♥ 1. -First encounter
I hopped into my dark blue truck at an earlier time than I normally would get up. I was overjoyed to find out that I had been chosen to tame my very own tolter horse! There is nothing else I would have rather do on such a lovely morning. I started up my engine and then shifted into drive. I turned on my radio and continued down the road. About an hour later, I arrived at the pick up center and found a herd of tolters standing in the corner of a pen.
Outside awaited a kind young man with a clipboard and pen. I parked my truck and trailer and walked over to him. "Hello there, are you here to pick up a tolter for our summer training event? I heard there were a few coming today...anyway, what is your name?" I looked over his shoulder and smiled. They were all so beautiful and I could not wait to see which one I would be lucky enough to obtain.
"Justine Withers, and do you know which one I am getting," I asked with an eagerness that seemed to put a smile on his face. "Oh yes, we have to get him out of the herd over there. None of them have had contact with humans before. But I think you will like him; he is a real beauty," he said.
We began to walk over to the pen and a band of ranch hands came out on their horses (who appeared to also have been tamed) and began to separate out the herd. One of the horses was singled out: a beautiful stallion who had the most beautiful blue roan color. His tobiano markings stood out with a white brightness that left my eyes locked on him.
They loaded him into my trailer and I was unsure with how I got the most beautiful horse. I did not know what to say to them because I was so shocked. "Uhm..Thank you so much! He is absolutely gorgeous! I can't wait to start training him!" The young man waved to me, and I was off to the barn to show this fellow his new home.
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♥ 2. -Adjusting to the new home
I got to the barn and backed up to the door to the indoor arena. The trailer and truck came to a screeching stop and the stable hand came over to help me unload my new tolter from the trailer. "Got a good one Justine," she said. "Oh yes Sarah! It's a stallion, and I absolutely think he will be a eye popper," I said with a squeal.
"Ok good! Stand back, I have a feeling he is ready to jump out," Sarah said. I stood back and listened to him pawing at the trailer's floor. His whinnies echoed amongst its metal walls in anticipation and anxiety. The doors swung open, and it almost seemed like slow motion. He sprang from the trailer and immediately sprinted to the other end of the arena. He turned and ran diagonally across the arena and slid into his stop sending the dust flying in all directions.
Sarah closed the trailer and I quickly got in it and pulled away as she closed the gate. It was official; I was about to train my first tolter! I walked back over and looked through the bars of the cool metal and watched him run. He would trot around and then spring into a bucking galloping fit and then trot around some more. He rolled on the ground, allowing the dust get onto his coat before standing up and shaking it all off.
"Nice one Justine! He may be a bit of a challenge, but at least he has not destroyed anything," she said jokingly and then walked off to finish his stall. I let him run for a little while, and I could have watched him for hours, but at some point, I had to see if I could make any contact.
I realized that it may be dangerous to walk into an arena with a wild horse, so I instead tossed out some food right by the side of the gate. I backed away and watched as he curiously approached the hay. He sniffed at it then snorted. He lifted his head up and nodded it around for a minute. Finally, as if pondering whether it was poison or not, he took a bite of the hay. I let out a sigh, which seemed to scare him because he went right back to sprinting around the arena.
I walked back over to the arena and stuck my arm out with a treat. He avoided me as much as possible, and I understand that because he was afraid. I talked softly and comforting to him. "Hey there boy! We are gonna be such great friends, I just know it. Wanna treat? It is really good, just like you! You're such a good boy."
He stopped and looked at me. He seemed to listen to my voice like it was his own and took a step toward me. "Come'on boy! Just a few more steps and..." I said and he turned away and ran. I tossed the treat over the bar and it landed in the center of the ring. As I turned and started to walk away, I could hear the satisfying crunch of the treat in his teeth. At least he was eating, I thought. Maybe it won't be as hard as it seems.
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♥ 3. -Introduction of the halter
A few days had finally passed and I have gotten closer and closer to my boy, who I realized still needed a name. Each day, I had gotten closer and closer to touching him, but he still has not completely trusted me. Today would be the day, I just knew it! I came to the barn just as always and set watched as he would walk over to the troughs we had set up for him to eat from inside of the arena. I thought that it would be safe enough to walk inside the arena with him for the first time. I slipped through the bars and he slowly lifted his head out of the food and gave me a stare down.
