Jerry's Story

I met Jerry, like Herman, at the public riding place.
Jerry was a big, long, lanky thoroughbred, who was as cranky as he was long.
Everybody hated him.....and he hated everybody.
He'd try to smash you in the standing stall when you groomed him; bit at you when you tried to put on tack, and threatened to kick when he saw you coming with a saddle. Beginners and intermediates were not allowed to ride him.....he had a nasty habit of just stopping, as if to say, "that's enough" and no amount of kicking or crop use would budge him beyond a grudging walk. Even though the advanced riders hated him, getting assigned to him was a sign of having arrived to the advanced levels.
Jerry's mind was always working.....and usually up to no good. If ever I have seen a horse that mutters, it would be Jerry. His lips were always moving in a tense pattern....he even looked like a sour old man muttering at all the craziness around him!
One of the instructors, who was taking dressage lessons, decided that Jerry just needed something different.....and dressage was just the thing. He envisioned Jerry as becoming more soft and forgiving and being used by beginners.
NOT.
Dressage made him worse. Jerry was just too long and lanky to even try to collect. He was heavy on the forehand, and no amount of impulsion could make it go away.
Jerry had been a racehorse for most of his life.....all he had to do was run along with everybody else. At the age of 9 he was sold as a hunter/jumper prospect and had a decent run doing that. But, the under saddle classes and pleasure classes were not his thing.....and someone picked him up to be a steeplechaser. By this time, Jerry was getting way too old for that, and did not do well in the money side.
We did notice that he perked up when we started practicing with cavalletti....he really seemed focused during those sessions. Even the students remarked that he went best through the cavaletti. So, on a whim, we decided to set up a cross-rail on some laid down barrels.
As soon as Jerry saw the little jump, there was a massive change in him. His ears came forward (Jerry's ears were NEVER forward), his head came up and he stared at it. Even coming to it at a trot, Jerry pulled on the reins. He wanted to go. The little hop seemed to be a let-down for him, but he was turned around and hopped over it again. Wow, what a difference in his appearance. So we let him canter over it. The girl riding him had not done much jumping, so she was basically steering. He stared the jump down, changed his stride as needed and took off.....3' higher than the jump! Perfect form, tucked up knees, rounded back.....and when he landed he was looking for another one!
Later, just for kicks, we took him over a jump with a pole across the tops of the standing barrels; he went for it and sailed over it and was just oh so proud of himself!
Unfortunately, the stables was not allowed to teach jumping, because of the liability involved. But we instructors would get on him and jump him every so often.
And wouldn't you know......he was so happy he even let the beginners do their thing with him.
On a sour note......he could no longer be a trail horse......he kept looking for things to jump and would jump them.....whether the rider wanted to or not!!
Eventually one of the advanced students who wanted to take jumping lessons bought him to use. I had heard that the stables he went to bought him from her to use as a school horse (again) and that he was a great baby-sitter for the beginner jumpers.

All he needed was the chance to do and be what he wanted.

Herman's story

Every "problem" horse has taught me something.....even if it is just that we need to listen to them.
I'm going to add the various horses that made it clear what they needed.....and what happens when no one listens.

Herman was a big buckskin quarter horse. You know, the real old style.
I met him when I became a riding instructor at a public stables.
He was big, head-strong and basically grumpy. He was rarely used for beginner lessons, because he would not do what he was supposed to.....and usually had his rider in tears before long. Only the more advanced riders could even begin to make him lope.....and that was usually with a lot of crop use and a lot of kicking.
He was used on trail rides, and always was the last in line, since he kicked at anybody behind him. If someone thought they "were a cowboy" and insisted they knew what they were doing, they got Herman. And Herman generally returned back to the barn either riderless or with a rider pretty scraped up by the branches from the trees Herman used to try to wipe them off with.

Not even the instructors were immune from his shananagins, although we were more likely to be able to counter his moves.

Until, one day, all the instructors were riding together.....and we all had "problem" horses. So we decided to "up the ante" a bit, and do some barrel racing. Well, not really, we were just going to do the pattern at a walk, trot and jog.....and maybe make a run or two at them for fun.

Not Herman. He saw those barrels.......those ears went up, his head went up, and he took off. He knew the course, all you had to do was hang on. And he didn't just run the course.....he cut those barrels close, dug in at just the right time, ran full out and stopped just after the imaginary timer line would be. When he was done, his eyes were shining. We all just sat there, dumfounded. Ol' lazy, fat Herman LOVED barrel racing. For three days after that, he was a different horse, he was ready to play with the humans. Then he returned to his same sullen self.

So what did we learn? We learned that all Herman wanted was to have fun his way. All he needed was a little bit of barrel racing, once a week and he was a different horse. Not only did he quit kicking out on the trail, but he was actually used as the lead horse the guides used......and they all said he was the best guide horse out of all of them.

All we had to do was listen.