Andrea responded and sent me photos of a beautiful sorrel quarter horse named Dexter and that yes, she would definitely consider selling him. Andrea was very honest in her response, and advised that Dexter had challenges that she simply didn't know how to overcome. She went on to say that she had done what every good "stuck" horse owner should do - seek professional help. Unfortunately, Dexter did not respond favourably to either of these well intentioned trainers' methods and ended up more mistrustful and wary than before. Andrea admitted she would be happy to give the horse to anyone who would take the time to patiently develop his trust.
Andrea clearly wants to help Dexter and I appreciated her honesty and her committment to do whatever is best for Dexter, so I decided it wouldn't hurt to just go meet him. At our first meeting, he was extremely sceptical and wary but at the same time, I also saw how much he wanted to interact with me. What I saw was a horse worth another chance.
You may recall in previous blogs how much I stress the importance of staying open minded with regard to unconventional training methods. I plan to use a combination of Operant Conditioning, TTouch, and Natural Horsemanship Methods during my journey with Dexter.
Andrea and I decided that I would leave him where he is until such time that I can calmly halter and lead him, rather than to force him onto a trailer and introduce him to a new environment and our "Boys". A good friend pointed out that perhaps a change of scenery could make a difference, and she may be right. For now, I'll give it a few days and see if we can make a breakthrough (i.e. getting a halter on him).
The scary thing about Dexter being unmanageable, is that if he should injure himself, it would be next to impossible to care for him without using force.
So far this week, I have visited Dexter 3 times and see an improvement each time. Yesterday, he let me TTouch his face and rub part of his topline. He comes up to me and follows me but I don't get a sense it is time to try haltering him yet. We'll see what happens when I visit him later today.
Admittedly, I don't know if I have the skill or ability required to make Dexter into a safe riding companion, but I do know the methods I use will absolutely cause him no further distress.
Stay tuned,
Tovie & Dexter
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