THORIN
Breed:  Cob/Grade          Sex: Gelding          Age: 10          Height: 13-13.1hh          Color: Black
Suitable for:  Advanced handler with experience training horses
​Disciplines: Prospect for Any Discipline, Trail Riding
Adoption Fee: $2000
 

Update 1/2/2025

Thorin has been progressing in his training at a rapid rate! He has made so much progress in just the past few months that we wanted to share some updates!

- He is now routinely standing for the farrier without sedation to have his feet trimmed.

- He is developing a nice canter on the lunge line.

- He is learning the beginning stages of collection and flexion, as well as developing his free walk and stretchy trot.

- He has started learning to jump and has done small cross rails.

- He has made great steps in overcoming his fear of lunge whips, sticks, or anything of the sort.

- He stands quietly in-hand, single tied, or cross tied, and is very comfortable being stalled.

- He has accepted a multitude of riders, including giving pony rides to beginners, and has been kid tested by a confident tween.

- He is routinely worked with other horses, including mares, geldings, ponies, draft horses, and minis, and has always been a perfect gentleman. He gets along with everyone so well that he is often used as an emotional support/confidence horse for other nervous horses.

- Though he was initially wary, he is improving for the vets and recently completed a soundness exam and had farrier films done, though he still is not a fan of needles (can you blame him?)

- He has mostly overcome his fear response of bolting away from scary situations and now looks to his handler for reassurance when he is feeling nervous.

Thorin is in a full training program and is coming up to the barn multiple times a week for training, either in hand or under saddle.   He is getting braver and more confident each day and is sharing more of his charming personality - he tends to steal the hearts of our volunteers. Thorin is ready for adoption and is eagerly waiting to meet his people.

October 2024:

Do you need a few more minutes to go back and look at his pictures again?  To take another look at that gorgeous face, his dreamy mane, his perfect little cob body? Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Did you see the one of him giving a lead line ride to a beginner? The one of him standing so nonchalantly in the trailer? What about the one of him leaping through the air? Do you want to give that perfect little nose a kiss too? What those pictures don’t show, is how he’s gotten to where he is now. We don’t know a lot of his history, but we know it some of it was sad and scary. The pictures of his beautiful face without a halter? At first he was uncatchable, untouchable… interested, curious… but ready to bolt at the slightest moment. They pictures don’t show the small team that has worked with him for months, progressing slowly and steadily. Teaching life skills from the ground up (farrier) and starting under saddle. After months of requiring sedation, our patient farrier was able to trim his feet without it  (though he may require sedation at first in a new environment) With patience, he’s become so much better for the veterinarian as well.

Until recently- only the rider that started him under saddle had ridden him, and then in the space of a few days, he accepted 3 different riders like it was no big deal. He has a lovely walk and trot, but needs to build balance and strength before adding the canter. With his confident rider, he struts the trails and obstacles around the farm with only an occasional look. He trots and canters cavallettis on a lunge line, and under saddle they’ve been schooling intro level dressage tests.

The rider in the videos in 5’8",  he takes up a lot of leg, and he strong enough to carry small adults, **however**  there is one big BUT here (and it’s not just his) Thorin has a very short and wide back, and saddle fitting will be a challenge, one his adopter must be prepared to address as he does not like to be ridden bareback. We’ve been riding him in a soft treeless, but that’s not a long-term solution.

He has the *potential*  to be a great kids horse, he’s curious, sweet and has done great with lead line rides… BUT he’s not there yet… he's not *yet* your kids first pony, or safe for kids to work independently, and he’s not yet ready for a beginner handler. With time we believe he will be all of these things. Thorin is a 10 year old gelding that doesn’t have a mean or naughty bone in his body, but he still has a few fearful ones. His height is 13-13.1hh… approximate  because sticks of all kinds are still scary… there are still many things that he will suddenly find fearful and want to leave the situation… FAST.

Thorin’s ideal adopter will have experience finishing horses,  and be willing to put in the time to build a relationship. If you’re willing to put in the time to complete the transformation we’ve started, I promise you, this is the horse of a lifetime.