July 2005 E-Newsletter
Contents:
Tyson. The Horse They Said Might Kill the Farrier!
Dear Friends,
I write this from Ontario, Canada where I am speaking to the attendees of the International Conference on Communication in Veterinary Medicine. I love this subject.
Communicating to you through this electronic medium amazes me to no end. The response to this format has been wonderful and we have been receiving a vast spectrum of questions that I am challenged by. I hope I can surprise even the most ardent students of Join-Up® with a deeper insight of what I learn from this species, Equus. Keep them coming.
This letter is an open thank you to several people that were instrumental in changing the course of at least one horse’s life: Tyson.
Our relationship with Tyson goes back to December 25, 2004. Kristin Høst-Grønvold, our promoter in Norway, ran an advertisement for horse selection for the upcoming April Tour Event in Oslo. Barbro Berggren emailed Kristin on Christmas day amidst the news of the Tsunami tragedy. Barbro was skeptical but decided that this was the absolute last effort to save this horse after nearly ten years of struggling with him. Two veterinarians warned Kristin that this horse was dangerous. Two weeks before the event the vet who would attend the tour reiterated his warnings. Well known Thoroughbred trainer, Cathrine Eriksen, was there at the stables when the vet deemed the horse a “psychopath”.
Sally King, our Certified Instructor helping with horse selection, encouraged Kristin to trust her instincts and convince Barbro to bring Tyson to meet me. Despite Barbro’s fears that Tyson might harm me or others at the event, she brought him.
It was a normal horse selection process and I recall that we finished one horse and the procedures were in place to bring the next one in. It was at that time that one of our team came to me and said,
“The next horse has a reputation for being very dangerous.”
I asked if they could lead him in without getting someone hurt and they said they thought they could. Shortly after that a very large, paint Warmblood was led up the lane and into the round pen. He was up on his toes and seemed to promise not to miss anything going on in the building. At the same time I perceived him as a horse that was not aggressive.
Jared Huhta, my rider, snapped a lead line on him while Barbro seated herself next to me outside the round pen. “Why did you bring this horse to me?” I asked.
“Because he is impossible for the farrier,” she replied.
“What does he do?” I inquired.
“Everything! He will kick with lethal intent and if one persists, he will attack aggressively, whirl around and kick with both hind feet.”
I was stunned and I immediately warned Jared of his reputation. Barbro indicated to me that he wouldn’t try to kick you to death unless he thought you were the farrier. I’d told her that Jared was a farrier albeit an amateur one and I asked her if that counted. She told me that if he put chaps on he would probably qualify as a farrier. I then asked her what her horse’s name was.
“Tyson” she replied.
“Like the boxer?” I smiled.
I asked one of my Certified Instructors, Maj-Britt Carter, to enter the round pen and hold Tyson while Jared attempted to pick up some feet. Tyson was quite bad. There seemed to be no chance to pick his feet up. I asked how long he had been this way and I recall the response was several years.
There were some very good horses for the four separate demonstrations that were scheduled for the evening. I couldn’t justify accepting Tyson as one of the horses to demonstrate with in front of the audience. I concluded that he probably would require far more time than the half an hour per horse that I am limited to by the program schedule.
As I announced my selections, this horse haunted my thoughts. I certainly didn’t have another horse that fit the category of Tyson which meant that I couldn’t demonstrate to my owner the procedures that I recommend. At the conclusion of the selection process I made a spontaneous decision to offer a demo to Barbro right then and there. I felt that this would serve the needs of the owner without subjecting my audience to the potential of a demo that went on until after midnight.
The owner to seem to be quite happy that I was going to do something with Tyson, even if it wasn’t in the event itself. I now believe that she was happier the way it worked out. I can’t say the same for me because I certainly messed up my assessment on this horse. As it turns out he would have been the best farrier demo of my entire career!
I asked out loud if anyone had a pair of farrier chaps with them. Barbro said that her farrier had his chaps with him. I asked where he was and she pointed to him standing 20 meters from me. I was elated to find that we had Tyson’s personal farrier, Axel Vibe, right there with us. I asked if he would meet me and he was shaking hands with me in a matter of seconds. What I observed was a fit, young man with the hands, arms and the look in his eye of a truly professional farrier. I asked him if he would not mind being a part of the procedure. He replied that he would be more than happy to.
I asked Maj-Britt to do a Join-Up with Tyson and then to school him to the Dually Halter. Everything seemed to be relatively normal until Jared went to pick up a foot. One could immediately see Tyson organize his thoughts, realizing that it was farrier time. He began to blow through his nose and would intermittently run at Jared with his ears forward seeming to prepare his body to whirl and kick. Maj-Britt was quick to use the Dually Halter in such a way so as to stop what appeared to be his “attack mode”.
I asked my team to use plastic shopping bags on a stick and the artificial arm (see page 129 of the From My Hands To Yours book) as preparatory procedures for the effort to pick up his feet. I would guess that it was 20 to 25 minutes before Jared was able to pick up all four feet and put them in positions for trimming or shoeing. At this point I turned to Axel and asked if he wanted to have a go at trimming his feet. He answered affirmatively and entered the pen: chaps on and tools in hand.
“Oh, no” said Tyson. “I’m not going for that.”
It was as though the chaps were a grizzly bear and the farrier was Satan himself. Tyson showed strong signs of aggression but in fact with ears still forward Maj-Britt began to use the Dually Halter very effectively. I asked the farrier to approach Tyson and just rub him as if to say I don’t intend to hurt you. The farrier began with the near fore foot, and while the initial training was less than tranquil for Tyson, he actually stood with a foot in each corner; never once moving any one of them except to elevate them for the farrier. I give Axel full marks for going slowly and being patient. He was quiet and smooth, convincing Tyson that there would not be any confrontation.
Tyson stood with each foot in exactly the same spot for the next ten minutes or so and each foot was trimmed without one negative move.
When I did my demos that evening, I was able to show my audience the trimmings in exactly the same spots where they fell just a few hours before. The whole procedure took less than 40 minutes and left this very old horseman filled with pride and gratification. I didn’t have to be told I was saving his life. That was clear. I’m confident that this young farrier Axel Vibe and this dedicated owner Barbro Berggren will hold true to the recommendations that I have made, and that Tyson has a new life and hopefully a wonderful one.
- Monty
See Monty’s full lessons on preparing for the farrier in his Fix-Up Series on DVD.
(return to contents)
Weekly Question & Answer: July 13, 2005
Question: "My horse bobs his head when I ask him to tuck or collect his stride. Can you explain this?"
Read Monty's answer.
(return to contents)
Look for these upcoming issues!
• Melbourne, Australia
• Monty’s Special Training Class at Flag Is Up Farms
• Monty’s new book coming this fall! Monty celebrates his best-loved horses, chosen from the tens of thousands he has worked with over the past 60 years. All 52 of the horses featured (including Shy Boy) have contributed something unique to Monty's understanding of their kind.
• Watch for next month’s EXCLUSIVE OFFER available only to subscribers of Monty's E-Newsletter: Details to come, so tell your friends to sign up to the newsletter now.
• Look for next week’s question posed to Monty: "Why does my horse perform perfectly at home, but when I take him to a big show he 'chokes?"'
(return to contents)
|
