I have a story to tell you about horses
that pull back. If you have one, make sure you get good help when you try
to break them of it!!!
I bought a warmblood sport horse filly a
few years ago. Her name was Stone. I got her as a 9 month old filly
who had had little handling. She arrived at my place loose in the box of
the trailer. Fella had had a hard time getting the halter on her and she
looked a bit worse for wear.
We brought her in and settled her in to
the barn and didn't tie her (we have standing stalls). I spent the next
few days getting her used to handling and having the halter taken off and
on. When it was time to tie her in the stall we rand the lead rope through
a ring and when she got a bit panicky she pulled back and we released on the
rope. This happened a few times and then she relaxed and accepted the
restraining tie.
Over the next few months she would
occasionally pull back and panic for a few seconds and then settle. Then
she started to get worse!
She started breaking her tie ropes (not
an easy feat!), so we replaced the tie rope with a heavy rope. Then a few
months later she broke the buckle on her halter, we bought her a better
halter. Then she broke a rough 2x6 board that the tie rope was secured
to! Snapped it in half like a tooth pick!
So we went to the local draft horseman
and he gave us a leather strap and said confidently "she won't get outta
this!" That lasted about 3.5 seconds! Tore it like old rotten
leather.
Now this mare was 18 months old and
getting to be a really good size! We took her to a local fair and she
broke the tie stall at the fair, flipped over backwards with the effort and then
just got up and stood there. When we loaded her to go home that day she
flipped in the trailer! Took about 8 men to get the other horse off the
trailer and the get the 2x10 plank that she broke and pinned her head to the
floor with (don't ask me HOW did did that one!) off of her and get her
upright. She was perfectly calm and loaded right back up
again.
When she was 20 months old I finally
decided enough was enough. She had torn, TORN, nylon halters, busted rough
solid planks and flipped herself over after whatever she was tied to gave
away. Very scary to watch!!! I had a young son at the time and was
fearful that he was going to be behind her one time when she freaked out.
She would stand in the tie stall for several months and then one day, freak
out! No warning!
So... back we go to the local
draft fella and he suggested a nylon towing line. "OK" we said and he came
to show us how to do it.
There was quite a side show
present. Myself, my husband, son, friend, draft fella. We walked her
up to this HUGE pear tree in the front of my house and put the toe line through
her halter and around the back of her pole and secured it to the tree.
Long story made short... she felt the
pole pressure, reared, set back and dropped flat on her side. I go to
run over to her and old draft guy says "Just let her be! She'll figure it
out in a minute and get up". "ok" says the dummy owner.
So we watched.
And watched...
And watched...
After about 90 seconds, which felt like
a life time, I said "She's not breathing!!!" Her eyes were WILD! Her
nostrils were flaring! But her ribcage was not moving!!! I ran over
and untied her and tried to get her up. She just looked at me with scared
eyes and kept trying to breath.
I held that mare while she died in my
arms. She had broken her neck...
Stone is buried in the corner by the
barn, and it is a lesson that I will never never never forget.
Please, find someone who has experience
with breaking a horse that pulls back, before you need to call in a backhoe
to bury your mistake.....
