STORY OF HOW WULFFE
came to be goes here |
Feb 7th 1993, Wulffe was 19yrs old! A dream come true! 2nd level dressage schoolmaster; a horse with a degree in dressage who could teach me. As with everything "free" there's a big hitch! I was told the hitch was he was very "territorial" & you couldn't go in the stall with him. ok....NP!
Much later I learned. the hard way, that he was a rogue.
He attacked his
previous owner when the owner entered the paddock, & every time the owner ran &
jumped the fence. I learned Wulffe injured a lot of people.
2 months after he arrived he charged me while I was going to get Shetan. Here
comes this 16.2hd horse, mouth wide open & teeth showing. I was in a 30 acre
field; too far from a fence to run;
nothing on the ground to throw! I'd
never been in that situation before! My last thought was "My
brother's death
didn't kill me; YOU'RE NOT GOING TO KILL ME! so, I charged him back.. straight
on
and yelled "NOOOOOOOO" as if he was a dog!
He stopped! I'm not Kidding! I don't know who was more shocked, him or me but He stopped on a dime! I was hoping for that but I honestly didn't know what to expect. What I saw next felt like a dream but cross my heart, it appeared as if he tilted his
head, shrugged his shoulders; turned and walked away! Guess no one ever squared off & faced him down before.
I may have looked brave to anyone watching, but what they didn't see right afterwards was my knees
knocking. I'm serious, they were Really knocking! I felt a little wheezy, but I grabbed Shetan and high tailed it right back to the barn, sat down in the aisle and cried. Took me 3 weeks to
get the courage to
go back out in the field, again. Wulffe never charged me again.
THAT WAS OUR BEGINNING!
A year later I discovered Wulffe had a hidden heart of gold. [a heart warming
story]
That's when I developed a theory; Wulffe only attacked someone if they were angry or in a
bad mood {which
explains why he attacked people @ dressage shows! [lots of stress & pressure in the
air] and why he attacked me that day [I had a fight the
day before with my boyfriend and was reliving it as I was walking through the pasture to get Shetan].
I wondered if he'd been beaten or abused as a youngster by some angry drunk during
his growing years in Germany. As a protective mechanism, if he sensed anyone's anger, he immediately, without thinking was going to
get them before they got him! That might explain why he'd attacked riders at dressage shows. Riders are under a lot of pressure, especially if someone else is sponsoring them with high expectations.
Wulffe once attacked my girlfriend/coach Jamie as she was walking down the barn aisle minding her own business. She said he lunged out over his dutch stall door, grabbed her arm and bit it. I asked if she hit him. She didn't have time. He immediately turned to the back corner of his stall and hung his head, as if he felt ashamed. Strange, I know!
I asked Jamie if she was in a bad mood and she said "NO"!. In all fairness Jamie who normally is a loving cheerful person, was at that moment VERRY pregnant' in her third trimester. [NEED I SAY MORE? Mood swings was the new norm, but I didn't feel the need to bring that up! No Way Jose! He he!
Wulffe's attitude mellowed with age. He'd forewarn anyone by pinning his ears, thus giving the person an opportunity to either change their attitude or get the hell out of there! I made certain everyone was aware of checking their own feelings before dealing with Wulfman. Otherwise, he had a
wonderful heart of gold.
I made it a habit everyday for a year, before I got
out of my car @ the barn, I took an emotional inventory; if I had even the slightest angry feeling or negative thoughts I made sure to let go of all of them before
entering the barn! It worked! Wulffe never once pinned ed his ears at me. Turned out to be a GREAT life lesson. To this day I don't get angry
or if I do, I can't stay angry very long! At the most Minutes instead of days.
July 7 2001: I totally get it that I can't change anyone but myself and that especially goes with animals. There's still not a guarantee, but hopefully by changing myself others will follow in how they respond. When I deal with my horses I AM THE ONE WHO ALWAYS CHANGES FIRST.
That's just a given. I figure out what I expect from them and how to accomplish it, The one constant is an"Attitude of LOVE"= Otherwise "Asta La Vista Baby" they'd walk away…. He he
Especially with "WULFMAN", God challenged me to face my fears straight on! Always under conditions surrounded with LOVE. Hard to imagine it was just LOVE with patience, discipline & always expecting the best & giving him the benefit of doubt that truly healed WULFFE. Wouldn't it be a sweet if people always gave each other the benefit of doubt!
Now when Wulffe gives me a hard time, I notice there's a gentle element. Almost as if he's trying to be careful not to hurt me. If I wasn't struggling to keep my eyes open I'd tell you more detail about my last sweet encounter with him.
OK, I won't tease; here's a quick overview: It was late at night. MOM waiting in the car with the head lights on and Wulffe had gotten out of the barn. I managed to catch him and wrap my rope around his neck, but, No WAY was he returning. And no way was I strong enough to be the Boss. To make a long story short.. He could have easily dragged me across the field but he didn't; He didn't go back to the barn either! He he
He seemed to enjoy my company & our private time together without disruptions from the other members of my herd. Suffice it to say we did a lot of walking around together; I got a lot of exercise & slept real well that night! When he decided he'd played enough, he agreed to return to the barn & shocked me by starting to walk down the slate stone steps leading down the hill to the barn instead of the grass alongside the steps. My heart skipped a beat. I was scared he'd break the slate & hurt himself.
I "softly" (not firmly or yelling, almost pleading, ) said "NO, Wulffe, don't go down the stairs,, step over here (pointing to the grass on the right and CALMLY told him to "walk alongside the steps on the grass", [Imagine, if you can, petite little me [5'] at the bottom of the hill looking straight up at him [16.2hd tall] on top!)
I don't think I really expected him to do exactly what I said but hoped I calmed him enough to be very careful. Guess what? HE DID EXACTLY WHAT I ASKED!!!!! He calmly walked to the right of the steps and believe me there was not a lot of room between the steps, a big tree and gully. That's what made his actions so special... It warmed my heart like nothing I've ever experienced. If I can do it with a rogue ex-Stallion, Why Can't I do it with a MAN.. I just have to stop expecting the MAN to act like a MAN,, and expect him to act like an animal (*smile*) We all respond better to LOVE.. no?
Remind me to share the miracle he pulled when I was stuck in his stall and he knew I was scared.
In the last couple of years Wulffe's personality really blossomed. He even
developed a great sense of humor.
On Wulffe's stall I have a sign that says " When they act the least
loveable, they need the most love" Don't you think this is
true for humans too!
He is so missed! My brother's horse Eclipse,
the "Heart of Gold" Gray Arabian grieved terribly!
Eclipse literally had tears running down his face for two weeks.
If there was ever an animal that showed me the healing POWER OF LOVE, it was
Wulffe!
Thanks Wulfman! |