Dixie the TB

Dixie's owners were at their wits end. They had purchased Dixie off of craigslist as a child-safe family horse, they even rode her before buying (she was reportedly dripping with sweat and already saddled when they arrived). When they got Dixie home you couldn't put a saddle pad on her, let alone a saddle without violent blind bucking. The owner had reportedly been deployed to Iraq, so they called Pilchuck. After several visits, and extensive chiropractic work etc. the vets at Pilchuck diagnosed it as a training issue and not pain related. After investing more than they could afford they called my friend Katie at Second chance ranch. Katie called me so I could evaluate the mare.

Dixie was so sweet when I did her eval. she was easy to catch, and had a kind eye. I put my arm over her withers and she held her breath, I applied pressure to her ribs and she launched herself into a bucking fit. This did not seem like merely a training issue. Still I put a saddle on her to try and get a feel, assured that the vet said she was in NO pain. She stood to be saddled, after a small correction, but held her breath. I asked her to take a step and she looked at me as if to say "I can't", I persisted and she finally tried for me but with one step she almost hit the floor and then launched into bucking. OK she tried but she is hurting. I told the owner I would take her for a few months, put some training on her and have some body work done.

Dixie was definitely OUT. her ribs were out so bad Sam couldn't even test her. Not surprising after finding out more of her history. She had been a brood mare for the past seven years with minimal care, a friend who recognized her and knew the past owner testified that she had never seen her without her hip bones showing, and she was never saddle broke.

Kids horse?

Dixie's first month here was mostly healing. I did some ground work, mostly just to start conditioning her. Free lunging was my only option as we worked through her pain issues, but she did well responding to cues and learned to be very respectful. It took a lot to get a 'WHOA'. But by the end of the month she would whoa on a voice cue. I started clicker training basics to lay a foundation for her saddle training. As with most of the trauma cases I have worked with I will be using clicker training to redirect her, and put a focus on a positive behavior. I never punish a traumatized or emotional horse for the behavior I am trying to extinct, this only reinforces the behavior. Instead you have to redirect and reward for something positive, this is the only way to break the whole emotional mindset the horse is in. Remember to only put energy into the behavior you want.

Month two; after I was confident she really was no longer in any pain I started desensitizing her to the surcingle, even just the lead rope around her belly. As soon as she would feel constricted (like it would pinch) she would flip. Ok I knew her trigger, now to work through it!

After two weeks of lungework she would still buck like crazy if ANYthing was on her back or around her. She would literally buck blind as soon as her trigger was hit. I couldn't snap her out of it or redirect her, she was to fast and powerful. I needed a new plan. I finally found a tool, well I made one, to get her attention whenever she would think about bucking. It is basically an overcheck (saddleseat tool to keep their heads up) slightly modified. I wasn't to sure about it at first, but it halted the behavior before it had a chance to escalate, and while she was going "WTF?" I was able to redirect and click her for a positive change. FINALLY I was making some serious progress! Through the following month I continued to use this tool while lunging and riding, then just lunging. And now finally I can tack her up in the crossties, lead her to the arena, lunge her and get on and go.

Month Three:
Dixie's owner decided not to put anymore training into her, but I talked them into just boarding her and I would try and ride when I could. Her third and fourth month she didn't get a lot of riding, but I did get Kyra to ride her a couple of times. And the few rides I put on I couldn't MAKE her buck. WOW with time off she was still solid! That goes to show the reliability of positive reinforcement.

Well it has been almost five months and Dixie is going home. Her owner is going to come out and ride her on Tuesday and then I will trailer her up the next morning. I rode her tonight and she was great, she has such a nice trot, tons of suspension she would make a fun dressage prospect. She was solid for walk, trot, canter, whoa, back, leg yield, shoulders in, haunches in. She had about 40 days of riding total. And it was quite the journey!