I took a step towards him and he sprang to the outer edge of the arena, galloping laps around me as I looked at him. "Shhh boy, I'm not here to hurt you, I just want to give you something," I said reaching hopelessly in my pocket. The treat's sandy surface rubbed against my finger as I snatched it from the bottom. I extended my arm outward and he stopped, noticing the treat that he had come to enjoy.
I closed my eyes and took a breath and then took a step toward him once more. He took a step back, his ears pinned to the back of his head. He bobbed his head up and down and let out a prolonged snort. He came toward me, his baby steps taking eternity, but in the end worth it. He extended his neck and grabbed the treat from me with a crunch. He put his nose by my pockets for more, but received nothing. I sat my hand on his neck and let him feel my hand rub up and down. He pulled away at first, but then learned that his soft spot was the top of his neck. He stretched out and let out a big sigh and seemed to be relaxing. I was extremely happy with this improvement and decided to push his limits a little bit more.
I latched the gate behind me as I grabbed my purple halter and lead to take to the arena. I walked back in, the halter and lead behind my back and reached out with another treat. Seeing the treat, the large size tolter walked over briskly to take it from my hand. As he set his head down, I slipped the halter over his nose and buckled it as he tried to pull away. I gripped onto the lead as he bucked around, pulling me ever so slightly every few minutes due to his power.
I held the lead rope down, which seemed to get him to stop bucking. He paced in a circle around me almost like he was lunging, just a bit closer. I pulled him in closer to me, and eventually he stood pretty still. I stroked down his head, neck, back, and legs to start working on his contact with humans.
He had done so great today, and made a big leap in progress. I released him from his halter and this time, put him in his stall the first time. He immediately went for the food, which was better quality (now that it wasn't in the sand of the arena). I laughed and then walked into the tack room to put up my halter. "I wonder what I should call him. He deserves a name, now doesn't he?" I muttered to myself. "Hmm Billy...no...maybe Joker.....no no get it right, these are all awful! Wait! I know! I can call him Bentley! That is perfect, and it fits him so well," I said in excitement.
I walked back over to Bentley's stall with a carrot and fed it to him while I looked at his beautiful eyes. "I will call you my Bentley boy, and I think that we will be best friends. I just need for you to trust me now," I said. Today was the best day an equestrian of my age could think of. He was such a joyful horse to have, and I was thrilled to see what else the future will bring for us two and our bond.
Halter Reference -
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♥ 4. -Meeting a friend
Over the next week, I made sure to halter Bentley everyday and lead him around while giving him some light contact and rub downs. He eventually came to the point where he was very nice to handle. For some reason, it seemed like he was getting a bit lonely without his peers. So, I came to the decision that he was ready to meet a friend. I had spent all morning trying to find a good pal for him to meet, and then I had come to the perfect decision.
I walked over to the goat pen and clipped a leash onto the barn goat named Franny. She baaaaad in defiance as I pulled on her collar to follow, but soon cooperated with me enough to get into the open pasture. I released her into the field and watched as she ran around the fence calling to the other animals of the barn.
I grabbed my halter off its rack and ran over to Bentley's stall to find him rolling around in the stall shavings. I slipped the halter over his head and then took him to the pasture. He seemed excited today as I led him because there was an extra spring in his step. I led him through the gate and then released the lead rope from his halter. Bentley trotted off and over to the goat. The sniffed at each other's muzzles.
I set my arms on the fence and leaned up against it as I watched them play around. Bentley was really enjoying himself and that showed. He was a social butterfly and absolutely love the goat's company. They played around for hours and hours before Bentley laid down in the grass. Franny hopped up onto the stallion's back, sending him in a fit. Bentley rose up to his feet quickly and sent Franny off balance. Then, Franny leaped off and Bentley galloped around with a crow hop every few strides.
Bentley had been playing for a while, so I decided it was time for him to go back to his stall. As soon as he settled, I walked up to him and clipped on his lead before putting the leash on the goat. I walked them both over to Bentley's stall to let Bentley relax and rest up for the next day. As soon as I locked his stall, I took Franny over to the goat pen and released him next to his little play shack.
I could hear Bentley's whinny through the barn as he called for his new friend. Franny would give him a few responses before he too got bored and laid down for a nap. Tomorrow I would do more work with Bentley on trust, and I think that this will be one of the hardest things he would ever have to do. He had been caught by humans, but has only had a little bit of my light contact. I could tell that he still did not fully trust me, so something had to be done to help him out.
