Snap & Coffee

A client brought two of his horses in for therapy.

Josh: “This is Jamie. He’s bringing two of his horses from Springflower Ranch.”

Gillian: “Oh wow — Thoroughbreds. Beautiful animals. I’m curious what’s going on with them.”

I asked Jamie.

Gillian: “What’s wrong with the two of them?”

Jamie: “The bay is Snap and the pretty paint is Coffee. They’re both good show jumpers and compete regularly… or did, until the fire in our barn. Since then, neither of them will go into their stalls. Saddling or riding is out of the question.”

We put them out on a paddock first.

Jamie: “What do you think, Gillian — can you fix this?”

Gillian: “We’ll let them arrive here first and start training in a few days. They’re traumatized. We have to take everything very slowly. At least all the animals were rescued.”

Josh and I started working with Snap. He was the braver of the two, but even he refused to enter the open outdoor stall for the first few days. Coffee wouldn’t even leave the pasture at first. I spent hours with Snap in front of the open stall. When I crouched down in a corner inside, it didn’t take long before he slowly came to me. After a while, he also accepted the door being closed. Coffee was more difficult. As soon as we got near the stalls, she started dancing sideways, ready to bolt. So we danced in circles past the stalls — again and again. When she spotted Snap inside one of them, she stopped. They sniffed each other through the bars. It was worth a try. I opened the door — and Coffee walked in to Snap. They were now in the outdoor stalls, and after a few days we could even separate them into neighboring boxes. Our next goal was the large indoor barn. So we spent days just being near it — walking past, letting them graze in front of it, and John regularly bribed them with apples. Nothing worked. They simply wouldn’t go in. Josh suggested leading them in backwards. And it worked. First only into the aisle — a few days later, into the stalls themselves. Once the fear was gone, they could walk in forward again. We did it! The two sweethearts stood calmly in their stalls as if it had never been an issue. Within days, they were like different horses — confident again, and most importantly, trusting people again. From then on, things improved quickly. They allowed themselves to be saddled and ridden, both in the arena and out on trails. It was still too early for competitions and the associated chaos — but it was time to inform Jamie. A few days later, everything felt solid again. Before Jamie took Snap and Coffee home, I invited him on a trail ride. Both horses were relaxed, free of fear. You could feel how much fun they were having. There was still a long road ahead before tournaments — but I knew the three of them would make it.

Jamie: “Gillian, I’m so happy. You did an amazing job.”

Gillian: “This is just the beginning, Jamie. They’ve come a long way — but before they’re ready for competitive sport again, there’s still plenty of road ahead.”