Equine Transformation: Shades of Secretariat with Vanessa Thurner

This article is from the May 2020 Horse Deals magazine.

Tell us about Squish. Squish is a 15hh, four-year-old chestnut gelding who was bought from a knackery when he was four months old. We don’t know much about his breeding other than he was supposedly bred for polo, and is built like a small athletic Thoroughbred. Because of his similarity to some prolific racing Thoroughbreds, we decided his competition name would be: “Shades
of Secretariat.”

How and when did Squish come into your life? Squish came into my life during an extremely busy time. It was June 2017 and I had just sold one of my young Stock Horses to downsize my herd before I moved down south to study on campus.

Squish had been bought by someone I knew and when they picked him up, he was abruptly weaned from his mother and transported five hours, where he was put in a round yard. This would be where Squish stayed for almost eight weeks.

One morning I went and checked on him because he was laying down a lot. I went and sat by the outside of the round yard and watched him closely, he was laying down again, that is when he looked over at me, stood up, came over to where I was sitting and collapsed by my side. Squish was pretty much unhandled so I was very surprised and equally concerned.

I slowly reached over and felt under his rug, beneath his thick fluffy coat I felt, ribs and I felt bones. I knew right then and there Squish needed immediate intervention or he wouldn’t survive much longer. I convinced the owner that I would adopt him and provide him with the veterinary care he needed, they agreed and the rest was history.

What potential did you see in him? I didn’t put any expectation on Squish when I first got him, I was fully prepared for him to be a paddock ornament as he had very long laxed front pasterns and was sickle hocked but that being said I saw that he was extremely athletic, quick and agile on his feet, he could run laps around all my horses with big beautiful expressive movement and a natural extension, so if things worked out and he proved capable as a ridden horse he could be a lot of fun in varying disciplines.

What was his condition, temperament and training like on arrival? Squish had this incredibly thick wiry coat draped over a frail little skeleton. His spine protruded so much you could grasp it in your hand, you could feel every rib and he had sores on his hips from laying down on the bone. Squish honestly seemed defeated, he lacked any spark and we were all afraid he would give up the fight.

What came as a shock was how protective he was of his food. I learnt the hard way regarding his behaviour when I walked into his stable with a bucket of food and he pinned me in the back corner and began double barrelling me insensately until I was able to call for assistance so I could swiftly correct the behaviour. This tiny, frail, little foal was so weak and so hungry he thought he had to fight for his life to get his food, I understood why he felt the need to do this. The behaviour was corrected immediately with consistent training and through this, I hoped to reassure him that he would never need to fight for his food ever again.

What initial treatment did Squish require? We brought Squish up to the stables for the first two weeks of his rehabilitation and started him on three small feeds a day. He was suffering severely from scours, burns from scours, dehydration and worm burden. The vets gave him fluids and medication to help flush his system. They said he was very close to colicing from sand impaction as his gut was full of dirt, which was most likely because he was so hungry that he started eating dirt in the round yard to fill his stomach.

What did you do with him in the first month? We had to be very careful in our approach as he was so fragile. During this time we gave him regular small feeds with Sand Flush, he was handled daily and his scour burns were treated so the hair could begin to grow back. Squish was also introduced to a new big grassy paddock after his stable rest. He was so excited to be out and was obviously feeling better as he ran laps around the paddock whinnying and tearing up the ground to the point he slipped and fell over. It wasn’t enough to stop him though, he stood up, shook it off and ran around again in a burst of excitement. It was hilarious.

How did he progress over six months? Squish picked up really well around six months. He started putting on weight nicely (although muscle development was slow) and his personality was shining through. His laxed pasterns began to strengthen with proper hoof care and feeding and his coat was getting healthier.

When was your first ride and what was it like? I started Squish under saddle at around three years of age. I spent a lot of time doing groundwork and building our foundations so I felt like I could ask him anything and he would be happy to oblige. Walk, trot, canter on the first ride with a beautiful big stop and soft lateral flection, Squish took care of me every ride from there, and I trusted him entirely.

What was his first outing and how did he cope? Squish was taken along to quite a few horse shows and training days from a young age just to learn how to tie and stand to the horse float. I also ponied him off my horses down main roads past busy traffic and on varying terrain trail rides.

But his first outing under saddle was to the beach, he had about five rides since being backed so I didn’t have many expectations. That being said, Squish was an absolute legend. This young freshly started horse handled the beach environment like a champion and did not put a hoof out
of place.

How did he respond to each new step in his training towards being a demo/trick horse? Overall, Squish took to trick training and liberty work really well and it was incredibly rewarding to watch him progress with each step. He was laying down and bowing on cue in the first two training sessions, and I had him self-loading at liberty within less than ten minutes. Squish is probably the quickest learner out of all my horses with the biggest drive to please.

What were the challenges? Squish has an incredible work ethic, he can be so focused at times. He tends to anticipate a command and try to complete the task before I ask him. He is also not very food driven so treat rewards are not enough to compel him to complete the task once he loses interest. When Squish is struggling to understand we would just go back to basics then end the session on a
positive note.

How would you best describe his personality? Squish is a beautiful affectionate young boy with the softest eye, everyone who meets him falls in love as he is just a horse that enjoys the company of people. My favourite moments with Squish is when he is laying down in the paddock with me and places his big head in my lap for a cuddle. I have always said he is a horse that is purely good for the soul.

Does he have any special needs? Thankfully he doesn’t have any special needs but does demand a lot of affection.

What are your greatest achievements to date? Definitely our first led show was a great achievement, Squish placed first in his colt class and was so well behaved in a small indoor arena with a lot of other young horses that were being a bit naughty. We were also welcomed to perform an equine clip art demo at Aussie Saddlery’s - Central Coast VIP event in 2019 where I clipped Pegasus wings into Squish’s coat in the middle of a massive thunderstorm and torrential rain. He was on his best behaviour whilst people lined up to pat him and watch us do the demonstration.

What’s been the biggest challenge with Squish? Putting weight on and getting him to keep the weight on. For so long it has seemed like an uphill battle, as he was constantly stuck in a permanent growth spurt. It was really disheartening at times because I would change his diet, I would increase his feeds, I would try different supplements, add more roughage, but I would just get nowhere.

What is Squish up to today? He is still enjoying his time growing out in the paddock whilst I am a bit pre-occupied being very pregnant. I plan to start ridden work with him again at the end of the year and until then I will build up his muscles and topline through groundwork training.

What was the key to his transformation? Honestly, time. Despite all the challenges I just had to trust that he was young and growing and I was doing everything I could for him, he just needed time to reach his full potential.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to bring on a young horse and unlock their full potential? Be prepared for anything, working with young horses at the best of times is challenging. They are only babies after all and some days you feel like you can conquer the world, other days you feel like pulling out your hair and rocking back and forth in a corner. But there is honestly nothing more rewarding than unlocking the full potential of a young horse. Just be patient, be kind and be humble in your training approach.

What are your goals with Squish going forward? Ideally, I would like to build Squish’s strengths under saddle and unlock that natural extension so we can look at competing at dressage comps in future.

Would you do it all again? That’s a tough question, yes and no. On one hand, it has been a lot of years investing in total uncertainty, it is a costly, time-consuming venture but on the other hand, it’s the most rewarding thing I have ever done and I am reminded of that every day when I go out to the paddock and see Squish. I wouldn’t trade that bond we have for anything.

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