By Nancy Pohlman
His name was AJ when I got him, that’s all I knew. The girl from whom we rescued him was being evicted from her trailer and had nowhere to keep him. She said he was part Thoroughbred and that she had rescued him from a woman in northern Mississippi. Having ridden horses my whole life, I knew there was no better medicine than a horse.
When we arrived to pick him up on April 28, 2010, he was in a 4 x 6 dog kennel, and he was up to his ankles in manure. There was no sign of hay or grass, or even feed. As I got closer I realized he wasn’t as speckled as he looked from afar, but was covered head to tail in ticks. That’s when I saw his back leg. The front skin from his hock to his ankle was hanging off by a thread and you could see the bones and tendons in his leg.
He was haltered so I took him out, and he had enough energy to get to the nearest not so bare patch to try to graze. As I loaded him in the trailer the leg started bleeding profusely. He let me bandage it and we took him directly to the veterinarian. As I pulled the ticks off him in the parking lot, he leaned his head on my shoulder and nibbled on my pocket. From that moment, I developed a great bond with this horse.
The veterinarian recommended putting him down since he was so thin (only about 600 pounds), wormy and injured. I decided against that, and for the next three weeks brought him to the vet twice a week to change his bandage.
I decided to name him Andrew Jackson. He was very athletic even then, as he could go up on one foot to kick me or the vet when we tried to touch the leg. And, amazingly, he was not lame.
The veterinarian guessed he might be Anglo Arab or Appendix QH, and that he was around 7 years old. We worked with him in the field and he loved being groomed, but was afraid of everything: hoses, whips, feed bags, longelines, noises - you name it. However, he was receptive to a saddle and bridle, so I knew there was some potential for him.
After several weeks of being a lawn ornament and having his bandages changed at the veterinarian’s office, I knew it was time to find a barn for him. The first barn I called was Southwind Stables, where they were having a spring schooling show on the Saturday I called. Frosty, Ann Frost, the barn manager advised not to pasture board a horse with his physical problems. After talking to her, I went out that day and signed a board check.
Frosty put him on a diet of Safe Choice, Senior and Enrich 32. He was kept in a paddock during the day and stalled at night. Within days he was looking better. The girls at the barn all loved to give Jackson treats and play with him. I would let him play in the indoor arena, where he loved to run and roll in the sand. He still was a handful for the vets, and we had to tranquilize him heavily just to change a bandage. But, once the bandage came off, things improved dramatically.
Gradually he would allow us to pick his feet, but not the bad one, and even give him baths in the wash rack. He got sweeter and more trusting every day. I came out twice a day to wash the wound and apply Granulex. I even volunteered during Southwind’s summer camp. During summer camp, he gained enough weight for me to put one of the girls on him. He accepted being ridden like he had never had a day off.
I finally got to ride him in August and it was love at first trot. We started English style, but rode western on occasional trail rides around the property. At the end of August we took him to Sardis for a week and I found out that Jackson is a great trail horse. At places where other horses would spook, he just kept on going; we went for miles and he never got tired. Later we took him to Shelby Farms and he was the same great Jackson . We still ride English and jump a little, but most days we just go on a nice long trail ride. I have clocked him at 21 miles an hour using my GPS watch. We rode the Hunter Pace for the first time this year and did almost eight miles in an hour and half.
We have also discovered that he likes to wear hats. He loves treats and will follow me everywhere without a halter. He even lets the barn cats take rides on his back. He loves to nibble on my shoulder and pulls my shirt if I try to walk away. His leg is almost completely healed now and he gets stronger every day. He really is a wonder horse.
His name was AJ when I got him, that’s all I knew. The girl from whom we rescued him was being evicted from her trailer and had nowhere to keep him. She said he was part Thoroughbred and that she had rescued him from a woman in northern Mississippi. Having ridden horses my whole life, I knew there was no better medicine than a horse.
When we arrived to pick him up on April 28, 2010, he was in a 4 x 6 dog kennel, and he was up to his ankles in manure. There was no sign of hay or grass, or even feed. As I got closer I realized he wasn’t as speckled as he looked from afar, but was covered head to tail in ticks. That’s when I saw his back leg. The front skin from his hock to his ankle was hanging off by a thread and you could see the bones and tendons in his leg.
He was haltered so I took him out, and he had enough energy to get to the nearest not so bare patch to try to graze. As I loaded him in the trailer the leg started bleeding profusely. He let me bandage it and we took him directly to the veterinarian. As I pulled the ticks off him in the parking lot, he leaned his head on my shoulder and nibbled on my pocket. From that moment, I developed a great bond with this horse.
The veterinarian recommended putting him down since he was so thin (only about 600 pounds), wormy and injured. I decided against that, and for the next three weeks brought him to the vet twice a week to change his bandage.
I decided to name him Andrew Jackson. He was very athletic even then, as he could go up on one foot to kick me or the vet when we tried to touch the leg. And, amazingly, he was not lame.
The veterinarian guessed he might be Anglo Arab or Appendix QH, and that he was around 7 years old. We worked with him in the field and he loved being groomed, but was afraid of everything: hoses, whips, feed bags, longelines, noises - you name it. However, he was receptive to a saddle and bridle, so I knew there was some potential for him.
After several weeks of being a lawn ornament and having his bandages changed at the veterinarian’s office, I knew it was time to find a barn for him. The first barn I called was Southwind Stables, where they were having a spring schooling show on the Saturday I called. Frosty, Ann Frost, the barn manager advised not to pasture board a horse with his physical problems. After talking to her, I went out that day and signed a board check.
Frosty put him on a diet of Safe Choice, Senior and Enrich 32. He was kept in a paddock during the day and stalled at night. Within days he was looking better. The girls at the barn all loved to give Jackson treats and play with him. I would let him play in the indoor arena, where he loved to run and roll in the sand. He still was a handful for the vets, and we had to tranquilize him heavily just to change a bandage. But, once the bandage came off, things improved dramatically.
Gradually he would allow us to pick his feet, but not the bad one, and even give him baths in the wash rack. He got sweeter and more trusting every day. I came out twice a day to wash the wound and apply Granulex. I even volunteered during Southwind’s summer camp. During summer camp, he gained enough weight for me to put one of the girls on him. He accepted being ridden like he had never had a day off.
I finally got to ride him in August and it was love at first trot. We started English style, but rode western on occasional trail rides around the property. At the end of August we took him to Sardis for a week and I found out that Jackson is a great trail horse. At places where other horses would spook, he just kept on going; we went for miles and he never got tired. Later we took him to Shelby Farms and he was the same great Jackson . We still ride English and jump a little, but most days we just go on a nice long trail ride. I have clocked him at 21 miles an hour using my GPS watch. We rode the Hunter Pace for the first time this year and did almost eight miles in an hour and half.
We have also discovered that he likes to wear hats. He loves treats and will follow me everywhere without a halter. He even lets the barn cats take rides on his back. He loves to nibble on my shoulder and pulls my shirt if I try to walk away. His leg is almost completely healed now and he gets stronger every day. He really is a wonder horse.
