by Mary Gallagher
“My horse has bad feet and can’t be ridden without shoes.” It’s a sentence I hear too often. At Freedom Farm, hoof care and rehabilitation are part of our creed and a cornerstone of our work. This post is about sharing one horse’s story, but it is certainly not unique to him! We’ll be sharing more and offering classes in trimming and hoof care, so I hope this post will offer some inspiration on the subject. - MG
As I was trimming Niko’s feet this week I thought it would be nice to give everyone a look at what has changed in the two years he has been without shoes.
Niko moved off the rubber floor and has been living out with one of the gelding herds 24/7 for about 8 months now and doing great. His training continues with less and less need for hoof boots.
Showing posts with label Niko. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Niko. Show all posts
Monday, April 4, 2016
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
The Transformation of Niko: Mary Gallagher comments
by Mary Gallagher
Michelle’s series on the transformation of her off-track Thoroughbred, Niko, is a testimony to time,
healing, balance and perseverance as cornerstones of natural horsemanship. We were privileged to welcome Niko to Freedom Farm and help with his transition from promising but challenged prospect, to the happy, healthy guy he is today. Michelle has done a great job of sharing her journey with Niko, and now Jess Crouch and I are relating some of our contributions along the way. I hope this article series will prove helpful and maybe even inspirational to anyone with a horse in need of transformation.
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| Niko recently. |
healing, balance and perseverance as cornerstones of natural horsemanship. We were privileged to welcome Niko to Freedom Farm and help with his transition from promising but challenged prospect, to the happy, healthy guy he is today. Michelle has done a great job of sharing her journey with Niko, and now Jess Crouch and I are relating some of our contributions along the way. I hope this article series will prove helpful and maybe even inspirational to anyone with a horse in need of transformation.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
The Transformation of Niko: Jessica Crouch Comments
by Jessica Crouch
This article is part of our "Transformation of Niko" series, by Michelle Grimmer, jumping and dressage instructor, and Niko's owner. Our previous post was the fifth in the series, and has links to Michelle's first installment. -ed.
Michelle asked me to spend some time with Niko as her school year got busier. Obviously, the dressage/jumping work itself was being well covered by Mary and Michelle, so I decided to focus on groundwork and relationship building with Niko. One of the very most important things I look for from a horse is the feeling that they WANT to be with you and that they look forward to a new learning experience with enthusiasm. This is sometimes very difficult to achieve - after all it's hard for a human to compete with the safety and comfort of a horse's herd mates. I noticed that Niko tended to prefer being with his herd rather than with people, and he seemed to worry quite a bit about the herd when he was out. He also tended to do things a bit grudgingly - not really engaging with his person, even if he (Niko) was otherwise performing beautifully. With Niko, there is an added component that he is one of the more dominant horses in his herd so he has a strong need to look after his buddies. Also, because of whatever stresses he had in his past life, he had some definite worries. So he would need to feel pretty secure and comfortable to let all that go and engage with a person.
This article is part of our "Transformation of Niko" series, by Michelle Grimmer, jumping and dressage instructor, and Niko's owner. Our previous post was the fifth in the series, and has links to Michelle's first installment. -ed.Michelle asked me to spend some time with Niko as her school year got busier. Obviously, the dressage/jumping work itself was being well covered by Mary and Michelle, so I decided to focus on groundwork and relationship building with Niko. One of the very most important things I look for from a horse is the feeling that they WANT to be with you and that they look forward to a new learning experience with enthusiasm. This is sometimes very difficult to achieve - after all it's hard for a human to compete with the safety and comfort of a horse's herd mates. I noticed that Niko tended to prefer being with his herd rather than with people, and he seemed to worry quite a bit about the herd when he was out. He also tended to do things a bit grudgingly - not really engaging with his person, even if he (Niko) was otherwise performing beautifully. With Niko, there is an added component that he is one of the more dominant horses in his herd so he has a strong need to look after his buddies. Also, because of whatever stresses he had in his past life, he had some definite worries. So he would need to feel pretty secure and comfortable to let all that go and engage with a person.
The Transformation of Niko, Part 5
By Michelle Grimmer
This article is the fifth in a series about Michelle’s thoroughbred Niko, whose journey to health is a study in holistic horse care and natural horsemanship. The earlier articles are highly recommended as background. You can find all Michelle’s articles by clicking on her name at right, or just start HERE, with the first installment of The Transformation of Niko (Part One). - ed.
This article is the fifth in a series about Michelle’s thoroughbred Niko, whose journey to health is a study in holistic horse care and natural horsemanship. The earlier articles are highly recommended as background. You can find all Michelle’s articles by clicking on her name at right, or just start HERE, with the first installment of The Transformation of Niko (Part One). - ed.
