Pretzel

Over the last several years I have had the opportunity to work with a horse called Pretzel. Each fall for 4-6 weeks before the yearly hunting trips he has been my project to improve his gaits. He has been one of the most difficult horses I have experienced. My progress with Pretzel has been slow for two reasons:

1) Because he is so twisted and knotted throughout his body he doesn’t move well; and

2) Since he is a pasture potato for the rest of the year, he doesn’t get a lot of correct practice.

In my mind, I can picture the cute foal Pretzel was, running, jumping, bucking and kicking up his heels with pure enjoyment as Mother Nature intended. It probably never occurred to him to be anything but a natural horse doing all the usual horse activities. Then around his third year he was probably started under saddle. He would have been similar to soft pliable pretzel dough, easy to shape having a very open curious mind. The sad thing (to me) is somewhere in this fine looking horse’s initial training all of his naturalness, his softness started to become stiff, knotted and twisted into the Pretzel I first got to know. He had lost all his natural grace and had become a short stubby traveler. He tripped a lot at both a walk and a trot. When he was loose, I only saw him canter for a few strides before he would trip and break back to a trot or a walk. When I rode him he would click his teeth together due to his worry he might trip and he couldn’t walk a straight line even though he was sober. Impulsion? Well, he used less than 10% of his potential. His present owner called him “Thunder Butt” because he looked big and stout and had a very strong hind end that could easily push him up hills, but, anymore, Pretzel was so misshapen he didn’t know how to use his assets.

Pretzel and I have had quite the journey together getting him back to his natural born ability. Over the years, little by little, I have been able to untie a knot here or a twist there. As each knot or twist came out Pretzel could walk better with less tripping. His fox trot is still rough but getting smoother. He is cantering freer and he wants to canter more because he isn’t so afraid of stumbling and taking a header. He actually seems to be proud that he has found his canter again and frequently wants to canter up hills. He used to feel like a stiff old horse that had experienced a lot of hard work anytime he went down hills, but as he has improved and learned to soften his joints he can travel straighter and easier down hills. As Pretzel has turned loose of more and more twists and knots his teeth clacking has stopped unless he begins to get tense and knotted up again. Now when he stumbles, which he still does at times, I have noticed the trips are beginning to remind him that he is tensing up and getting knotted and he is taking the responsibility of straightening himself.

“Thunder Butt” used to be accused of being a lazy horse by his riders but he was just too afraid to use his potential. He actually was scared he would stumble and fall and hurt himself. Pretzel has shown more energy to move and go forward and is starting to extend his front end more, out walking other horses, which is very pleasing to his owner.

I think Pretzel knew he was very out of balance but had gone stiff and crooked for so long it had become “normal” and he just understood that he wasn’t very coordinated on his feet. He has been a wonderful teacher for me to be able to feel when a horse is traveling crooked or when a horse is starting to straighten out. Pretzel has taught me how important it is to keep any horse soft and straight. He has taught me to take note of a nervous mouth chopping on the bit, stumbling a lot, rough gaits or unable to be coordinated and balance enough to do some maneuvers. All these behaviors and lack of athletic ability are now indicators to me that somewhere a horse is out of balance.

Riders, if any of you are having some similar problems with your horse as I have described here about Pretzel, then make note to self, your horse is probably out of balance and somewhere knotted or twisted in his body. Pretzel was a very unusual case as I stated in the beginning. I will be forever grateful and humble to Pretzel for the things he has taught me while I tried to find ways to untie each knotted or twisted area of his body. Because of him, I am more aware and have helped straighten out the horses I have come in contact with plus helped riders to feel the kinks in their horses. If you have a crooked horse, be grateful for the things that horse will teach you rather than get so frustrated that all you can think of is selling him. You have actually been given a “gift” and someone on high must feel you are ready for the experience or you wouldn’t have the horse you have.