Dynamo the Horse not the Dinosaur

Dynamo the Horse not the Dinosaur

It happens we all know that, but when we come upon it face to face we have to ask ourselves why in gods name would anyone do such a thing as this. The this I am talking about as you can guess is abuse , how can thy do that to a horse that can not defend themselves or scream out loud. That is how Dynamo came to us. He had 54 open wounds across his face, chest, shoulders and front legs. He was owned by a young rider who was boarding him in a stable. During her exercise one morning she fell off Dynamo. Be it her lack of ability to hold on or his for being a little to rambunctious who really can say at this point 

Embarrassed she put him in cross ties, hobbled his front and back legs so he could not move and began to whip him with a driving crop. She beat and beat him as he tried to move falling in the cross ties only to hang himself as the halter cut into his jaw and throat. Hearing the commotion another boarder previewed the scene and ran for help. The owner of the stable, called the police and ran to help Dynamo. He had to drag the screaming girl away as she trashed out threats of having him arrested for touching her. Her being a minor of only 14.  Dynamo had to be cut down because his weight would not allow any slack in the cross tie.

The police arrived, the young girls mother along with a local Veterinarian  was contacted and arrived shortly after the police. Bottom line, they (the owners) were given 24 hours to remove the horse. Tickets were issued and another claim of abuse was started for in the Michigan Court System. Having no where to go and no one willing to take in the boarders with an abused horse they had very little choice, but to call a rescue center to take him.

We have to have the vet on scene give him a sedative just to get him in the trailer. Once back on our grounds we put him in a stall and left him for two days. Just feeding and watering Dynamo was all we could do. He would not let us put a halter on him to remove him from the stall to clean it. Going into the stall was even worse, he circled and tried to run from you in a frenzy making him a dangerous horse to be in a stall with. It took almost two months before he would allow us to put on a halter and lead him out. It took the full winter to heal his wounds.

By spring Dynamo was sharing a field with several other horses. He did not seem to enjoy the company of horses any more than he did humans. We labeled Dynamo a loner. Slowly he came around to his handler Alexandra. He would come up to her for carrots in the field, he would drop his head when she went to take him out of the stall, he would allow her to groom him and bath him with not to much movement, as long as she didn't use cross ties. Things were going pretty good and he seem to be getting along better with all of us so Alexandra decided it was time to see just how well he remembered he was a broke horse. Broke to ride that is.

She begin to saddle him up and lunge him in a round pen. This lasted for a few days. He didn't seem to mind it, but he did show signs of stress. He would shake and shimmy while putting the saddle on him. His eyes wide open always watching what was going on around him. The round pen brought on some bucking frenzies, not to mention the time he just decided to lay down and not move. Still true to heart Alexandra felt she could bring him back so she continued to work with him on a daily basis. It took a couple of weeks before she decided to take the plunge to mount him. Her first attempt landed her in the ground with scrapped arms. She put her foot in the stirrup lifted herself up and away he went, bolting so fast she lost her balance and was down on the ground. Scrapped arm and all she was back up saying "it wasn't his fault he is just scared". Second attempt she was ready for the speedy bolt, away she went hanging on to his mane and one foot in the saddle. Half way around the arena she decided to give it a go since she was on for the ride, over went her leg and she was now into the saddle racing around the arena. She let him run twice around at full speed before she took up the reigns to slow him.

Alexandra managed to ride him and get control of him for the next 20 minutes. She held him in place while she dismounted. Soaking wet with sweat he was hosed down and put back into the stall. Each day for the next two weeks it was about the same. Bolting, racing and finally a little control. She did manage to extend his riding out longer periods of time and his sweating finally ceased. She even managed to get him down the road and back safely for short trail rides. Thinking it was all solved and she could relax was her first mistake. While trail riding one day Alexandra stopped off at a neighbors house to meet them and their horse. She dismounted, tied him to a rail and went inside for a few minutes. Back outside her friend saddled and mounting Alexandra untied Dynamo and went to mount forgetting his bad habit of bolting. Off he went bolting toward the road causing her to be dragged a few feet before she got loose. Dynamo was on a dead run down the road, Alexandra was lying in the road with her arm torn from her elbow to her shoulder. She came home walking, but not before Dynamo, he was there long before she got there.