One
of the best things that ever happened to Niko was that I started nursing school
just after I adopted him from his previous owner. While at times I felt
frustrated that I could not do more with him on a daily basis to help him
progress, the very thing he needed was for me to do things very slowly. In
other words, less was more. The challenges present in his body and mind (which
I came to think of as his ‘twistedness’) required strategic nudging and time
for things to be sorted out. Niko is a tremendously talented horse who has
always always been willing to try, and has always made progress, but I had a
nagging sense that there was yet more inside Niko to work through, that there
were still ‘stuck places’ in his body somewhere.Sunday, April 5, 2015
The Transformation of Niko, Part 4 (Vitamin E edition…)
By Michelle Grimmer & Barbara Noble
First of all, Niko is doing GREAT! Two years after adopting him and starting down the road to
unraveling the puzzle of his various mental
and
physical issues, I can finally say that he is doing well and moving soundly. Time, patience, persistence, a team of caring professionals, therapeutic exercise, hoof trimming, tack fitting, dentistry, structural integration, chiropractic adjustments, the list could go on. While we attacked things on the outside of the horse, and the inside of his brain, we have also addressed what we put into him in terms of the feed and nutrients required for healthy body building and tissue repair. A hay balancing supplement has been introduced to his feeding regimen along with magnesium, a joint supplement (makes me feel good at least, even if the jury is out on its actual benefits), and vitamin E.
First of all, Niko is doing GREAT! Two years after adopting him and starting down the road to
physical issues, I can finally say that he is doing well and moving soundly. Time, patience, persistence, a team of caring professionals, therapeutic exercise, hoof trimming, tack fitting, dentistry, structural integration, chiropractic adjustments, the list could go on. While we attacked things on the outside of the horse, and the inside of his brain, we have also addressed what we put into him in terms of the feed and nutrients required for healthy body building and tissue repair. A hay balancing supplement has been introduced to his feeding regimen along with magnesium, a joint supplement (makes me feel good at least, even if the jury is out on its actual benefits), and vitamin E.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
The Transformation of Niko, part 3
A Series by Michelle Grimmer
Upon Niko's arrival at Freedom Farm in December of 2013, we got to work. We had a general plan, but time would tell how Niko's transformation would go. The shoes came off (yikes!), we had a look at his teeth, posture, etc., but these particulars were embedded in a deeper process of healing Niko's mind and body through the environment of Freedom Farm.
Upon Niko's arrival at Freedom Farm in December of 2013, we got to work. We had a general plan, but time would tell how Niko's transformation would go. The shoes came off (yikes!), we had a look at his teeth, posture, etc., but these particulars were embedded in a deeper process of healing Niko's mind and body through the environment of Freedom Farm.
The Transformation of Niko, part 2
A Series by Michelle Grimmer
If you've been around Freedom Farm much, you have probably seen my big gray horse Niko. He came to me extremely unsound, mentally and physically. He was very crooked in his body and when I rode him he felt like two different horses depending on which direction we'd be tracking in the arena. To the left, he felt somewhat ok, but to the right he was crippled. No matter what direction we went, he was extremely worried in his mouth and curled away from the bit while constantly gnashing his teeth. He had to wear boots on all four legs because he bloodied himself by whacking them together if there was no protection. His feet were completely out of balance, due to well-meaning farriers attempting to work with the way his body wanted to travel. Crooked body, crooked feet, crooked legs.
If you've been around Freedom Farm much, you have probably seen my big gray horse Niko. He came to me extremely unsound, mentally and physically. He was very crooked in his body and when I rode him he felt like two different horses depending on which direction we'd be tracking in the arena. To the left, he felt somewhat ok, but to the right he was crippled. No matter what direction we went, he was extremely worried in his mouth and curled away from the bit while constantly gnashing his teeth. He had to wear boots on all four legs because he bloodied himself by whacking them together if there was no protection. His feet were completely out of balance, due to well-meaning farriers attempting to work with the way his body wanted to travel. Crooked body, crooked feet, crooked legs.
The Transformation of Niko, Part One
A Series by Michelle Grimmer
In the ever-evolving quest for self-betterment and the improvement of training for my horses, I am constantly searching for ways to enhance my program with the horses that I am working with. A big part of this has been to involve Freedom Farm and all it has to offer.
In the ever-evolving quest for self-betterment and the improvement of training for my horses, I am constantly searching for ways to enhance my program with the horses that I am working with. A big part of this has been to involve Freedom Farm and all it has to offer.
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