The entry for Carbine (bio/info) in the big book of famous stallions says he was gentle natured to the point of being almost too docile. The entry for Shepherds Way in the Australian Stud Book states that one of Shepherds Way’s grand-dam sires was Carbine.(painting)
Shep’s previous owner, (although he wasn’t called Shep then–he wasn’t called anything) the ex-neighbour (at Scotts Creek), said he was moving and no longer wanted Shep and was looking to get rid of him within a fortnight. There was an implicit but unspoken understanding of where exactly Shep was headed if a home could not be found. I normally do not go looking for animals to save, which is just as well. It wouldn’t be the first time Shep had been saved from the you know where.
It was pretty clear that Luke could do with a companion to keep him moving in his old age and give him an interest other than being fed. When we first arrived here, he had spent entire days on top of the hill at the far corner of the new paddock where he had found a gang of four rag tag looking nags to hang out with. (Who subsequently got moved). I had to keep going up to get him and bring him down for water and as it turned out feed, as he was just standing up there waiting for the gang to come over and chat. I had been musing that he really needed a companion and so the offer of Shep, who we knew already from Scotts Creek days was serendipitous. I didn’t feel particularly sentimental or a great necessity to save Shep from the you-know-where, and I think the clincher was finding out he was a descendant of the famous Carbine . I had been impressed with his gentle-nature at Scotts Creek–even if Luke had found him a mite clingy at times.
Shep arrived in a float late one evening hot and sweaty and worked up, after having proved to be some trouble to catch. His favourite game which he endeavoured to enlist Luke in, (who wisely refused to play) was the ‘lets run away from the humans game’.
Shep was clearly damaged goods and why he was this way become more evident after I had lunged him a couple of times and caught myself ready to lose my block with him. It was then the penny dropped as he winced away from me and shrunk away from the ‘threat’ of my touch. He was also quite head shy. I didn’t lose my block with him, but the same cannot be said for his previous ‘carers’. I hadn’t had a horse invoke anger in me for a very, long time and I think it was the combination of cheekiness and stupidity that did it.
Shep is as an ex-racehorse, one of the few who actually made it to the track. Thoroughbreds can be incredibly dimwitted. They will hurt themselves out of fear, they will run you down out of fear. Until I started working with them I wouldn’t have believed this. But there seems to be some screws missing with some thoroughbreds. A horse that will run into a tree or a fence because it is spooked is not only a hazard to itself, it is also a hazard to its handler. Shep has proved that he is stupid enough to run crab like into a barbed wire fence or run sideways into a rather large gum tree and hit his head, to escape an imaginary fear. Duh. Luke would never do anything quite so stupid.
The Australian Studbook claims that Shep had 11 starts. Somehow, he managed to make his owner at the time a grand total of $150.00 in ahem, winnings. Which when you consider that he probably cost his owner nigh on $10,000 to get him to that point, its a bit of a travesty and it becomes easier to understand why Shep has been on his way to the doggers more than once in his life.
Shep landed into my care last October. Since then his confidence has increased a great deal. He is no longer head shy, no longer shrinks away from my touch and no longer plays the ‘lets run away’ game. He will however, never be the horse that Luke is. He seems to view being ridden as a labour to be endured, rather than an exciting adventure to be had. The difference in ‘zing’ under saddle between he and Luke is noticeable. For all the years of riding Luke, and for all the times I vainly hopped on one foot with the other in the stirrup, trying to insist that he stand still while I got on, Shep remarkably, stands completely idle while I get on, and then continues to stand completely still until I suggest that maybe we should you know walk-on (or something). He is 18 years Luke’s junior and big and strong and sound, even if a bit reluctant, lazy and dumb. I can egg him on up the hill and the other day we even galloped. We got to the top of the hill where it seemed we almost ‘got air’ only to be met by three grey Brahman cows looking horrified at our sudden thunderous arrival, and so in midflight we ran a bit sideways. It was very exciting.
Possibly the trait he shares if any, with his erstwhile famous grandsire is one of being too docile. He’s quite a competent jumper, if me less so, though I’ll give it a go. But what we really need to do is go on an adventure together have a grand time and discover that adventurous spirit.
1 Response to “Shep”