2023 Loshenka Makeover Phase 2: The Past
Event: 2023 Loshenka Makeover
Phase Number: 2: The Past
Horse ID#: 6499
- Issues: Fear and Aggression Toward Dogs
- Description: After an incident with an off leash dog while on a trail ride at a local nature park, this Loshenka has become aggressive and skittish around all dogs. Even the sound of barking sets them off, and if they are held back from bolting, they'll rear and strike out instead. Even friendly dogs are a trigger, causing intense panic and sending this horse directly into flight mode.
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Before I started really working with Copper, I decided to contact the frightened mare’s previous owner. I wanted to know exactly what happened to make her so petrified of dogs to the point that this poor horse could barely function…
Turns out her previous owner is this sweet horse-crazy teen from a nearby town named Anna. Anna, who is an inexperienced rider, had only been riding for a few years before her parents graciously purchased Copper for her for her 16th birthday. Copper’s old name was Penny; she was a well-trained English Pleasure horse. Anna rode her primarily as a trail and gaming horse with her group of friends but they also took entry level jumping lessons at their boarding stable.
Anna told me that one morning her and her friends tacked up their horses and headed out to a local nature reserve that had horse trails. They ride here all the time. The trails are also open to biking and hiking with horses having the right of way, then the bikers, then the folks on foot and so on. There is also a fenced in dog park on the reserve but outside of the fenced in area dogs are required by law to be leashed. the nature reserve’s rules are posted everywhere and are very obvious.
Anna said they had been riding for about an hour or so when they heard some bikers up ahead of them shouting angrily which made a couple of their horses nervous but the girls quickly calmed their horses and continued down the trail. They could not hear what was being shouted by the bikers ahead but unfortunately they figured it out pretty soon. A larger red husky came into view from the top of the trail. He was barreling down the trail fast, straight at the group of young riders, snarling and barking. No owner in sight.
All of the horses began to freak out and spin away from the dog, the girls were shouting, some of the horses started kicking out at the dog. It was pure chaos. The dog lunged at one of her friend’s horses and caused the little chestnut gelding to rear up and dump her friend who managed to break her arm in two places in the fall...
Anna then urged Penny to get in front of her friends to try and intimidate the dog into running off but that only seemed to make the dog even more excited. Ultimately the dog ended up spooking Penny into spinning around and bolting down the trail with the dog right behind her, snapping and biting Penny’s hind legs. Anna was able to stop Penny and spin her back around towards the dog to try again to scare him off but Penny reared up in fright, almost dumping Anna. Once Penny came back down the horse began to back up into some trees and the dog lunged, biting the poor horse on her chest and front legs. Penny dropped her head and savagely bit the dog back in an attempt to defend herself, grabbing it by the ear and side of the head and tossing him a few feet away. That’s when one of the bikers was able to catch up and grab the dog. Luckily the dog had no interest in attacking people, either that or Penny’s bite subdued him. But either way it was over. All of the girls checked over their terrified mounts and managed to put them safely in the trailer while they waited for the police and the kind biker that grabbed the dog attached one of the girls’ lead ropes to the dog. The girl with the broken arm called her mom to come pick her up to take her to the hospital...
Once the police showed up and took possession of the dog they were able to track down his owner. The guy was just by the lake fishing, not a care in the world. He said he didn’t even know his dog took off… He said the dog was completely harmless and just wanted to make friends and that everyone was being overly dramatic. Just a bunch of whiny teenage brats… He was slapped with several substantial fines, banned from the park, and the police charged him with reckless endangerment. That’s as much as Anna knows.
So after all that, poor Penny was never the same, even after her wounds healed. She became anxious and tense, always watching and listening. She became very spooky and would bolt at the littlest things that might hint at a dog. The boarding stable had a few farm dogs that Penny was very used to before and now she was absolutely uncontrollably terrified around them or if she heard them bark in the distance. Penny would break fences and halters to get away, she dragged poor Anna several times and even slammed her into the side of the barn in one of her attempts to bolt. Anna couldn’t handle her or do anything with her and became very scared of her. The stable deemed Penny to be too dangerous and unpredictable to stay there. And that’s how she ended up at the rescue… Poor Anna expressed how guilty she felt that she wasn’t knowledgeable or horse savvy enough to help her horse… She said she really hopes I can help her and asked to visit her sometime. I, of course, agreed and also hoped I could help this horse…
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Artist: Czelstar
LK Link to Artist: https://www.loshenka.net/user/Czelstar
DA Link to Artist: https://www.deviantart.com/czelstarart
Submitted By Czelstar
Submitted: 1 year ago ・
Last Updated: 1 year ago