Equine Transformation: Asher with Kathryn Davies

This article is from the July 2020 Horse Deals magazine.

Tell us about Asher. He is 4.5 years old, 14.1hh, and his breeding is unknown. 

How and when did he come into your life? Asher joined our family in March 2019. We (my mum, myself and my seven-year-old daughter) were travelling from the Hunter Valley to Dubbo to look at a yearling when I noticed an advertisement for him. Something about him made me contact his owner immediately and we detoured off course, took one look at him, loaded him on the float and brought him home. 

What potential did you see in him? He had the sweetest, yet saddest eyes. His conformation (whilst extremely skinny) was good and when he saw my daughter, his head lowered to the ground. He was fearful of us (adults) but with her, he relaxed. From there, there was no doubt we weren’t leaving him behind.

What was his condition, temperament and training like on arrival? His hooves were that unattended that he looked pigeon-toed. He had no body condition. He was skin and bone. His tail had been hacked off and he had scarring all over his hind legs. He looked as though he had been caught up in a fence. His temperament, whilst often gentle to handle, was unpredictable and often dangerous. The simple waving of hands or raised voices would have him cringing trying to find an escape route to flee whatever danger he thought was going to meet him. I could only let my daughter near him whilst supervised, yet there was never a time, not one, where he ever did anything to put her at harm’s way. It was honestly only big people that posed an imminent threat.

What did you do with him in the first few months? He was loved! He had his feet and teeth done, he was gradually placed on a high fat, high protein diet and he spent many hours just standing still to be brushed and talked to by a little girl who adored him. As he had no muscle mass I spent 20 minutes, five days a week lunging him. This helped him build much-needed topline. And the results could be seen within weeks.  

What was your first ride like? The first ride did not go well. I mounted, all seemed fine. I took a couple of steps and then swoosh, off he shot like something had just walloped him straight across the bum. This behaviour unfortunately continued. He was petrified as if I was about to wallop him between the ears. 

What’s been the biggest challenge with Asher and how did you overcome it? It was his dangerously, unpredictable spooking. He never bolted, I could pull him up but his spooks would come out of nowhere and he would be that frightened it was like he would disassociate. In the end, I needed to accept that I needed help. I reached out to a local trainer where he then spent the next month establishing basic groundwork techniques and desensitisation. Honestly, this was our turning point. 

What are your greatest achievements to date? He brought home Reserve Champion Galloway Hack at his first-ever local competition. And my now eight-year-old daughter has started the journey of learning to ride him. 

How would you best describe his personality? He is so cheeky, affectionate and just wants to please. He definitely has some attitude, but it’s like he has found his happy place and with that, it gives him this playful confidence. 

What is he up to today? With COVID-19 he hasn’t been out and about competing like I hoped he would, however, we are doing some online shows which have been super fun. 

What was the key to Asher’s transformation? With Asher, there were two parts to his transformation. The most obvious was his appearance. The lunging routine worked wonders for his topline and overall muscle mass. The less obvious was his psychological damage. To date, I still don’t know what he went through which would cause him to be so fearful of adults. However, the groundwork techniques and natural horsemanship I learnt from Mark at Marlem Equine Services definitely established our turning point. 

What advice would you give to someone about to embark on a transformation journey with their horse? Seek help when you need it. Having horses all my life, I was determined that I could do it all on my own. The journey is slow, and patience and commitment to the horse is a must. 

What are your future goals with Asher? That he will become a super pony club mount for my daughter. Until then I will continue to compete, educate and expose him to as many experiences as I can. 

Would you do it all again? Most definitely! The bond I have with this little pally is next to none.

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