Shadrack III

When Shad was about 18mths old he thought he was pretty hot stuff. He was pretty hard on people he didn't consider part of his crew, or that he thought he could scare. He was actually pretty good at it. As a long yearling one of the local trainers went up to his pen. I had a halter on Shad as I was in there cleaning, and we were going for a walk after I finished his pen. Now Shad was a biter. He got in loads of trouble for it, but when he was young if he didn't like you, or thought he could get away with it, he'd take a swipe at you. Usually just grabbing clothes, or to make you jump. Rarely ever connected with anyone, and never more than a pinch.



Well this guy walks up to the stall door, and Shad of course goes to see. I say, "Watch him, he might try and bite." This guy grabs the cheek piece of Shad's halter, and whacks him across the cheek a couple times saying, "Oh, no we'll get along fine, he's a good guy." Well, Shad apparently thought the macho comradely smacking sucked. He drew back and tagged the guy in the shoulder so hard he tore the guy's shirt. And of course took off out the back of the stall at speed. Great, so I have to get after my colt, because this guy's a moron. Hey, they aren't allowed to bite, even if the person they bite is a moron. Shad comes flying toward me, I holler at him, grab the halter and smack him once and tie him up. The guy thinks we should really get after him. I'm flabbergasted..it's now been over a minute...like Shad is going to have a clue why he's getting smacked on.



Well, this guy ended up training Shad's dam, after she was sold. She was started but needed to be finished. She broke his leg. I told him..."Man, this line of horses, just isn't working for you." HAH!



One afternoon Shad was showing off in his pen. His pen was probably 25 x 60' with a stall at the front that he could go in and out of at will. It was a wood pen, with hot wire around the inside boards to deter chewing. His water trough was a big bathtub set next to the fence. So, he's strutting around, slinging his head, swishing around, tail up so high it's lying over his flank. It was close to dinner time...big big show.



Shad is wringing his neck and slinging his head so hard it's lifting his front end off the ground. Well, Shad is close to the trough, he slings his head so hard, he does a 180 on his hind legs and falls into the water trough. I'm shocked, and then I look at him, his little fat tummy bulging toward the sun and his legs sticking skyward and start to laugh. Then as fast as I start to laugh, I stop....'Holyshit, how am I going to get him out of the tub?' Well, no sooner do I think this, he touches the hotwire. He came out of that tub like he was spring-loaded....just levered himself up and out.



I of course am trying to check him over, make sure there is no damage. He's mad mad mad. Turns his back to me. Doesn't want to see me at all. His tail is wet, and it keeps smacking into and wrapping around his hock. This was just insult to injury to Shad. He'd kick his tail, stomp his foot, and it would wrap back around the hock. So very mad long yearling, wet, embarrassed with his back to me, kicking his tail...totally bent out of shape, "Oh the indignity of it all."