#11 - The Perfect Package - Flash-E-Motion
The year I turned 45, I began shopping for my dream horse, a warmblood dressage partner. It didn’t take long to realize that the only warmblood dressage horse I could afford was either a weanling or one with health problems. I opted for a colt and had visions of the two of us growing old together.
I first saw Flash, an Oldenburg/Thoroughbred, in a summer pasture alongside his dam with many other mares and foals. He stood out to me with his floaty trot and striking tobiano bay markings. He was the perfect package! I put a deposit down and had the honor of naming him Flash-E-Motion. Then I waited until Thanksgiving Day to make the ten-hour round-trip to bring him home.
Flash had gone through “boot camp” so he knew basic groundwork. With the wintery weather, he had been taken into a box stall the evening before I arrived. He went straight from the stall into the trailer for half a day. At home we had built a paddock for him out of panels and some existing rail fence that wasn’t as tall as the panels, but seemed tall enough for a colt. The minute I turned him loose in the paddock, all of Flash’s pent-up energy came surging out and he jumped over the rail fence. I quickly sprinted into action, somehow got the halter around his neck, slowed him enough to ease it over his nose and led him back to his paddock, which we quickly modified to exclude the rail fence. The five hour drive and the commotion when we arrived at home all took place during a snowstorm. Mike was a real trooper, driving on black ice with low visibility and then building fence when we got home. What a wild day!
Flash and I became friends right away. He was playful and full of energy. He became rather difficult to handle, bumping into me, catching me with a front foot when I wasn’t looking, kicking out on the lunge line (connecting with my elbow on one occasion) and nipping me whenever he had the chance - all done in play. Before long, I was covered in bruises. During my first go-around with horses, a colt with these behaviors would have been shut down right away with the use of a stud chain over the nose or under the chin. Something inside me told me this was not the way I wanted to handle Flash, so I started looking for a new way.
During this same time, natural horsemanship was hitting the scene, so I started by purchasing some DVDs to learn all about it. I also met a horse trainer named Jill, who taught natural horsemanship skills. She gave us weekly lessons and I was quite impressed with what she taught us. Before long, we were doing liberty work, which just blew me away. I had always dreamed of being able to connect with a horse without any tack. I hauled him to a clinic that she taught for the groundwork portion and eagerly soaked up all of this new knowledge.
During the spring of Flash’s two-year-old year, I decided he needed more challenges to keep his smart mind entertained. I started with a complete physical exam by our equine veterinarian. This included having a broken wolf tooth removed and radiographs of a bump on his pastern. He had never been lame or gimpy, but I was curious what could be causing the bump. Dr. Neuman diagnosed Flash with ringbone and wondered if he could have been stepped on as a colt. He cautioned me that the condition could cause lameness down the road and that if I ever went to sell him, he wouldn’t pass a pre-purchase exam. He also gave me his blessing to go ahead and start Flash with some light riding. I reached out to his breeder to ask about injuries as a colt and she couldn’t recall any. She told me, “You don’t ride x-rays. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
I hired another horsewoman, Sam, to start riding him. Sam was a calm, kind young lady who had a safe place for Flash to live and I knew that she would treat him with respect. My goal for Flash was to introduce some light riding, which would add enrichment to his current program. After 30 days with Sam, I took him home and integrated some rides in with our groundwork and liberty that we had learned from Jill. Flash was progressing so well. The daily challenges I presented him with were creating a fun-loving boy with good manners. I absolutely loved our time together and the relationship we had forged.
A couple of months after I brought Flash home, I began experiencing pain in my back along my shoulder blades. About a year earlier, I had the same pain, which was alleviated with a few chiropractic visits. This time that was not the case. I ended up getting an MRI with the diagnosis of a herniated cervical disc. When I finally had a consultation with a neurosurgeon, it was determined that I needed spinal injections, but no surgery yet. However, he told me that I would never ride again.
I was in intense physical pain, as well as the emotional pain of being told my riding days were behind me. So, I made the agonizing decision to sell Flash, as I didn’t feel that it was fair for him to sit idle not knowing if I’d ever ride him again. He was the kind of horse who needed a job, a challenge, and stimulation, so I chose to let him go.
When I advertised Flash, I disclosed the ringbone and only had one interested party. He was a missionary and promised a forever home for Flash. I trusted him to make good on that promise. When he made arrangements to come and get Flash, he gave me a story about how his missionary work hadn’t provided enough money for the purchase price. But given the promises he was making to give Flash the best life and given my state of physical and emotional pain, along with the board and training I was paying for Sam to continue riding and caring for him, I ended up giving him away.
Within months, Flash was for sale with a ridiculous price tag. I tried to get him back, but his new owner would not negotiate with me. I was even more heartbroken than I was the day Flash left. Not only was I still grieving, but all of the guilt and shame for allowing myself to be taken advantage of by someone who did not honor his word washed over me again.
Seven years later, I googled Flash-E-Motion, as I still thought of him often. A video popped up on YouTube. I was able to get in touch with the trainer who was riding him in the video and found that he had eventually made his way to Hawaii where he lives a very posh life with a wonderful lady, Lisa, who loves him as much as I do. I keep in contact with Lisa and love to hear about their adventures and see photos of my boy all grown up.
Flash and Lisa living their best life in Hawaii.
Looking back on my experience with Flash, here are the lessons that I learned:
You’re never too old to learn something new. I knew that with Flash I needed to learn a new way of working with horses. Natural horsemanship was my answer. It is a much more gentle way that honors who the horse is by nature and focuses on understanding and communication rather than force and fear.
Drastic situations are temporary. Had I waited to sell Flash, I would have found that I actually could ride again. It would have slowed our progress and Flash may have become bored or I would have paid a lot to continue his progress with a trainer. Eventually, I would have found myself back in the saddle and we could have had a wonderful life together. Flash may have been the most athletic horse I ever owned and I regret not taking him up the levels in dressage.
Be present. A horse knows if you are present, as they are always fully present creatures. In Flash’s case, it was important to be present to keep from injury. He was so playful that the second I was off in my own world, I was being clobbered with a shoulder shoved my way, an errant hoof, or a loving nip. Natural horsemanship gave me the tools I needed to understand the connection of presence with our relationship.
Devoting time and effort to a solid foundation and relationship will pay off for years to come. Flash’s current partner is reaping the rewards of a horse who has mastered foundational skills and knows he can trust his human partner. She has told me this on several occasions.
Trust with care. Because I was desperate and in extreme pain, I easily trusted an untrustworthy individual. I have since learned to check references and stories, to trust my intuition, and to prayerfully consider my options.