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♥ 5. -Gaining your horse's trust
Bentley had come so far since I first got him, and I felt like it was unfair to both of us that he did not trust me. As I grabbed him from his stall, there was still a glint of fear in his eyes, and today that would end. It is not fair for a horse not to trust their owner, so I would make sure that today he would be fully trusting of me.
I walked Bentley into the round pen and released him from the halter. He tended to stay toward the outer edge of the ring as if he was going to do a lunging exercise. I asked him to trot around the arena, which he obeyed with no issue. Then after a few laps, I asked him to stop and made him walk to the center. Without his halter on, I began to stroke him up and down his back, neck, head, and legs. Then, I realized it was not a problem with me, he was afraid of the crop I was using, even though I had never hit him with it. I reached down and grabbed it, and then showed it to him. He took a few steps back, but then I sternly said, "Stand." Bentley was smart enough to know what that meant, so he stood still, but he pawed at the ground every step I got closer.
Soon, I was close enough to touch him, so I sent the crop on his back. I rubbed it around on him and let him see that it is not the object that would hurt him, but the person themselves. I would never do it, and he seemed to know that, but for some reason, this fear would stay in his mind. "That's good Bentley baby. That's good," I whispered softly to him. He let out a sigh, and now seemed more relaxed around the crop, but I still had to seal the deal.
I repeated these exercises over the next few days, and I felt like then he began to trust me as much as he trusted himself. I loved his perseverance and patience to learn. Bentley was no doubt the best tolter I could have received from the agency, and I was ensured that we would be an unstoppable team. We were ahead of my schedule, and we could probably learn some pretty advanced training later on.
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♥ 6. -First time with saddle
So far, so good. Bentley had been so amazing with his transformation between wild horse and tamed Icelandic. Now, the hardest part of training was about to start. If done wrong, I could potentially ruin the bond we have created and all trust will he lost. I knew about this risk, but for his sake, it was a risk worth taking. I knew that he would be worth it, and we had come so far, so why give up now?
I grabbed my english training saddle, which had the stirrup leathers on, but I took off the stirrups to avoid an injury. I set it on a rack in the arena and made sure to grab the light purple saddle pad that went with it. I opened the arena gate and then set off to Bentley's stall, where he happily awaited my arrival. "Hey there boy! Ready for something new today? I really hope so," I said as I snapped the lead rope onto his halter. I walked him into the arena and closed the gate behind us. You could see him start to panic about it a little because he began to pace around me. I lead him in a few circles, which seemed to calm his nerves, but still made him look nervous.
I tied him up to the post along the edge and then grabbed my saddle pad. I rubbed it up and down his flanks and back, praising him quietly in soft whispers. He turned his head around and sniffed at the pad sending little nibbles with his teeth before realizing that there was no food. I pushed his head back over and centered the pad onto his back. Quickly, I swung the saddle onto his back, centering it just over his withers and tightening the wool covered girth under his belly.
I released the lead rope, and BAM! He bucked around the arena like a rodeo horse, only this "rodeo" horse was wearing an english saddle. He rolled on the ground, hit the saddle up against the side of the arena, and bit at the saddle in attempt to remove it from his back. He slid into his stops with dirt flying so high that it filled the arena in the sand's residue. "Easy there Bentley boy, I promise that the saddle won't hurt you! Please settle down," I said. This did not really work, however, because he continued to buck around trying to get out of the saddle's grip. Eventually, after about a half hour of trying to get the saddle off, Bentley stopped in the center of the arena, exhausted from the hard running. I clipped on his lead rope and led him back over to the side where I took off the saddle and gave him a huge reward: two horse treats and a good brush down.
Bentley's feelings did not seem hurt by this, so I think that our trust is good for now. Later may be questionable, but for now, life was good and everything was as it should be. After his grooming, I released him to pasture, and then went to go grab my saddle soap to clean off all of the dirt and mud that covered my training saddle.
It was definitely not easy getting all of the dirt off, but it would be worth it next training session when it would be itchy if it were not clean. For about the next 20 minutes, I cleaned the saddle and the arena from the mess we had made. When I was finally done, I grabbed Bentley from the pasture and sent him back to his stall until our next time working.
