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Becoming Callahan

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Nottingham, NH
Becoming Callahan

Callahan’s page will chronicle his life from Amish cart horse to Cyndy West @ Bramble Hill Farm!

07/27/2024

Callahan has been spending the summer of 2024 living his absolute best life! ☀️

The joys of simply being a horse at Bramble Hill are abundant. Sunshine, blue skies, green grassy fields of wildflowers, short manageable groundwork sessions in the ring, getting along with stable mates & munching on plenty of carrots. 🥕🥕🥕

Both Toby Densmore of & Beth Lynn Lewis of Equibalance Farrier Services visited recently & Cal did great during the exams with no sedation! Such wonderful progress!!!

Cal’s ready. He’s ready for more. Saddle up & stay tuned!

07/13/2024

Callaghan’s SPRING UPDATE! Long post but very worth the read. You won’t be disappointed! ◡̈

This spring, the plan was to have Callahan train for several weeks at Mountain Land Farm. MLF is a highly respected equestrian facility with 20+ years of glowing reviews. From their website:
~Our goal is to create a respectful partnership from the ground to the saddle. There is a fine balance between building confidence in a horse and desensitizing them to outside stimuli. Our approach to training has grown out of years of hands-on experience, supplemented by natural horsemanship education. From c**t starting to problem horses to restarting Off Track Thoroughbreds, we take a quiet, steady approach to education the equine.
While this involves hours of dedication and hard work, we encourage owners to participate in the process with the goal of building their relationship with their horse.

MLF’s facility is superior & has vast experience in training horses that need a special approach.

Arrival day was exciting but proved to be bumpy as Callahan spooked with a quick moving atv. He reared & ran off to find safety. Thankfully, he stopped by horses in a nearby paddock, contemplated running into the forest (yikes!) but when approached by Cyndy, came to her willingly. Trust!

Cal was assigned a nice large stable of his own to get calm & adjust to his new surroundings.

Knowing his background of abuse & severe PTSD, the trainers started with very basic groundwork. Unfortunately, after several days, it was apparent that Cal was not responding as everyone hoped he would.

After a couple of weeks, the decision was made to bring Callahan home early. He was simply not comfortable & so very scared of the new people in this new environment. The exercises MLF were using were the same ones we were working on with him. They advised we continue Cyndy’s rehabilitation program & groundwork back @ Bramble Hill Farm where Cal is most comfortable.

After loading Callahan in the trailer, many questions swirled about in our minds as we were heading back home.
Is Callahan simply too damaged from his prior abuse?
With continued work, can he overcome his PTSD, learn & grow?
Will he ever allow anyone to ride him?
Did this recent training venture do further harm?
Will he trust us again??? We’ve worked so long & hard. Is that all undone?
What is his future? ~ happy life as a lesson horse or simply, an adorable pasture pet?
So many questions!

In that moment, we had to focus on what we could control. Getting Cal home, back to his barn, back to his wide-open, grassy fields with his mates. After a few days of rest back at home, we would start to work with him again & see how he responded.

Incredibly, after a couple of days resting at home, it was as if a switch flipped in his mind & everything was better! Everything! Instead of avoidance, he began to come willingly from the field to be harnessed. He doesn’t flinch much & generally seems more calm around everyone! He no longer hides his head in the corner of his stall & instead puts his sweet face out to say hello & visit. Incredible changes for him. Major turnaround! Such a thrilling turn of events!!!

Callahan has turned a corner. He truly seems to realize that Bramble Hill Farm is his home & that he is safe & very loved here! ♡

We can’t wait to see what the future holds for this beautiful boy! Plz stay tuned!

05/08/2024

Callahan recently had his first vet checkup at Bramble Hill Farm with . Great news, results are in & all is well with Mr Callahan!
He did well during the exam, blood draw & f***l test. A regular health exam is important for maintaining his overall wellness & performance. Proper veterinary care provides a baseline for him and helps identify any future health risk factors so they can be addressed early on.
The vet checked his heart, lungs, intestinal system, temperature, dental health, eyes, weight, & his overall condition. The necessary vaccinations were given based on his risk of exposure, use, geographic area, & environment. Blood was drawn for further testing. A f***l test was also performed to check for parasites as they are a common issue & can cause extensive internal damage, lower resistance to disease and absorption of essential nutrients, as well as cause colic and death.
Thanks to for their patience, knowledge & excellent care!
So happy to hear Callahan is a healthy boy! 🐎

02/27/2024

When Cal came to us, he was full of fear, suffering with PTSD & did not trust anyone. He was terrified of the lunge line so we put it away & have been using a short lead rope with him. Recently, we introduced him to a longer lead rope & as you can see, he’s responding well!

Address

48 Stevens Hill Road
Nottingham, NH
03290

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+16033033682

Website

http://cyndywestbhf.com/

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Videos

Summer Camp @ Bramble Hill Farm.♡

*Repost* Cyndy working on the basics with Callahan.

This little life… Callahan, I think he loves it. 🥰

Someone woke up extra spicy today! ☀️🌶️ 🤣❄️🌪️

Recently, Cyndy & I have been taking Callahan for walks in the woods. So rewarding for us all! The walks offer quiet bonding opportunities. A treat, a gentle touch, a soothing voice & just being present with him is truly beneficial. As small as these gestures may seem, these little moments add up and help develop a quality bond with time. Enrichment walks in the woods give Callahan a lot of unique sensory stimulation. He is free to stop, listen, sniff things, even take a bite of grass or leaves here and there. Callahan’s progression is incredible to see. He’s no longer a tool to be abused, he’s allowed to be a horse, to simply be himself. He responding so well to be treated with respect, to being guided, nurtured & loved. He is living quite the life at Bramble Hill Farm!🥰

Big day for Callahan! Dental & farrier visit back to back. Cal had his first dental checkup since arriving @ Bramble Hill Farm. Toby Densmore of Float Fairy @floatfairyllc performed the exam & filed down some hooks. She used a speculum for a portion of the exam & gave me the opportunity to reach in & feel the hooks myself! What an amazing dentist! Toby was not only very experienced & knowledgeable, she was so gentle & patient with the horses. Highly recommend! Cal’s exam went off without a hitch. The exam showed a few hooks which were floated/filed down. Minor bleeding will be treated with a rinse to aid with healing. He has one wolf tooth with another just breaking through the gums. Those teeth will be watched & assessed as we go. The exam showed he is in fact 7yo as we thought. Next checkup, summer 2024. All good news! After Callahan’s dental work, Beth Lynn Lewis of Equibalance Farrier Services worked on his hooves. She filed/shaped them & noted the cracks are growing out nicely. Beth is fantastic! She is so well informed & amazing at what she does. She’s patient with Cal & has no issue trimming his “funny” foot. Incredible! He still has issue with giving full control of his right rear leg. Working with him on that & he’s definitely making progress. Will continue using the Equine One Hoof Dressing to promote external health allowing internal and sensitive structures to do their job. It fills voids and fissures that can be pathways to pathogens. By summertime, his hooves should be good as new! Just look at this handsome boy! 💙