Becoming Callahan

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

Callahan has been spending the summer of 2024 living his absolute best life! ☀️ The joys of simply being a horse at Bram...
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!

Callaghan’s SPRING UPDATE! Long post but very worth the read. You won’t be disappointed! ◡̈ This spring, the plan was to...
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!

Callahan recently had his first vet checkup at Bramble Hill Farm with . Great news, results are in & all is well with Mr...
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!

Callahan & the pups ❤️
11/12/2023

Callahan & the pups ❤️

Look at this face! 🥰So right now, Cal need shoes. He’s had one farrier visit & did well with a minor trim despite being ...
10/25/2023

Look at this face! 🥰

So right now, Cal need shoes. He’s had one farrier visit & did well with a minor trim despite being new & very nervous. Hooves are a mess & we really hope to get shoes on him soon.

We are unsure of his previous shoe/farrier experiences but it’s evident he is not comfortable with his feet being handled. Perhaps stocks were used.

Cal is sensitive about the handling of his front feet & not at all sure about us handling his hind feet, especially his right rear foot! It’s a tricky one!

Shoes are set to go on in early Nov! 🤞Our challenge now is to help him be ready to accept the shoeing process.

Per Cyndy‘s guidance, we have been cleaning his hooves daily with a hoof pick. Gently touching his legs & handling his feet for longer & longer periods of time.
When that tricky right rear foot gets pulled away, we hold on gently & attempt to place the foot down, making sure he knows we allowed the hoof down. This method will teach Cal that the handler is in charge of putting his foot down & hopefully, eventually, he will relax & no longer try to pull away.

Next, we began to pick up his feet for short periods of time, cleaning, applying hoof oil, tapping with a small hammer, changing positions & then giving the foot back before he decides to pull away. When all goes well, treats🥕! He is making progress. The boy is definitely very good motivated. 🥕🥕🥕

The goal for Cal is to progressively increase the amt of time his foot is held up & manipulated without any stress or pulling away. Eventually, he should have no problem holding his feet up for the farrier to work on!

Stay tuned!

Working with Callahan on new experiences. Determining triggers are necessary. Building trust & confidence is key. Warmin...
10/10/2023

Working with Callahan on new experiences. Determining triggers are necessary. Building trust & confidence is key.

Warming up in the ring, followed by walking on the road, through the gate, stopping for the mail & back through another spooky gate. Cyndy West also ran alongside him to see if he would trot with her. He was unsure at first but after a few tries, he gave us a several small trots! We’ll keep working on that with him. With patience and proper training, we can hopefully get him to move beyond his ptsd issues. Small steps go toward building his confidence!

Cindi Wylie in Dressage Today, explains that a horse feels safer in a herd & is then less likely to spook. The goal is to form a bond & essentially become a herd of two.

So happy Callahan is part of our herd at Bramble Hill Farm!🥰

Beautiful boy out enjoying sunshine, crisp fall air & a bit of mud. New England living at its finest!🍁 Cal is settling n...
10/09/2023

Beautiful boy out enjoying sunshine, crisp fall air & a bit of mud. New England living at its finest!🍁 Cal is settling nicely into his new home at Bramble Hill Farm. We just adore him! 🥰

10/02/2023

6/6 Callahan is learning to trust & that the block isn’t something to be feared. Progress!

10/02/2023

5/6 Listening, engaging, bonding, trusting.

10/02/2023

4/6 He’s allowing Savannah up on the top step with a little pressure on his back. In the end, you can see he remains fearful. Time & repetition will teach him that he’s safe with them & the block.

10/02/2023

3/6 Approaching the top step of the block makes him uneasy. We will spend time repeating these exercises until he’s secure & comfortable with being approached on the block.

10/02/2023

2/6 Callahan is showing us that he’s unsure/fearful of the block.

10/02/2023

1/6 This session included introducing Callahan to the block. He’s definitely unsure & fearful. Cyndy & Savannah start by placing the block near him while quietly & calmly reassuring him that’s he’s safe. Savannah starts on the ground and as Callahan gets more & more comfortable, she can move up to the steps. Once she reaches the top step and Callahan is calm, she introduced a little pressure on the saddle. He responded well! He went from very skittish around the block to letting her stand on the top step & apply weight to the saddle! These exercises will be repeated until his fear of the block is gone. Each lesson shows his potential. Progress!

10/02/2023

2 of 2 videos. Learning Callahan & building trust.

10/02/2023

1 of 2 videos. Learning Callahan’s ways. Going through basics with him: walk on, halt & back. As you can see & hear Cyndy say, he’s ultra, ultra, ultra sensitive! Consistently taking him through these simple exercises & repeatedly showing him kindness with a calm demeanor, we can build trust with Callahan through these positive relationships. He makes progress each session. It’s so rewarding to witness! Callahan shows us that he wants interaction. That’s important. With his willingness & Cyndy’s guidance, he’s going to go far!

The end of the block session was with deep breaths and the head drop maneuver. Once his head drops, he’s relaxed and at ...
10/02/2023

The end of the block session was with deep breaths and the head drop maneuver. Once his head drops, he’s relaxed and at ease. Time for a walk around the ring & some treats🥕on this beautiful fall day @ Bramble Hill Farm!

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

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Videos

⭐️Summer proved very successful for Mr. Callahan! ⭐️ Cyndy & I continued our training & arranged for him to have additional lessons with Kayleigh. Kayleigh is an experienced rider & knows Cal well. Both Cyndy & Kayleigh successfully rode him during several sessions! Exciting!!! The gentlest techniques were used to see exactly how he would respond under saddle. Initially, seeing how he responded to foot pressure. Using the lightest possible leg pressure to encourage movement away from the leg, they worked on left leg, then right leg & walk on. As always, rewards given with his successes. Callahan responded well & we are all so tremendously proud of him! He’s our little rock star!⭐️

Summer Camp @ Bramble Hill Farm.♡

*Repost* Cyndy working on the basics with Callahan.

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!

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! 💙

Happy Halloween from Callahan & Bramble Hill Farm! 🎃

Fun with a Disney filter on Callahan. So handsome!

Cal enjoying a treat 🥕 for his hard work. Well deserved! Is he part bunny rabbit? 🐰 Maybe, lol. Locating signals from outer space? 🛸 Definitely! 🤣 He’s a gem!

Look how calm Callahan is after his lesson with the gate. Ears forward & walking confidently! 🥕

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