth

Hi,

I wanted to commend Eileen on the rescue 2 of God’s creatures. I like you have just gotten a yound 5 yr old rescue and the one thing that I’ve learned is that you have to give them time, patience, and most of all lots of love.
Work with them everyday and let them know that you’re there for them and they will come around.

No matter what their background (we don’t know how they were treated), with constant handling, patience and love, they will start showing signs that they are setteling in and
becoming more comfortable with their surroundings and things will start to change but give them as much time as they need and it will turn around.

I’ve had 3 rescued horses including the one I just got and have gotten fortunate with all of them having great personalities, but I’ve learned that they need time to get use to you and everything that’s going on in their lives. They need the time to settle in and each one of them are individuals so some will take more time than others will.

I wish you the best with your new additions and I hope all goes well with them.
- on October 19, 2010 at 8:08 am | Reply cherryhillhorsekeeping
  
  Yes indeed Beth, as with any horse, we must commit the time it takes.
  That reminds me of a sage veterinarian who used the conservative approach to many equine ailments, and often prescribed “fresh air, sunshine and tincture of time”. In a way, that is what we need to offer horses so they have the chance to mentally unwind, relax and start fresh.
  
  Thanks for your comment, Cherry Hill
on November 21, 2010 at 9:03 am | Reply handsonthehorse

Eileen, I have worked with many rescues, and I’ll offer some suggestions. First, after the rescues have recuperated to the point that they’re eating normally and are in better physical health, I separate them. By putting them by themselves, they bond to you instead of each other. They see you as their food source, and as someone who provides them social interaction.

Once you’ve separated them, they will be easier to work with because you won’t have to go through the aggravation of trying to get them separated. Without this initial stress, the training should go more smoothly.

Honestly, most of the rescues I’ve re-trained I’ve treated just like weanlings. Spend time with them doing nothing – just being there. Get them used to the fact that all people aren’t bad guys.

I adopted two “three strikes” BLM mustangs – fortunately at two separate times. These two horses had been so traumatized by the time I got them, I had a hard time even getting near them. The first thing I did was take a chair into the corral with them. I started out putting a pile of hay as far away from the chair as possible. Every day I’d move it closer and closer. I would sit in the chair and read out loud, getting them used to the sound of my voice. They came to associate my voice with food. Eventually, they were eating the hay right next to my chair. It was then that I could start to put my hands on them. It took two weeks to be able to do this.

In a nutshell, re-training rescues is a time-consuming job. If you spend time with them every day, you’re making progress. My five year old BLM gelding will now stand without being tied for grooming, bathing, and a massage! Not to mention, he follows me around the property like a puppy. 🙂

Good luck!