7th May - The mystery is solved

The puzzle behind Zano’s change in behaviour is starting to get pieced together!

Back on Board

I was still concerned about his back after he’d appeared so sensitive to being tacked up and being sat on. I had managed to get back on him – always important after a fall – to have his newly ordered fully fitted, but he was still unhappy. But before I asked anything more of him, I had to be sure it wasn’t anything physical that was bothering him.

So I asked one of the leading physiotherapists, Jo, based not far from the yard, to come and check him over. When she arrived, suddenly everything started to click into place! Jo watched Zano walk and trot in a straight line, then watched him on the lunge in walk and trot. Then she felt all his muscles and found some real tightness across his back, which she massaged. At one point, he almost bucked in his stable, then he let out the most almighty sigh, like lots of tension had suddenly been released!

Jo asked about his background and I gave her the details that I knew – he’d come over from Spain in 2010 after being well schooled there, had spent most of the last couple of years relaxing and had been ridden a bit just before I got him.

Then Jo gave her verdict. She said that, based on his muscle structure, in her opinion Zano had done very little work in his life – ever! Suddenly, I realised that instead of bringing a well schooled horse back into work, I had a big novice-y baby on my hands, one that needed to be taken right back to basics! He was clearly broken in when he was in Spain, but it’s likely that it was all done fairly quickly and then he had 2 years off. So, although it’s all in there somewhere, it probably wasn’t established as much as I thought it was!

So, for the next few weeks, it’s back to working from the ground with him.