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♥ 7. -Ground work
Even though lots of work had been done, we still had a little bit of ways to go. A week had passed and everyday, the saddle seemed to become easier for Bentley. He was able to be saddled, but now came the hard part; the ground work. The morning came as usual, I would wake up early, drive to the barn, and feed the horses before grabbing Bentley and leading him to the arena. I saddled him as I had been doing for the past few weeks, but this time, began with an exercise.
I put the lead rope to his side and began to do some flexing with his neck. At first, he would move his whole body where the lead rope would go, but eventually after holding my body in his way, only moved his head. By the time I was finished with that, he still seemed a little bit rough, but better. It would probably be a few weeks before he starts to get that.
After the flexing drills, I asked him to walk alongside me until we reached the center of the ring. I then grabbed the lunge whip and asked him to walk on a right lead. He began at a slower pace, which I would have liked to be a little bit faster. I gave him a couple clucks and a light tap on the ground and that seemed to do the trick. Now that his walk was a bit quicker, I let him do a couple laps so that he could keep pace and I could make some corrections.
I had him lengthen his stride just a bit as his steps were short and choppy. Then, I asked him for a trot. He started out good, but I did have to occasionally pull down on his head because he would raise it a bit too much. He would was above the bit, and if I was going to make a hunter horse out of him, he would have to be on the bit. He would slow down his pace by a bit, but then I would push him on. You see, Bentley was good at responding to my ques, and as soon as he realized I needed him to go a bit faster, he did it in an instant.
His trot was beginning to look pretty good for the first time on the line. His stride was nice and low to the ground and covered a lot of area, his head would be on the bit if he had on a bridle, and he was beginning to keep a pretty even pace. Now for a challenge, the canter. I clicked to him and asked him onto his right lead. He bounced up, landing his right foot on the correct lead, but seemed to be a bit bouncy for a canter. I asked him to extend a bit more and watched as the bounce left. He almost looked like he had a rocking chair canter. I could not wait to get to finally ride him.
I got him to come to a stop and face me in the center before I turned him around and practiced on his other side. The left side was a bit more rough than the right, but with some work became a little bit better. I was a proud momma and thought about what a beautiful future lie ahead of us.
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♥ 8. -First ride
The process has been long, but totally worth it. Today, would be a magical day where Bentley and I would have our first ride as a horse and his rider. I could not believe that the day was finally here, and my anticipation was killing me! I was ready to take on the challenge and give Bentley the chance to see how far his trust can take him. He was so great, and I think that he would appreciate it when we felt our freedom running among the meadow and over the jumps of the forest.
I quickly drove to the barn that day to see my boy. As I arrived at his stall, Bentley stuck out his head to greet me as I reached in my pocket to hand him the horse treats. I then haltered him and led him to the cross ties to get tacked up. The tack room was cluttered with the boarders' tack scattered on the saddle racks and bridle racks. The tack trunks sat in rows on the floor next to the feed bin, and I quickly walked over to my rack by the door. My light chestnut jumpers saddle and light purple pad were set cleanly together with my figure 8 bridle sitting on the rack next to it.
I carried all the tack over to the cross ties and set them on the edge of the dividing piece of center wood. I set the pad on his back followed by the saddle. I tightened the girth, and for the first time, he did not puff out his cinch. Maybe today would be a lot better than I thought. As soon as I slipped the bridle over his head, I led him over to the mounting block. I carefully started to set my left foot in the stirrup, watching for a reaction. He did not seem to mind, so I then set my weight centered on his back. He took one step forward, so I got off and moved him back one step.
I tried the two steps again and then after he had no reaction, I went ahead and tried to get fully into the saddle. I carefully set my bum deep in the seat, and sat there so he would see that we would go when I asked him. He stood very quiet, so I pressured him on with my legs. He took a few steps forward and then jolted into a trot. I kept my weight back and gave him a light tug on the reins to slow him to a walk again.
He slowed down pretty quickly and walked around the arena, laps beginning to add up pretty quickly. I realized that he had begun to relax with me on his back, so then I asked him for a trot. He had almost a hunter like trot, and covered a lot of ground. His head would stay pretty much on the bit and occasionally come up. I did expect this as it was his first time, but decided to seal the deal with a lap of a canter to finish it off.
I asked him for his canter and then felt the uneven beat of the wrong lead under me. I slowed him to a trot and asked him again, this time giving my heel a little bit more umph. This worked like a charm, because he cantered around this time and it felt like I was on the clouds. I could not believe that he was doing so well for his first day, and cannot wait for more in the future.
