Relampago
Breed: Appaloosa
Sex: Gelding
DOB: 1981
Height: ~15.0 hh
Color: Dapple palomino
Markings: Blanket
Location: Shepherd, TX
Adoption Fee: $100
 

Temperament: Relampago (or Old Man as we lovingly refer to him) is a sweet gelding. He can be; as many in their golden years; a bit set in his ways about some things but he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. He’s not the kind that is constantly looking for human attention but he seems to enjoy it.

He most certainly knows when it’s dinner time; he pretty much thinks it’s that time ALL the time. He follows us to the feed room with his ears slightly pinned like a crotchety old man giving us his attitude. He means nothing by this, it’s just his old man way of telling us he’s disgusted it took us so long to come back and feed him again and could we “possibly” walk a bit faster to that room that contains the feed please?! We love his expressive ways and the fact that he’s got a little bit of “tude” still at his age; he’s an absolute joy to have around the barn and quite entertaining. He’s always nickering and talking to us in that soft, raspy way that only the oldies can do.

Physical problems / health issues: He came in underweight but he’s just about back to a healthy weight. He has no grinding teeth remaining and can not chew grass or hay, he requires a soaked mash.

He seems to have some arthritis; he’s got thickening in the fetlock area although he seems to get around comfortably. He’s not the most coordinated at a dead run (see interaction with horses below for more on that). Other then that, he moves around well, his foster home will have him evaluated to see if injections or supplements might improve his joint health.

He is a cribber and will crib like mad if he doesn’t have his collar on. With his collar he does well, I’ll catch him latching on to things every now and then but once he realizes he’s not getting anything out of it he stops and moves on. Cribbing is a serious addiction but it can be managed. Although I’m certain the old man believes the collar is a torture device (since he can’t do one of his very favorite things in it) but it is not, he can eat and drink comfortably while wearing it (provided his feeders are ground level) and he can breathe just fine in it. He’s sporting his collar in a couple of his pictures.

Interaction with horses: Hard to tell, I think he would do fine if the others would just leave him alone. However, as is the case with any new herd introduction, my horses want to boss the new guy around. The old man won’t stand his ground, his response it to flee from the others which of course results in them chasing after him. As mentioned above he’s not the most coordinated at a full run and I worry he’s going to end up head-over-heals and break something so we only tried twice and decided it was not worth him possibly hurting himself to try again. We have a mixed herd of young and old horses, my old horses don’t bother him and I did put him in with those two once successfully. He would just need to be in a pasture with either VERY sweet young horses or oldies such as himself. For now, he’s the boss of the barn yard, he has free run and keeps the chickens, rooster and barn cats in line. I think he likes that set up just fine but we’re looking into finding him a donkey or other small companion to keep him company anyway.

Interaction with people: Super easy to handle and has wonderful manners. The only time he forgets his manners is when foods involved; then he can get a bit pushy; he’s extremely food motivated! He can be corrected and will mind his manners when reminded. He’s a very sweet guy and a big talker. He doesn’t seem to crave human attention but does seem to enjoy it when given.

History: He was used as a therapeutic riding horse for a time but was re-homed due to his size; he’s really too tall for a therapy horse. The person he was placed with then donated him to Habitat when they could no longer care for him.

Training / abilities: Reportedly well trained and was used as a therapy horse for a time. He’s not been evaluated in his current home but will be once he’s finished gaining his weight. Initial assessment would be that he’s likely very well trained and well behaved under saddle; however at this age and with this arthritis he needs to be retired or semi-retired with just occasional light riding around the house or lead line with the kids or grandkids; he’d be awesome for that and would likely enjoy still having something important to do.

Experience level required to work with this horse: Beginner with some guidance related to his pushy feeding behavior. A child (not at feeding time) could handle this horse with the caveat that I think all kids should be supervised with horses regardless how sweet and gentle they are.

Has this horse ever:  Bucked? Unknown, but unlikely. Reared? Unknown, but unlikely. Kicked? No. Bitten? No. Other?  

Ground handling: Catch? Yes. Lead? Yes. Tie? Yes. Trailer? Yes. Clip? Not yet tried. Trim Feet? Yes – my farrier told him he wished all horses were as easy as him! Bathe? Not yet tried.

Special needs: He tends to bolt his feed and will choke if he’s not given a very soaked soupy mash. When he first entered HfH he was put on soaked alfalfa cubes; when he moved to his new foster home they continued with the soaked cubes but he had a mild choke a few days after arriving and was immediately switched to soaked alfalfa pellets. The cubes are too hay like and, even soaked, the way he inhales his food they can pack in his throat and cause a choke. He is currently eating a combination of soaked beet pulp, soaked alfalfa pellets and Equine Senior and is doing well on that. It took us a while to get the soaking of his pellets “just right” he looked at us with disgust (and with soaked alfalfa up his nostrils) after our first few attempts which were WAY too soupy. He’s once again eating his mash voraciously so I’m guessing we finally have the alfalfa/water ratio just right now. We’ll need to pass on his soup recipe to his adopter, along with the mixing buckets, so as to avoid any dirty looks directed at his new family!

Other comments: Awesome older horse! This guy could teach a new horse owner or children much about life. If I didn’t already have a number or retired old gentleman in my barn he’d be staying right here forever. If you’ve never had the pleasure of owning an aged horse here’s your opportunity. I’ve had people tell me in the past that they don’t want to adopt an older horse because when they pass away it will be sad. This is true, it is sad to loose a beloved companion but the joy they bring while they are with you far outweighs the sadness of their loss. What’s that saying “it is better to have loved and lost then to have never loved at all” something like that but it so fits when it comes to these old ladies and gentlemen!

More pictures:

Adopt: Please contact us regarding adoptions at adoptions@habitatforhorses.org or call 1.866.HFH.LSER(866.434.5737).

Are you unable to adopt but would still like to have Relampago in your life? Sponsor him through our Virtual Foster program.

Email this site to a friend