WILL.I.AM

I inherited William from a field I rented, he’d been abandoned there the year before and no one had claimed him or wanted him. He was feral and petrified of human contact. I decided to keep him with my stallion Jasper so they could both have company, contact and social interaction.

As William’s past is unknown, he will be kept as a companion horse only. His fear runs deep and he is happy just being with other horses. It took a long time to get William to trust me and his first and strongest instinct was always to run; he is petrified of enclosed spaces, men and quick movements. I can only guess at his past but his fear is so great that he shakes, sweats and you can see his breathing rapidly increase. Show him a head collar and he’s gone, eyes rolling backwards, snorting, terrified. It is heart-breaking to witness. It took a year before I could actually pet him without him thinking I was going to beat him.

I have now spent a few years loving and caring for William, but have always allowed him space and understanding. I will never try to back him or break him to ride or drive as I would never want to put him in a position where his reaction to something may trigger a negative memory. This could undo all the time and effort I have put in, trying to show him that not all humans break a horses’ spirit in order to make them work.

William is happy being a companion to Jasper and although he will never be a ‘petting pony’ I do not mind in the least; he is worth his weight in gold by giving Jasper companionship, he now accepts treats from strangers and may even let them pet him for a short while. He likes to have a visible escape route and hates being penned in; this I think will always be the case but it is not an issue. William is a firm member of the Waterfall herd and has gradually adapted to different situations: he tolerated the foals playing with him and even protected my mares from Jasper, the stallion, when the fence was turned off one day. William is worth his weight in gold.