In the fall of 2014, I had the pleasure of meeting Fonz when his owner, Wendy Ruekema, asked me to come up to Edmonton and help her with him. Even though Wendy had owned Fonz for several years, she had not ridden him for at least 6 years because they simply didn't trust each other.
The following May 2015, Wendy came to the realization that her small window of horse time was better spent with Flash - a horse she was having a ton of fun with. Wendy made the decision to surrender Fonz to my care with the understanding he would only be rehomed to his perfect person.
During that summer with Fonz, I kept having this recurring thought that my dear friend Uli would be the perfect person for Fonz. Uli is kind and gentle and an experienced horse owner and rider. However, Uli already had her horse Hank and she didn't need two horses. At the time Hank had been exhibiting lameness from a stifle issue for several months but Uli was still hopeful she would find a way to resolve Hank's lameness.
That fall I sold Fonz to a young gal who seemed perfect but when it became apparent it wasn't going to work, back he came per my unconditional guarantee. Over the course of that winter, Hank's condition didn't improve and so last spring I invited Uli to come play with Fonz and learn some of the natural horsemanship exercises.
The only time Uli and I could commit to regular lessons was at 6:00 a.m.; when she could stop in for an hour on her way to work. Although Uli has been involved with horses for much of her life; and has had horses in her life she adored - she never anticipated the connection she was able to create using the natural horsemanship philosophy.
In the beginning, Uli would often become beautifully emotional whenever she would "feel" something she had not experienced before. It got to a point that her husband Chris, teasingly asked me to stop sending his wife home in tears - albeit happy tears.
Fonz demands a human he can trust and respect and Uli definitely earned both through her dedication to learning new ways of interacting with horses. There is no question the exercises are hard and we feel clumsy and incompetent during the learning curve but the relationship we establish with our horses makes it all worth while.
Uli continued to come every morning at 6:00 a.m. until we ran out of daylight last fall and Fonz and I were always happy to start our morning with her happy self.
Needless to say, Uli and Fonz fell in love with each other and are now lifelong companions. As for me, I couldn't be happier that Fonz continues to be boarded at our place because he got to stay with the "boys" and I got to keep Uli.
For some reason this post was forgotten in my drafts but better late than never.
Tovie, Uli & Fonz
The following May 2015, Wendy came to the realization that her small window of horse time was better spent with Flash - a horse she was having a ton of fun with. Wendy made the decision to surrender Fonz to my care with the understanding he would only be rehomed to his perfect person.
During that summer with Fonz, I kept having this recurring thought that my dear friend Uli would be the perfect person for Fonz. Uli is kind and gentle and an experienced horse owner and rider. However, Uli already had her horse Hank and she didn't need two horses. At the time Hank had been exhibiting lameness from a stifle issue for several months but Uli was still hopeful she would find a way to resolve Hank's lameness.That fall I sold Fonz to a young gal who seemed perfect but when it became apparent it wasn't going to work, back he came per my unconditional guarantee. Over the course of that winter, Hank's condition didn't improve and so last spring I invited Uli to come play with Fonz and learn some of the natural horsemanship exercises.
The only time Uli and I could commit to regular lessons was at 6:00 a.m.; when she could stop in for an hour on her way to work. Although Uli has been involved with horses for much of her life; and has had horses in her life she adored - she never anticipated the connection she was able to create using the natural horsemanship philosophy.
In the beginning, Uli would often become beautifully emotional whenever she would "feel" something she had not experienced before. It got to a point that her husband Chris, teasingly asked me to stop sending his wife home in tears - albeit happy tears.
Fonz demands a human he can trust and respect and Uli definitely earned both through her dedication to learning new ways of interacting with horses. There is no question the exercises are hard and we feel clumsy and incompetent during the learning curve but the relationship we establish with our horses makes it all worth while.
Uli continued to come every morning at 6:00 a.m. until we ran out of daylight last fall and Fonz and I were always happy to start our morning with her happy self.
For some reason this post was forgotten in my drafts but better late than never.
Tovie, Uli & Fonz
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