Equestrian-isms: O.C.E.A.N. I have it...do you?
Living with O.C.E.A.N. Syndrome
By Scooter Grubb
Just recently, after years of research, I have finally been able to give a name to what my wife and I have been living with for years.
It’s an affliction, for sure, which when undiagnosed and misunderstood can devastate and literally…
Anonymous said: what is your most amazing horse story?
My most amazing horse story? Oh my, it has to be the story of Zip and I. Well, he was the fourth horse I ever took a lesson on. I don’t remember any of the lessons but one of them. He was abused in the past, and I knew that, but I never knew how bad it was and how bad it could make him. This was the point in my riding career when I still has someone tack up for me. He was TERRIBLE tacking up. He was biting, kicking, bucking, and everything else you could imagine. I blew it off and got on. He cantered around the ring with me and wouldn’t stop. That was the first time I ever cantered. I was terrified so they switched me to a different horse for about a year and a half or so. This January they put me back on him. I mean, I was a working student at my barn but I never tacked him up because I was so afraid. I tried though and he bit me, that was the first time I was ever bit. I put everything and away and bawled my eyes out. They told me I couldn’t work there unless I could ride him so I sucked it up. I saddled him up and only had a walk/trot lesson because I was terrified. Week after week they put me on him and I continued to be terrified but he got better and better with me. I was not a confident rider so being bucked was extremely horrifying, but I got stronger. After a few weeks the bad behavior went down and everyone at the barn was curious because Zip has never shown as much affection to one rider as he did with me. I decided for my first show season to show him. Him and I were on a roll. We got champion at my first show ever. He was doing so good with me, and I was doing so good with him. I was thinking about a lease, but things got bad. He would stop listening to me and realized my weaknesses in riding. He usually never took advantage of me but slowly he did. One week I was riding him, we were about two months into show season, and I realized he was not himself. He was sucking up to me and he just did not feel right. My trainer said nothing seemed wrong but I insisted something was. She watched closer and realized he was getting lame in his leg. This wasn’t something uncommon for him so I got off and we kept an eye on it. After about two weeks it didn’t get better and I had to restart my show season on a different horse. Zip and I had an extremely strong bond that made his other rider mad. He would neigh for me if he even caught a glimpse of me and would rest his head on me and wouldn’t even think of hurting me anymore. I tried to keep my bond with him but as the months passed and I didn’t ride him, it meant less time with him, and our bond lessened. I never let if fully go away, though. I would always spend time with him. In October, he finally was better. I was ecstatic. I got back on him and slowly we started building our bond again. It wasn’t until this Friday that I truly realized what we had. I mean, I watched him be bad with other people and everyone watched him be really good with me. This Friday I had a lesson on him and we played western games in my dressage lesson, just for fun, since it was my last time riding before the new year. He was perfect. He was so good. Someone had a lesson after me and he started bucking at her, biting at her and FREAKING OUT on her. I literally walked over to him, because I saw her getting overwhelmed, I looked at him and he stopped. He put his ears up and started licking me. I realized then what bond him and I had. I tacked him up for her and he was so good. It is so amazing that I went from being terrified of this scary horse who hated me to having a bond with him that no other rider in my barn has. He is an extremely difficult horse and no one likes to give him a chance because he’s scary. I welcomed him with open arms and it paid off. I love my Zippy boy, he may not be the best dressage horse, but I wouldn’t trade riding him for anything.
4 months ago
