Cowboy's story

Nearly four years ago, EBC acquired our dear Quarter Horse, Cowboy.  He was a used up barrel racer who had been left in a field to rot.  Forgotten.  A skeleton covered by skin and dull hair.  There were these things, resembling hooves, that had grown unsuitably long to properly protect the underlying bones, ligaments and tendons.  He had zero affect, as lifeless as any living being could get.  I had never seen anything like it...not up close and personal.  That was then.

In the months that followed, his character emerged, though that character was scarred with a lack of confidence and distrust.  He gradually gained weight.   The farrier carefully trimmed his hooves, just a little at a time, to allow the ligaments, tendons and muscles to realign.  His eyes began to shine.  And his palomino coat...ooh, that golden coat simply gleamed with renewed health! 

Many of us tippy-toed around him, only wanting him to feel calm, cared for and loved.  Over time I realized he also needed a more assertive leader because all horses need a leader to feel safe and, if you're not the leader (or a confident one), they become dominant in different ways (and you don't want to be dominated by a 1,000+ pound animal - believe me).  And Cowboy's dominance was based on that lack of confidence and trust - on both our parts.  At times, he lashed out.  "I need to trust!  I need to feel safe!", he'd scream internally.  He needed "love, language and leadership in equal doses". 

He suffered from PTSD...post traumatic stress disorder.

At EBC, there are programs for veterans with PTSD and other afflictions.  I was given the opportunity to work with the vets in these programs.  Such eye-opening experiences.  These men and women barely cracked a smile.  They weren't even sure why they were there, stating that the program piqued curiosity but they had their doubts.  They groomed, they learned ground games, they tacked and they rode.  They bonded.  With the aid of the horses over a short period of time, these wonderful people became more confident, more assertive, more open with their feelings and concerns and, best of all, more trusting.  I heard one gentleman at the beginning of the program say, "I don't trust any one."  And, nearing the end of the program, the vets were asked if they wanted to switch to a new horse.  I then heard him say, "No, I trust Babe."  He shocked himself when he said those words. 

And then he smiled.