Equine Transformation - Breeze Thunder Struck and Karen Spencer

This article is from January 2019 Horse Deals magazine

Horse’s name, age, height, breeding?
Breeze Thunder Struck aka Freckles, 7yo Warmblood gelding. Sire: Lauries As. Dam: Belcam Havannah (Hector), 16.1hh.

How did Freckles come into your life?
My coach James Miller, from GT Sporthorses, was organising an online auction. James knew I was in the market for a new horse and indicated there was a lovely bay mare by Fisherman’s Friend that might suit me. She was pretty enough to hack but also had talent for dressage. She was gorgeous and would have been perfect, then entered my boy. I took one look at his movement, his dear little face and quirky personality and knew he was the one for me.

What potential did you see in him?
At the time of viewing, Freckles wasn’t much to look at, very light paddock condition with quite a bit of Queensland itch. I viewed him running free in the round yard, his canter was to die for. I knew if I could ride his movement he would be a dream come true.
What was his condition and temperament like on arrival? As indicated previously his condition was quite light. We picked him up and took him straight down to the breaker, after a week the breaker asked us to pick him up and take him home to condition him up more. In the breakers words “he has nothing in the engine”. He was quite quirky when we bought him, taking him down to the arena to work him was very interesting. As his favourite pace initially on the ground was backwards it took a bit of effort getting from one place to another.

What did you do with him in the first month?
His first month with us involved predominately getting him to eat, his appetite was very poor when we first purchased him. As his condition picked up I spent a lot of time doing ground work with him and some very light lungeing.

How did he progress over the next six months?
Freckles was very immature and quite weak when we purchased him, so for the first six months we took him very slowly. After the breaking in process he spent several months with my coach for further training.

Progression after 12 months?
After we ironed out his quirks and he became stronger we progressed quite quickly. He is a very willing horse under saddle although he does have a tendency to bit a little lazy sometimes.

Was he broken to saddle when you got him and how did he handle the training process?
We were advised he was broken but they hadn’t had much done with him so we decided it was easiest to start the process again. Once he picked up weight and strength he coped well. That said, David Perkins who broke him in, did say he thought he would get him back as he was quite tricky, I guess because he had a few odd habits. I cannot thank David enough for the great start he gave him. Freckles wasn’t a fan of going forward on the ground when we got him, my husband used to have to follow behind with a dressage whip for the first few weeks. Even after the breaking in process, while at my coach James’ property, he walked backwards in to a fence. He wasn’t very brave then so it may well have been an evasion tactic. Just getting him from the paddock to the arena was quite a challenge.

What was his first outing and how did he cope?
He first outing under saddle was a competition at our local Equestrian Club PRARG. He coped really well with working with other horses and a competition environment.

How is he today and what are you doing with him? Freckles was only campaigned lightly in 2018 but placed in the Top 5 in most competitions, winning at his Preliminary debut. Unfortunately at the moment he is on paddock rest as he has fractured his splint bone. I am counting down the days until I can ride my beautiful boy again. Prior to his injury we were competing Preliminary and training Novice/Elementary.

What were the main obstacles you had to overcome?
Slow and steady weight increase while maintaining a cool horse and slowly building up his stamina and muscles.

Does he have any special needs?
If you met my boy you would probably say yes. He is full of character and also into mischief, I think he would like me to believe he does so he gets extra attention.

What was the key to his transformation?
With him it was a very slow process, he wasn’t a great eater when we got him. We put our Shetland pony in the paddock with him the first day hoping this would encourage him to eat. That wasn’t successful as the Shetland pony chased him off, Freckles wasn’t the bravest horse when we bought him. My trick to getting him to eat in the beginning was to hand feed him his hard feed as he didn’t seem to understand what eating a hard feed was. The biggest help with his weight gain was Pryde’s BioMare, this was amazing for assisted with muscle building and healthy hindgut function which was crucial. TuffRock products were also key to his transformation. They helped relieve his stress and aided in his digestive process.

What advice would you give to someone embarking on their own equine transformation journey?
Embrace the journey, it can be very rewarding. It is not always easy, it comes with its challenges but boy is it worth it when it all comes together.

What does the future hold for Freckles?
I am hoping Freckles will have a huge future, he has the temperament and the ability. I have told him 2019 is going to be our year, with hard work and dedication there are no limits with Freckles. I am hoping he will be competing elementary/medium by the end of the year.

Would you do it all again?
Without a doubt yes.

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