A Lesson from the Herd

Despite our best efforts sometimes an adoption doesn’t work out. Because we want to find permanent loving homes for our horses, when that happens, our rescue allows the horse to be returned. Last year, that happened with Clarence.
Clarence was a black and white spotted draft horse that we bought to prevent him from being sold at auction. When we first met him, he was tied in a trailer, his head unnaturally high, halter snugged up to the trailer wall. He was so big that we were worried he wouldn’t fit in our trailer, but he loaded easily and didn’t fuss on the ride back to the farm.
Clarence’s personality was an interesting mix of left brain introvert and right brain extrovert. He was dominant in the field with other horses, particularly at feeding time and before long, most of the horses that shared his field were showing scars from encounters with Clarence. He was also pushy with the volunteers. I’m not easily intimidated but I must admit, when I first met this horse, his size and attitude worried me. Still, I knew the best thing was to begin playing the seven games with Clarence, using the driving game when he was being pushy and matching his energy to keep him focused. Soon, he was behaving more like a partner with the volunteers but he was still bullying his pasture mates.
Clarence’s large size and flashing coloration made him an attractive adoption prospect and before long our director though she had found a match with a family looking for a second horse. He behaved well when the family came to our farm to work with Clarence. They handled and rode him and soon he was on his way to his new home. Clarence’s new owners were well intentioned but unfortunately had not had much experience with such a dominant horse and soon, he was taking advantage of them, pushing them around like he had done with his pasture mates. When he aimed a kick at the grandmother, the family reluctantly decided he was too much horse for them and asked to return him. We agreed that would be the best course of action for all and so Clarence returned.
When Clarence left the farm, we observed a big change in behavior with his former pasture mates. Feeding time was much calmer and there were far fewer disputes. My own horse Sonny, who had shared the pasture with Clarence, had far fewer nicks and scratches, and I wasn’t anxious to have him share a pasture with Clarence again. So we decided to put Clarence in with the retirees when he returned.
Most of the horses in our retiree field are former race horses whose owners wanted them to live out the rest of their lives in comfort and freedom. The leader of the field is a chestnut thoroughbred gelding named Lord Don. Don won over $200,000 during his racing career and is a small horse with a big self concept. Friendly toward humans, the well named Lord Don rules his field with a regal attitude. He eats first and doesn’t put up with any nonsense within the herd. Despite his small stature, all of the other thoroughbreds defer to him and there is little conflict among the group.
It was into this mix that we released the returning Clarence. Full of self confidence, head high, stubby tail flagged out behind, Clarence trotted into the field toward the smaller horses. His jaunty attitude lasted only as long as it took for him to reach Don and soon, Clarence was running full tilt back toward the paddock with the smaller Don right on his heals, biting at his spotted butt. The clash didn’t last long but when it was over, it was clear to all of us that Clarence was not going to be the dominant horse in this field.
The change in Clarence’s behavior was remarkable. Not only was he no longer first to eat, he actually waited until all of the thoroughbreds were positioned at their buckets before he would come into the feeding paddock and even then he often had to be cajoled. Rather than nipping his pasture mates, Clarence was now the horse that had suffered this behavior and his formerly unblemished coat was marred with nicks and scratches. With the volunteers, he was more hesitant and required more reassurance and friendly game.
It was clear to us that the best situation for Clarence would be to find an owner with draft horse experience who would not be intimidated by this big horse and could provide a home with one or two pasture mates to minimize herd conflict. Fortunately, we received a call from a man in Virginia who fit that bill. Already the owner of a Belgium mare and looking for another draft horse to ride, this gentleman came to look at Clarence and feel in love. Soon Clarence was on his way to Virginia and this placement was a success. Recently, I received an e-mail update with pictures showing a healthy Clarence under saddle and his owner reports that he “is a total beefcake and head of the herd.”