Introduction to Domestic Life

 Welcome to the New Home

In about April or May, 2021, Clearview Brumby Rescue delivered Storm to my very modest property in South-east Queensland, where he was introduced to my Standardbred, Thunder. The delivery had its own share of fun, from having to dismantle part of the yard gate so that we could lower the gate on the back of the truck, to getting the delivery truck bogged. Long story short, it took an industrial towtruck and $650 to get it unbogged.

With all the paperwork out of the way, Storm and Thunder were left to get acquainted. Obviously enough he was a bit on edge - rounding up, capture, gelding, branding, and then a long road trip to a new home - I'd be on edge too.

Early Handling

He wasn't that excited about being approached and handled at first, but it's amazing what the smell of fresh hay can do. I soon had him walking up to the fence to eat basically out of my hand, and from there it wasn't hard to "remove" the fence and that psychological barrier. Step 1 achieved.

Halters and Saddle Blankets

Step 2 didn't take longer either. Storm is such a relaxed and easy-going character that it didn't take long to go from hand feeding to gentle touches to all over rubs. Introducing a halter and lead rope was pretty easy, as was getting him used to a saddle blanket. He soon learned that I kept treats in my pocket, and "doing the right thing" was always rewarded. Of course, this led to him following me around the yard and eventually the paddock as well. It only took a couple of months for this wild Brumby to basically come when called, submit to gentle brushing, and later to having all his feet picked up and inspected.

Learning to Tie Up

I wasn't sure how he'd go with tying up. He was very reticent to enter the big shed, with its concrete floor and various pieces of equipment, but the treats in the pocket did the trick again. Even after an early incident when something spooked him while in the shed (noisy car or something going down the road) and he fell over trying to make a rapid exit, it didn't take much to get him back in, tie up, and submit to gentle, all-over handling. He was very curious about me brushing his very long and tangled tail, but patience won out.

Next time, I'll write about getting his feet done, learning some basic commands, working together with Thunder, and whatever else I think of. Stay tuned.