Very smart, friendly, docile - can be sensitive sometimes
LOVES attention
Loves all other horses
Usually at the bottom of the pecking order
30-days saddle training as a 3-yo
2006 he was ridden bareback with no halter by a teenager
Last ridden with saddle and bit-less bridle in 2006
Would be best to start him from scratch !! (Natural Horsemanship)
Cooler, dry climate would be best:
Had a very light case of scratches in 2003 - no serious problems since
Gets sunburns sometimes in the spring, so shade is a MUST !!
Please ask for more info about Big Ben - he is majestic and so sweet !
More info at the bottom of the page
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Ben can and will stay here until the PERFECT home for him comes along - the sooner, the better, but this is still NOT urgent .. PLEASE - DO NOT INQUIRE if you are not willing to go through the screening- and adoption procedures. ...or if you have an issue or problem with the adoption fee and/or transport. Adoption procedures and adoption fees are not negotiable for this horse ! Thank you !
08/02/2008 The horse Ben is towering over is JAY, he's about 15.3 hands
07/11/2008
07/11/2008
07/11/2008
08/02/2008
LEA and BEN 8/1/2008
08-13-2007
08-13-2007
June-2008
08-13-2007
10-15-2006
OK, here is more info about Ben and his past:
Ben came to me in 2003, and before he got here, I had someone put 30 days of (saddle-) training on him. It turned out that it was more abuse than training though...... This guy cleaned Ben with a pressure washer, and to this day Ben is still afraid of spraying water. He's getting better, but we don't have the water supply (nor time) to bath him regularly and get him over this. Then, in 2006 he was at a "foster-home" for about 2-3 months, for some saddle training. I'm not sure how much she did with him, but at some point the neighbor's teenage boy was able to climb on Ben when he was laying down, then Ben would get up and they would walk around, no halter, no saddle, nothing. When he came back I rode him a few more times, and then winter came, more rescues, etc. etc. So he hasn't been ridden since 2006, and quite honestly, I don't know how much he remembers.
I would consider him untrained and start from scratch - that would probably be best for everybody involved. And no, he has never been driven, but I think that would be a great thing for him to learn.
Ben is great for me, I can pick up his feet, clean them, crawl under him, you name it. On Monday he just stood there for the Vet, put his head in my arms and didn't move......
HOWEVER (there is always a "but", isn't there !?), Ben does NOT like my farrier, and vice versa. I'm not sure if Ben just doesn't like "loud" men (or strangers) in general, or if it's only my farrier........ Ben is very sensitive and always on the bottom of the pecking order, and he does not do well with aggression, screaming, etc. And my farrier, if he gets impatient or if a horse doesn't stand too well, he gets loud, then Ben gets even more nervous and things just get worse from there. Now we're at a point where I get nervous whenever we have to trim Ben, of course Ben senses it, and we both are wrecks on farrier day. Well, now we found a routine that works - it's not perfect, but it works. I put Ben in a stall (he's NEVER in a stall), give him lots of food, and then the farrier can trim him with little troubles..... I know that this is NOT the way it's supposed to be (and it's another reason why I think Ben might be happier with you), but it is SO HARD to find a farrier who trims drafts and doesn't charge an arm and a leg. Bad excuse, I know, but I'm trying my best to make everything work..........
UPDATE 11/17/2008: I've been working with Ben and he did VERY WELL for the farrier this time.