Taking a few days off as she mended she decided to come up with a different strategy for Dynamo. Why not make his bolting work for him. Excited that she thought of it on her own, she was ready for the challenge. Dynamo was going to be turned into a barrel horse. He liked speed, he bolted to get going, he was over zealous at the whole riding thing. Within just a couple of weeks, he was rounding barrels and sliding to a dead stop while being dismounted. Excited at his out come Alexandra decided to see if he could do as well with other horses to compete against. She went to his first non rated speed show. Dynamo was a star, he took first in everything hr entered, but he was not happy being tied to a trailer or around the crowd standing. Alexandra had to hold him way off from the crowd until it was her turn to compete.

Ok, she'd been there done that and it did not work out exactly like she wanted so she would take her time and settle him down and retrain him once again. Winter was on us and things got slow, but she groomed him and brought him special treats and let him know he was special. With a new spring rolling around it was time to get started. Dynamo was again put into the round pen, but this time it lasted only a week. The second week the saddle was on and Alexandra was in the saddle, right from the first ride she took control, she refused to let him bolt. Each time he did she was prepared and held him back always starting over. She thought about putting his head in the corner so he could not move forward, but she did not want any accident to occur to set him back so in the middle of the arena he was. Just a few starts and he was there standing still, a little frightened and shaking but he was standing without taking off. Hooray!

By the end of the summer Dynamo was walking, trotting and cantering on command. His trot was slow and smooth, his canter a little fast but controlled and smooth. His walk even and using all four feet. Dynamo was a pretty cool Arabian we thought, not to mention he was quite beautiful to look at. We enjoyed Dynamo and things were going pretty good when along came a young girl and she decided to adopt him.

Dynamo went to a young girl that took her time and she cared for him. She had to get lessons from Alexandra on how to ride him. She fell off of him two or three times, but she knew it was her balance and not him causing the fall. She remounted and learn to ride him. She used him for her final year on the local High School Equestrian Team.  They did not place but he was a great ride and he did not act up once. She felt that she would have done better if she had been a better rider herself. Well to make a long story short, circumstances forced us to take Dynamo back. The young girl living in a foster home had to be relocated to a place she could not take her beloved Dynamo. He was left behind with her foster family. They in turn did not take as good of care of him as she did and before long he was reverting back to his scared timid way of behaving. We were called in to remove him and bring him home. We let him set for a few weeks, but noticed he was not shy around us at all but seem to be happy to be there. He talked to other horses, made his way around the pasture and confiscated his old stall once again.

Alexandra was up on him three days after his arrival and down the road they went. Together they finished off the summer. Fall brought changes, Alexandra in college and working part time left her little time for Dynamo, she had her own personal horses that needed attention. Even though she loved him she only had a certain amount of time to spend with the barn and horses. Poor Dynamo was put into pasture and forgotten about that fall and into the winter. I am not sure he minded that at all, he came out in the spring very fat and sassy.

A new volunteer this summer came along and took a liking to him. Dynamo is being rode by a 15 year old volunteer on a regular basis. She loves him. She is not having as easy of time with him as Alexandra did, but she is coming along and Dynamo doesn't mind at all. He enjoys the attention. Her hands are quiet and she does not abuse him in her riding, but she has learn to take control and not let him get away with anything. He will be here until we can find him a new adoption family. Dynamo is an Arabian Gelding, 14.2hh chestnut with a huge blaze down the front of his head. He takes an intermediate or better rider, he can bath, load, groom and stands for the farrier, but only at a watchful eye. He trail rides, rides western and it would not take much to get him barreling again yet at 17 I would suggest that he be retired until it's just a friendly 4-H project.  If you are interested in knowing more about Dynamo contact us here.    DYNAMO