The Thundercloud's Apprentice

[glenatron]

A little over six years ago, I walked out into my friend's field and met a horse who looked a bit like this:


He came in to do a bit of schooling and I spent about half an hour doing a bit on the ground and having a little ride. It was pretty cool.

A few months later I went off to play at a showcase gig in Canada with the band I was in then. While I was there my horse died and entirely by coincidence, my friend emailed to say that after seeing me work with him, she felt that really her horse could do with finding a person of his own and did we know of anyone who might be interested in taking him on loan.

Once I was through the immediate grief of losing my horse it occurred that there might be something serendipitous in this offer and maybe he could come and visit.

On the fifteenth of April 2007, Zorro arrived at the yard.

At first he wasn't terribly impressed with me:



I started to improve, largely out of necessity.


In 2008 we went to some clinics with Tom and Sarah Widdicombe...


... and with Steve Halfpenny - I feel that this was the year I really started to "get it" as regards horsemanship, although I still have a long long way to go even five years on.


We began to work a bit more correctly and Zorro started to be a little softer on the bit.


I came back from staying with Martin Black in Texas and I was a horseman. I was immediately a lot firmer and a lot more exacting and Zorro really appreciated the change.


My choice of tack began to change too.


We still had trouble riding out alone, until Steve suggested away to address Zorro's strong inclination to bring me home rather than going out on the trail, after that he became a truly outstanding trail horse, on his own or in company.


We did a lot of work on moving out and getting Zorro forward at clinics that year.


In the winter of 2010 we played in the snow. At some point I tried to demonstrate a diving roll from his back, but with the snow fresh and soft I fell straight through it and cracked my coccyx on the concrete-hard frozen surface of the school. Rarely has the phrase "check this out- its going to be awesome" been more regrettable.


I came back from Australia in 2011 further improved and Zorro responded beautifully.


By this point he was unquestionably the nicest horse I have ridden in this country. He was just going so beautifully it was a genuine pleasure to ride him.

And then, one day in early autumn, he came in from the field a little lame. Just a bit, but it persisted and it got worse. We tried a bit of box rest and it seemed better, but then got worse again as soon as he was out. All through the autumn of 2011 we tried to figure out what was going on- he was worked up and x-rayed and they showed clear lameness but no clear reason, although the arthritic changes in his feet would have been sufficient to explain it, they were bilateral and he was lame on the left fore only. The vet gave him steroid injections and more box rest. He was a little sounder after time in the box but when he went out again he got more lame again. Around the spring of 2012 we moved to the current yard and Zorro seemed almost sound. But after a couple of days out with Cash, he was lame again, worse than before.

This time the work-ups included MRI which showed a tear in this medial collateral ligament. A serious and very slow-mending injury. The prescription was remedial farriery and six to nine months of box rest. For a big rambunctious cob like Zorro, that was a tall order.

He managed it, though, and with careful foot care from the excellent Emma Burston ( I think this made a massive difference in his case ) he gradually crept back to soundness. We began to put him out in a tiny pen in the field to give him a break from the stable, but on the second day he got so excited he had a massive bucking fit half way out and fell over. When he got back on his feet he was massively unsound and I was absolutely terrified he had done himself irreparable damage.

As it turned out, I think he must have pulled or bumped something rather than worsening his existing injury, because he was much better after a week or so. His pen began to grow, but even with the regular routine, this was our daily experience of leading him out for most of this winter.

He pulled through, though. The pen got to paddock size and in the end he was out with Cash as well. He wasn't fully sound- if you put him on a circle he would still show as about 2/10ths lame on that left fore - but he was sound enough to be out in the field, hang out with Cash and generally make a menace of himself.

At that point, knowing that he would probably never be sound enough for much work in future and that he could have a great time being king of the world back at Kerin's yard, we made the decision that maybe it was time for him to move back to East Sussex, for the loan to end and for Zorro to retire.

The weekend before we left for Australia I hired a horsebox and we made the long drive over to drop him off. It was a regular clinic venue as well as his previous home, so the journey and the destination were familiar, but it was still a very tough drive for me.

Zorro, when I came to say goodbye, did the best and most Zorro thing he possibly could- he totally ignored me. I had some kind of ridiculous sentimental farewell speech to offer, which would doubtless have left me a sobbing wreck, but cob had some hay in his stable and that was delicious and way more important.

Zorro never really needed anybody, in his opinion, he was a big awesome hero of his own making. I can go with that, though I might suggest that every good hero needs a sidekick and that no, that one time he nearly broke my leg is not the kind of sidekick I meant.


So it is goodbye to Zorro, the horse who gave me the opportunity - and the need - to become a horseman. I will see him again, but that day was our biggest goodbye, the end of six years of daily contact and what was, on occasion, some pretty awesome teamwork. I have no doubt whatsoever that he will miss me far less than I miss him.

Comments

[spirithorse21.livejournal.com]

A very endearing write up. I was worried something had happened at first, glad to hear it is just retirement, though it is still a sad farewell for you.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

The big fellow is doing fine, but although there will be other goodbyes, this was the biggest one for us I think.

[clevortrevor]

beautiful tribute to a beautiful horse. I hope he has a wonderful retirement, but I'll miss hearing about him and seeing pictures. So sorry for you that you have to say goodbye.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

He has been a constant source of joy, humour and injury over the last six years and I will miss him like crazy. The video of us leading out still cracks me up. Such a jerk.

His owner has quite a few retirement liveries, so he can go out with the oldies and do really well and be happy and I know he'll have the best of care possible. That is a big relief.

[(Anonymous)]

Jeez Ben, I thought he had left this world. Hope he has a lovely retirement. You've had an amazing time together.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

We have, I've learned so much with him. As fine a horse as ever walked the earth.

[oifonly.livejournal.com]

What a lovely write-up. And Zorro to the end! I think he was a great horse to help you on that part of your journey - it'll be interesting to see what happens next! I bet Zorro is very happy playing grumpy king of the castle in his retirement.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

Part of the need to post this is because there is chance that the next step is lining itself up in front of me.

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

May Zorro have a happy and pampered retirement! I shall miss your incredibly hairy photos of him.

I knew Zorro was a character, but I hadn't realised quite what a challenging character, and how far you had come together... I'm sorry the ending of the story couldn't be as happy as you both deserve, after all your hard work and dedication.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

He had his moments- as I recall I have been bitten, bucked off and kicked hard enough that my leg completely filled up with blood and it took three weeks just for the bruising to show. After a while with a horse like that one pretty much has to get competent to survive and I was determined to rise to whatever challenge he put my way because I'm a big old idiot in that respect.

Since he went lame I have missed having such a steady and excellent trail horse so damn much.

[serennig]

Oh, Zorro.

How good that he has a place to retire.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

A really great place at that.

He's such a challenging horse that it's very good to know he is with someone who knows and understands him and won't be bothered by his lairy nonsense.