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Post by Jan and Shah on Feb 21, 2015 19:08:46 GMT -5
We were working with Izzie yesterday using long reins on her halter. An incident occurred where she completely shut down. She stopped moving and her eyes went dead. We could do nothing with her after that. She didn't want to be handled and once I got the halter off her, she took off. When my friend and I were discussing it later, she suggested that Izzie was showing signs of abuse. I rang my friend last night (she has had horses all her life) and she specified the types of abuse she was showing signs of. I wont put it here as it is very upsetting and I feel quite devastated that people can do that to an animal. However, it does explain a lot and it is best that we know so we can adapt our training methods to better suit her. What I thought were small steps in my work with her have been giant leaps of faith for her. No wonder she doesn't trust humans - my friend thinks she will be a one person pony. I don't think she will ever completely trust me but I don't mind. She is still my special girl and I wont let anyone hurt her again.
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Post by msdani1981 on Feb 21, 2015 19:46:05 GMT -5
She'll eventually come around, Jan. It will take A LOT of time and patience, but she will. Now that you "understand her" better, you'll be able to make changes that will help her learn to trust you.
(((((HUGE HUGS))))) to you and Izzie.
I'm so, so, so incredibly sorry that you're dealing with this.
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Post by aaron on Feb 21, 2015 20:24:18 GMT -5
Animal abuse is so nauseating... It's wonderful that you two have found each other though.
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Post by Jan and Shah on Feb 22, 2015 3:18:08 GMT -5
Everyone tells me she is lucky to have found me but I think the opposite is true. From the moment I first saw her, I felt something in my heart. She did not. I chose to work with her having no knowledge on horses and was lucky that Joanne came along to help me work with her(and myself). My life changed forever once I met her. I am the lucky one. We will get through this together and even if she never trusts me completely, I will still love everything about her. It's just my heart is sad at the moment that she had to go through such trauma in her life. No animal deserves that.
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Post by easttex on Feb 22, 2015 6:13:33 GMT -5
This reminds me so much of the final paragraph of an all-time favorite book - Black Beauty, starting with the very abridged version I had as a child. "...I shall never be sold, and so I have nothing to fear; and here my story ends. My troubles are all over, and I am at home..." All of which reminds me of a remarkable sanctuary a little over an hour away from me. I used to volunteer there. I groomed horses, burros, a camel, elands when they would let me. Mostly I fed everyone carrots and apples. It started with the helicopter rescue of burros in the Grand Canyon, and has grown into an amazing collection of animals, many rescued from roadside zoos and research labs. Mostly it is horses. If you're interested in taking a look: www.blackbeautyranch.org/?credit=web_id75931451 |
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Post by Jan and Shah on Feb 22, 2015 15:27:05 GMT -5
Thanks Easttex. I checked out the website and had a good cry. What a wonderful home for those animals. It is the biggest animal sanctuary I have ever heard of that caters to so many species. My boss has 1,000 acres - guess what I will be suggesting to him  |
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Post by aaron on Feb 22, 2015 15:34:14 GMT -5
Sounds like you two are lucky to have each other to me. |
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