Eason's Journey: First Few Days

The day after Sadonis passed, Jamie, a woman I had met at a clinic a few months earlier, messaged me and asked if I wanted to care lease her mare, Eason. A few days later, I drove to visit Eason. She was a small, sweet mare, a TB of 15.1 hands or so, with some obvious physical issues. Her feet were a mess because she'd had a bad trim job from a new farrier -- something Jamie felt terrible about. Getting good farrier and veterinary care is one of the challenges of living in rural areas, and Eason's feet were a mess as a result of the bad trim. She twisted her left hock in particular when she walked, had a big hay belly and no topline, and showed anxiety about being touched, especially near her hind end. She also carried her tail somewhat clamped. But she had a kind energy and I don't have a dedicated horse of my own, so after a trip to California I returned for a second visit and decided that I would bring Eason home and see if I could a) learn from her and b) help her.

Jamie explained that Eason doesn't like her mane pulled, is fearful of touch on the withers and has a somewhat reactive personality, though she is often brave in surprising ways. Despite her anxiety and that fact she had never been in a straight load trailer, the little mare led to the trailer, went in with just a few small questions, and hauled back to Shadow Rose farm calmly to unload without drama. She went into her pen without anxiety or pacing, at a good dinner, and seemed remarkably calm as shown in this first day picture. As soon as she defecated, I took a sample to send in for a fecal, something I do for all "my" horses. I don't want to worm horses with chemicals if they don't need them.

The following day, I decided to take her out for a walk in the "outnabout," a tiny trail area behind the dressage arena. She was calm till the neighbor's dog started barking, then froze, her head giraffe-high and her heart beating so hard it shook her entire refined frame. In that moment, I remembered Jamie had warned me she might have issues with dogs: "I don't know what she'll do around dog" she had let me know.

When Eason's shoulders started shaking, I realized the intensity of her anxiety, so we walked back to her pasture and I put her out. I decided to try a little scentwork, so I brought out a tarp, anchored it with two blocks and scattered some treats on it. She showed no fear of the tarp and ate the treats unperturbed.

Later that afternoon, I brought her into her run in and attempted grooming her. I already knew she had anxiety about being touched and that she had a skin condition I would need to care for, so I used clicker training to help her stay calm as I groomed her and picked out her feet. Given that she had a history with farriers and didn't like her feet picked up, I was pleased at how quickly she accepted me lifting her legs and picking out her hooves. As I suspected, she had a bad case of deep sulcus thrush, especially on the right front. I dressed it, then worked on her giving me her hind legs without snatching or threatening to kick. 

When I went to brush her mane, she threw her head in the air and ran backwards, so I spent a few minutes clicker training her till she allowed me to run the brush through a small section of her mane exactly twice, using the flat back of the brush, then click treating a few times before I turned the brush over to lightly brush out the bottom of her mane followed by a click-treat.

Then next day, I moved the tarp onto the trailer ramp, threw treats on it, then let her explore the treats and go into the trailer and back off in her own time. She did well, and offered to go fully into the trailer and stand quietly--definitely a win.

Later that day I tried scentwork in the arena, but the distractions were too much for Eason. The "horse in the mirror" was terrifying, the neighbor's horse, half hidden by a fence, kept rustling around, and the unfamiliar sights and scents kept her on high alert. While she had no fear of the tarp or the items on it, she struggled to focus on finding the treats. After a few minutes, I brought her back to her pen where I groomed her and dressed her feet using clicker training again.

Day three I brought her into the barn. Stephanie had her young horse in the cross ties for a PEMF treatment, so I soft-tied Eason to the stall door and worked on her feet, grooming her, getting her calmer about having her mane brushed (this time she allowed me to brush it all lightly as well as spray her tail with a soothing spray to ease the itching she felt there). She was less twitchy when I touched her on the hind end, and I was able to cut a bridle path behind her ears.

Afterwards, I took her out to the arena, and this time she was able to accept the horse in the mirror and do some light TRT work without escalating her anxiety level. I called that a win and put her out in the pasture for the afternoon.

Clearly she's going to need a lot of work to fix her physical issues and to release whatever emotions she has going. This will be a journey of patient and careful experimentation, but at her core, she's a sweet mare who wants to please. Whether her current physical challenges will allow her to be a riding mare, I don't know, but I'm up for the challenge to see if I can get her there.

For the record, here is a list of the issues I'm working on:

• Feet: All four are different shapes. She has mild high/low in front and deep sulcus thrush especially on the right fore. Her anxiety about having her feet picked up points to a pain issue elsewhere. I've contacted Mike to see if he can fit her in before Aug. 1.
  
• Neck: It clicks when she turns it. Her anxiety about being touched on the withers and having her mane brushed indicates potential pain in the neck.
• Right knee: Mild swelling.
• Lumbar spine: No topline and slight roaching in the back.
• Abdomen: Significant belly (the fecal was negative for worms).
• Hocks: Twisting of the hind legs, especially the left.
• Tail: Anxiety about touch, as well as itchiness. Tends to carry it a bit clamped.
  
• Ovaries: She went into instant heat when she met the other horses. There's an indication she might have ovary issues. Jamie said she had her on Regumate for three months. 
  
• Emotional: Anxiety about changes, being away from the other horses, new experiences. Can go from 0-60 in a second when she sees a trigger.
• Nutrition: Needs to avoid soy. I've ordered the Vermont blend for her. I need to find soy-free horse treats for her. I've also added raspberry leaves to see if that helps with the ovaries.
• Potential ulcers or hind end tension: She has the "ulcer line," worse on the left.