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WooHoo Winter! Brrrr :o)
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Self-appointed leader of the Moo Crew, official Drama Queen, and resident Egomaniac...
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Meet Shadow...
Our resident drama queen and paperless (but registered) Tennessee Walking Horse with a checkered past. He started his life at a large farm in Florida as a "big lick" show horse and stud, and carries some terrible scars on a astonishingly generous heart. His stress-filled beginning in life resulted in ulcers and a tendency to colic (some real, some mental). We keep medication on hand [he is also on UlcerGuard] should he develop a case of real colic, and he has his blankie for his cases of cranial colic :o) We came within a hair of selling him following a sudden and violent meltdown several years ago (we remain forever grateful to the Lord that no one was hurt, including Shadow). He still has issues (and his issues have issues), but they have faded to those of an entertaining nature more than anything else.
He likes to consider himself the official King of the Pasture, but more accurately resembles the King of the Forest as portrayed in the Wizard of Oz (in other words, a total weenie). He has, if you can believe it, actually hidden behind me - and yeah, that'll work (not). He is prone to dramatic episodes and has been known to throw himself into a sulk of such magnitude that nothing will combat it save his personal blankie (a fetish we discovered quite by accident :o)
What has he taught us?
He likes to consider himself the official King of the Pasture, but more accurately resembles the King of the Forest as portrayed in the Wizard of Oz (in other words, a total weenie). He has, if you can believe it, actually hidden behind me - and yeah, that'll work (not). He is prone to dramatic episodes and has been known to throw himself into a sulk of such magnitude that nothing will combat it save his personal blankie (a fetish we discovered quite by accident :o)
What has he taught us?
- That horses, like people, can block traumatic events. That anything related to that time in their life can act as a trigger and cause all of those terrible memories to come flooding back resulting in a massive panic attack. In our case it was a rake, and as best we could figure out someone somewhere in his life beat him with one repeatedly [see stewarding a horse]. With careful thought, planning, and a plethora of patience, these things can many times be overcome.
- That it can be critical to know as much as possible about a horse's past when purchasing one, particularly a Walking Horse that was shown. It is nothing short of tragic the lengths to which some people will go in pursuit of that all important prize ~ the ribbon. (See my thoughts on Equine PTSD).
- That with patience, love, and persistence even the biggest mental scars can heal and fade away to bless you with the most wonderful equine personality on the planet.
Favorite Shadow Anecdote: The Intimidator Routine
I definitely live for the day I can actually capture these moments on film (haven't caught him...yet :o) One of the funniest things Shadow does is he attempts to prove himself worthy of the title Senior Studmuffin, King of the Pasture (I'm not entirely sure he's figured out he was gelded). The setting for this event is, of course, absolutely critical. To wit: Shadow on one side of the fence and his intended victim on the other side of the fence.
After carefully selecting his target (chosen based on height and weight ratios ~ as in far smaller than he :o) Shadow will bow his neck and attempt a nonchalant strange looking kind of sashay to within striking distance before carelessly turning his back on the intended victim. Then, without warning, his ears slam flat and he whirls furiously around, teeth bared, glaring viciously at his prey as he snakes out his neck. Alas, with only a few rare (but happy) exceptions, his victims always seem to miss their cue to flee in abject terror and merely stand there blinking at him in some confusion.
I definitely live for the day I can actually capture these moments on film (haven't caught him...yet :o) One of the funniest things Shadow does is he attempts to prove himself worthy of the title Senior Studmuffin, King of the Pasture (I'm not entirely sure he's figured out he was gelded). The setting for this event is, of course, absolutely critical. To wit: Shadow on one side of the fence and his intended victim on the other side of the fence.
After carefully selecting his target (chosen based on height and weight ratios ~ as in far smaller than he :o) Shadow will bow his neck and attempt a nonchalant strange looking kind of sashay to within striking distance before carelessly turning his back on the intended victim. Then, without warning, his ears slam flat and he whirls furiously around, teeth bared, glaring viciously at his prey as he snakes out his neck. Alas, with only a few rare (but happy) exceptions, his victims always seem to miss their cue to flee in abject terror and merely stand there blinking at him in some confusion.
Pictures: We have managed to capture some of Shadow's wonderful personality as seen in the photos to the right. The first picture is a precursor to his Intimidator Routine, Shadow peeking at me over the hayroll, enjoying some sunshine, making sure that his friend Mrs. Suzanne absolutely, positively, definitely and for sure does not have any apple treats in her camera bag. The fifth picture is a dramatic episode (see, and I'll just bet you thought I made that stuff up), "Supershadow" as he poses with his beloved Blankie, and the last is the studmuffin stance :o).
HELP US OUT by shopping at Jeffers - Just use the link above for your shopping trip and Jeffers will donate a portion of the proceeds to us! How cool is that? :o)Here are a few of Shadow's favorite things...
Jeffers Black Coat Shampoo Ulcer Guard Tummy Friendly Treats Colic-Prevention