That was good enough for the day, so I untacked him and led him into the pasture for a break that was well deserved. I mucked out his stall and then changed it to a new fresh new bedding. Then, I added in his food and went back out to pasture to bring him back to his stall. The day was officially done, and I am proud of all the work that had gotten us to where we are now.
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♥ 9. -Free spot
A few months flew bye and my Bentley and I were training hard to enter our first competition. His hunter class would be the first, so our equitation practice began at once. This competition was special, however, because the overall champion would get money to send to a charity for horses in need, and I had a special one in mind. The tolter rescue facility had done so much for us, and I believe that it was time to give back to them.
We had been working countless hours on the lunge line trying to perfect his movement, as well as some work on myself with my equitation. By the time we had come to the day before the competition, we had perfected our movements and were ready for a challenge. That night, I set up the trailer, making sure that the guard between the stalls was working before I closed it up and put a blanket over Bentley for the night.
I stayed with him late into the night, waiting for him to fall asleep as I stroked his head and watched his tired eyes flutter in exhaustion. I knew that he was ready, and the only thing I was worried about was the fact that he had never been in a ring with so many horses at one time. I petted him to sleep, and the quietly made my way out of the stall and drove home. By the time morning came, I was nearly passed out asleep, listening to the alarm sound at 5:30 in the morning getting louder and louder.
I grabbed at it with my hands and felt around for the off button. Many failed attempts later, I pulled out the plug and then set my show clothes and tall boots carefully in the back seat of my truck. The trailer was already on the back, so it made it pretty easy to not waste time setting it up to the hitch. A five minute drive to the barn seemed like eternity, but I thought that it would not come fast enough. Maybe it was the fatigue from all of the work, or maybe just me being super tired. Either way, I was willing to give this show my all and I was sure that Bentley would do the same.
I was pretty sure that I grabbed the correct halter, but it may or may not have been another boarder's halter. Ehh, it was too early to care, but it fit Bentley, so it should be the right one. I loaded him into the trailer with another miniature horse to keep him company throughout the long showing process. Cookie was another friend that Bentley had come to know throughout his training, so I know that she would be a good companion.
We were on the road for a half hour before we hit the show grounds. Dozens of horse trailers lined the parking lot, the riders hanging out in the warmth of their cars. It was a cooler morning than usual, so I made a note to self to warm Bentley more carefully and a bit longer today. I could not find a parking spot anywhere, so I had to keep driving around until someone had to drop out due to an illness and I got to keep their spot.
Bentley seemed more than ready to perform today. He whinnied a long and loud neigh and listened wide eyed as the other horses would answer his call. I set him in the show stall we rented out for the day and I set up the poster of us. I unloaded the rest of the tack and my show clothes. My show coat was pressed the night before, so all of the wrinkles were out, and its appearance was almost flawless.
I would next get changed and come back out to do some warm up lunge work with Bentley. The time seemed to pass in a few minutes after that warm up, and in ten minutes we would be going into the ring for our first hunter class. As soon as I tacked Bentley, I mounted him and rode over to the gate when the first gate call was announced. We entered the ring and walked to the far side of the arena, making sure to stand nice and square when we halted.
The class started as a simple walk trot hunter class. The calls flew out of the microphone and finished strong with only one little mistake that the judge did not see. We lined up in the center and were asked to back up our horses one by one. This was not a problem for Bentley because this was something we practiced every day. Then, out of a class of 14 horses, we placed 1st! I was so proud because the first class of our first show was a success!
The next classes came as followed: Walk trot canter, Hunter over 2' fences, Halter class, and then the Showmanship class. We placed 1st in all except for the Halter class, where we placed 2nd because Bentley had one back foot a little uneven with his other for the square. That was ok, however, because we did receive overall champion! We got a grant of $2000 to give back to the tolter taming project, in hope that it would help them afford more things for all of the horses the get everyday.
I knew that we would still have to work on the halter event for the next competition, but now I felt happier knowing that we did a show that would benefit everybody. I really did appreciate the chance to get to prove ourselves, and I think that we will prove ourselves more to higher standard in the future. As for now, that has been our story, but I cannot wait to see what our future has in store for us. I do believe that we crossed paths for a reason, and that reason was for the bond that we received as horse and rider.
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