Equine Transformation - Ruebanlee

This article is from the April 2020 Horse Deals magazine.

Ruebanlee and Nance Reinke.

Tell us about Ruebanlee. Ruebanlee is a seven-year-old OTT Thoroughbred who was born in the Gin Gin area and as a two-year-old raced at Toowoomba, Queensland.

How and when did Ruebanlee come into your life? I had an accident off my horse when he shied coming down a steep hill, coming off and breaking my ankle which had to be pinned. I was attending a physio session at the Gin Gin Hospital when another patient said she had a horse that had lost a bit of weight that she wanted to give away. I thought maybe a younger rider in the Bundaberg Dressage Club might be able to train him and compete dressage. The following day we drove out to her property where she had a number of horses but no grass. We then saw Ruebanlee, an emaciated horse hobbling along the fenceline picking up anything he could find to eat. I said to my husband, this horse will be dead in a week. No one I knew would take him. At that time I was basically over dressage and big horses, he stood about 17hh. We already had three horses and a foal nearly due. We discussed him on the trip home and we made a decision. We couldn’t save every horse but maybe we could save him. The following day we brought him home.

What potential did you see in him? His sire is an American import and he had a small head and a short back which meant he should find lateral work easy.

What was his condition, temperament and training like on arrival? His ribs protruded, his coat was long and hairy, his backbone was two inches high and his hair came out in clumps.

What initial treatment did Ruebanlee require? We quarantined him and started him on numerous small feeds during the day. A short time later green fluid was coming out of his nose. The vet who attended said his stomach would have shrunk to the size of a cricket ball and could not handle even a small amount of green feed. She checked him over and said he would not have lived another week. We continued his regime of numerous small feeds, turmeric, Rosehip Vital and a vitamin supplement. His kidneys were starting to shut down so for the rest of his life is on KA Cleans & Flushes every month.

What did you do with him in the first month? After three to four weeks we started a lunging regime of two minutes each way to encourage muscle growth and not fat. Our chiropractor visited and said he was out from his poll to his tail and had an inverted pelvis from his racing days. He said he could do nothing until he got a bit of meat between his backbone.

How did he progress over the six months? We had him about six weeks when he trotted up to us for the first time, then another milestone a few days later he got down and rolled. We were even then still not sure we would save him. After quite a few months he started to fill out a bit and lose his old coat which had been covered with hundreds of ticks, which the vet said can stay dormant for up to a year.

What was your first ride like? I decided to re-start him as he hadn’t been ridden for nearly two years. My first ride was just a walk, he couldn’t go straight, he couldn’t stop, only went one way, had no idea what a circle was, to say just a few of his issues.

What were the challenges? As he got healthier and stronger more problems arose; he would bolt up the bank when I was trying to turn and I would be in tears at the end of the ride. I was already competing my other horse in dressage. I though that if he improved, I might as well compete with two.

What was his first outing and how did he cope? It was the Bundaberg Dressage Club official event. It was a steep learning curve. He had foam all over his body from nerves and his trot was up and down like a set of pistons. He did everything he was asked, but was coiled up like a spring.

How would you best describe his personality? He loves his food and actually lives for food time. He can get hot really easily, but is a kind soul in other ways; like he has been to the other side and returned. He is easy to do most things with; floating, shoeing, stabling, etc, but can react, especially at new places in the warm-up arena where other horses are, then go out and do an awesome dressage test.

Does he have any special needs? We have to monitor his kidneys and lungs when he starts coughing, which fortunately isn’t often.

What are your greatest achievements to date? Our greatest achievements would be during the 2019 dressage year. Ruebanlee and I took out the Equestrian Queensland Participant Leaderboard Preliminary Championships from nearly 100 riders state-wide, which was awarded at the Presentation night held in Brisbane. We also made up the top horses in the Equestrian Queensland Leaderboard Teams Challenge with another three riders from our Bundaberg Club.

What’s his work ethic like? He learns quickly and most days tries really hard for you. He enjoys his work, which is also broken up with a bit of western, sporting and jumping to keep him interested.

What is Ruebanlee up to today? He is back in work after a spell and is training at a higher level than what we compete. His movement is now soft and smooth and he has a good rhythm with his gait. We continually get positive feedback from judges to his ability and appearance.

What was the key to his transformation? I put it down to taking him slowly in his rehabilitation, good food and supplements, great chiropractor and farrier and always finishing on a good note when training. Also, not harping on something he finds difficult, coming back to it later and never blaming him for any problems we may encounter.

What advice would you give to someone about to embark on a transformation journey with their horse? Always be prepared to learn and listen to others, take chances, trust your judgement. The horses will tell you so much and to think outside the square.

What are your goals with Ruebanlee? My goals in 2020 are to ride official Equestrian Queensland competitions, keep training the higher movements and qualify for the State Championships at some time.

Would you do it all again? I would say yes, but there have been times I would have said no. Ruebanlee has shown me that with opportunity, patience, a willingness to learn and love, anything is possible.

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