It’s a Daily Thing: Makover phase 3

After a little over a year of working day by day on Shanks’ issues, I could firmly say I was proud of the progress. We had tried everything under the Sun to discover where his issues were stemming from. After we had finally discovered that a lot of them stemmed from boredom, we got him onto a routine that alleviated the stress. 

He was never turned out alone. At first we let him out to play with the stableyard dogs. Once he got into a more playful mood, we began to turn him out with the more playful horses. He didn’t have to worry about being bored or lonely anymore. 

As for a routine in the stable, he had a stablemate to keep him company; Shanks really seemed to get along with the cat we adopted, Luffy. He was protective over him. We also began leaving enriching toys for him. That way he always had something to keep him occupied.

After learning how much Shanks truly enjoyed being active, we paired him with some of the more skilled trainers at Blossoming Sakura Stables. My sister Vienna was an avid eventer, who pushed her horses to do the best they could. She had helped so much during the process of getting him into a routine of long exercises. 

On top of eventing, I found out that Shanks loved the ocean. It was normal for me to take the horses on trail rides down to the beach, as it was the most ridden trail along our stable path. One day I decided to take Shanks on a ride to settle him down, and he soaked in all the sunshine. With the ability to run freely, tackless and legs outstretched, he truly calmed down. 

After that day, I had begun to set up courses for us to follow. I didn’t want us to do the same path over and over again, knowing that Shanks would get bored, so I mixed it up. Some days we had jumps, some days it was pole weaving. Some days I took us for a swim, and some days it was Shanks that decided we go for a swim. 

Shanks also enjoyed trail rides on the beach with my friends and their horses, as we often raced each other. He enjoyed the challenge of beating his opponents. It was so inspiring, watching this big rugged horse finally open up and settle down.