Thoroughbred Race Horse Breakdown- The Story Of Spider And Training

 

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A client of mine had a horse named Spider. Spider is a Thoroughbred gelding right off the race track. I used to shoe Spider before he was sold off by my client. I rather liked him. He was big and warm hearted and really wanted to please. He had terrible feet. Flat footed thin soled and weak hoof wall. Spider also had coffin bone problems and we eventually put a custom shoe on him to protect the frog. By now you probably understand I’m a Farrier.

My client, who owned Spider wasn’t much of a horse person, lacking comprehension of slight discipline principles. As a result Spider was what I call less than dialed in with regard to ground manners and basic good behavior, basically Spider was confused.

You see Spider had gone from “Race track training” through western training and then through English training and really not finished at any. He didn’t do well at the track so his career was cut short and race horses don’t usually get much in the area of discipline. Poor Spider had gone through too many different trainers and disciplines which really resulted in him getting into trouble too many times for not knowing what to do. Just too many different styles.

Interesting enough Spider would win in the English riding arena. It is interesting because where he could perform well enough to win his ground training was next to nil. Basically Spider was “Not Broke”. My guess was it all started at the race track where they many times don’t like to discipline horses at all hoping not to take any of the spirit out of the horses. The point is since Spider would win his owner was keeping him.

Now this is where the story takes a turn. I was invited on a ride with Spider’s owner and I was to ride Pirate the other horse owned along with Spider. Of course Pirate has one eye as you may have wondered. Now the ride commences and it’s a three hour ride to the half way point. Now Spider is all over the trail, fish tailing this way then that the whole 3 hours and getting progressively worse. To make matters worse Spider’s rider is also getting progressively more irritated and getting more and more heavy into Spider’s mouth with the bit reprimanding him for not settling down.

While this was an accident in the waiting I finally suggested giving poor Spider his head instead of yanking on the bit constantly. It helped but the battle continued for the remaining three hours back to where the ride started. Wow, what an ordeal.

We unsaddle the horses, wash them down, brush them out and it just so happens there was a huge football field size pasture of nothing but green grass right by our wash rack. So of course out into the grass was the reward for the horses. Well poor Spider as soon as he hits the grass just lays himself down and proceeds to just completely check out of reality. He lies there quivering and jerking with eyes rolling and completely oblivious to his surroundings. What on earth was the problem?

Now a crowd is gathering (this was a Poker ride there were several hundred people) “he’s tying up some would say” Get him electrolytes, do you want us to call the vet? “He’s dehydrated” or is he going to be ok and the panic starts to set in everyone so worried about Spider as he lay there just quivering. Remember now I know Spider, I’d been shoeing Spider for almost 5 years. So I had tuned into what was going on. Spider was having a nervous breakdown. A breakdown from all the confusion.

Spider had been getting into trouble probably all his life, different handlers always asking different things of him and no one really getting it right. Spider was just totally confused. This day after 6 hours of constant struggle and confusion on the trail Spider had finally just had enough. Totally fed up Spider joined himself with the earth – the only place or thing he knows always supports and sustains him. So far “His only true friend” his only source of real nourishment emotionally and spiritually perhaps as well.

So my remark to the crowd as they all panicked was “No we don’t need a vet or electrolytes just give him a minute he’ll snap out of it”. Of course everyone else knows better, everyone is a horse specialist and I was basically ignored. I mean what good were electrolytes to do anyway while the horse is completely passed out. I was lying next to Spider patting his neck and stroking him and his eyes are just completely shut and he has absolutely no clue what’s going on around him – He’s OUT, what were they to do feed him electrolytes intravenously or tube it down his throat?

Well about 10 minutes of Spider lying there and before the electrolytes show up sure enough Spider starts blinking, rolls his eyes around in his head and snaps out of it. Doesn’t take long and he’s back on his feet still blinking and rolling his eyes and finally comes to his senses and begins to eat some of the lush grass. Wow.

Horses do and can have nervous breakdowns, I’m convinced of it.

You know as horse owners and handlers and trainers it’s our obligation to tune into horses and also take care of them emotionally. We need to be as sensitive as the horses themselves are sensitive. If we overlook this aspect of horse ownership we’re missing a great piece of the joy of horses. Horses give so much of themselves if we just listen, if we take the time to tune into them.

The story of Spider is a tragedy. This type of thing should “Never” happen to horses. Now the sad part of this story is Spider was sold off because the owner not knowing how to handle poor ole Spider decided he wasn’t worth keeping and passed him off to yet another person and possibly the pattern keeps repeating itself and Spider possibly cast further into the abyss. We can only hope at this point Spider found a match with someone that has the capacity to understand him and the wonderful mystery horses share and allow us to experience with them.

As horse owners this is something we should all aspire and strive for. The horses deserve no less. Otherwise you’re basically just riding hard and putting them away wet.

I guess there are two kinds of people – those that do – and those that don’t. Which one are you?

This article is aimed at enlightening people to the deeper aspects and responsibilities of horse ownership. Another area that should not be overlooked is shoeing and caring for horse’s feet. The author of this article has a 16 year 100% track record with shoeing horses- Not One Single Lame Horse and we urge you to research his method. You’ll find a link to the shoeing information in the Author Bio below. Just click there. Best wishes and remember to Care4Horses.

Reprint rights allowed providing nothing is changed.

John Silveira, Farrier, Aikido practitioner, spiritualist, born and raised in San Mateo California the bay area. For information on his shoeing method and the 100% track record just go to http://Care4Horses.com and leave contact information. thank you and remember to Care4Horses

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