Sorry, @ClearDonkey, but those are not the only signs. Look for the scars.
When we bought our Zimfandel stallion, he'd been beaten severely and often. He had the scars to prove it. They had tried to nerve his tail, and it nearly rotted off. He had the scar to prove that as well. It was YEARS before we could tie him up without him pulling back HARD.
The "trainer" he was put with was a drunk. IF he had a bad night at the bar, he'd come back at 2 am, get Zim out of his stall, tie him short, and beat the daylights out of him. You never saw a horse sooooo afraid in your life.
We just treated him like a horse. Be fair, be consistent, and just let them unwind and decompress.
If there was ever a horse that should not have come back to reality from all that, it was him. But he did. He turned into one of the top cutting stallions in the NorthWest.
Look for the scars. They can be more than just mental. Zim has scars all over his hind quarters from the beating he'd endured. But he came back, and excelled. It can be done.
When we bought our Zimfandel stallion, he'd been beaten severely and often. He had the scars to prove it. They had tried to nerve his tail, and it nearly rotted off. He had the scar to prove that as well. It was YEARS before we could tie him up without him pulling back HARD.
The "trainer" he was put with was a drunk. IF he had a bad night at the bar, he'd come back at 2 am, get Zim out of his stall, tie him short, and beat the daylights out of him. You never saw a horse sooooo afraid in your life.
We just treated him like a horse. Be fair, be consistent, and just let them unwind and decompress.
If there was ever a horse that should not have come back to reality from all that, it was him. But he did. He turned into one of the top cutting stallions in the NorthWest.
Look for the scars. They can be more than just mental. Zim has scars all over his hind quarters from the beating he'd endured. But he came back, and excelled. It can be done.
