A young retired horse with a big soft heart, looking for a new home.
What is this all about?!
Joker is around 17hh and rising 9 years old. I bought him from his breeder in 2009 after falling in love with his cheeky spirit. Unfortunately, Joker has had ongoing lameness issues for the past few years leading him to be retired from ridden work.
Due to a change in my circumstances, I can't afford to keep him - I have spent a lot of time trying to get him well, in the hope I could loan him as a ridden horse. But now we know he can't be ridden, I am trying my best to find him a suitable retirement home, perhaps in EAL or other therapy work.
Joker is excellent to catch, load, with farrier etc. He loves to be handled - he has thoroughly enjoyed the process of being poked and prodded by various equine professionals over the last few months - he'll put up with anything for attention! He would happily stand for hours being groomed and fussed. He has done a lot of in hand work in the school and can be very attentive.
He is a very people focussed horse - if you go into the field to poo pick, he will choose to follow you around to "help" rather than stay with the horses. He's a pretty cool character. When travelling him as a 4 year old, my lorry broke down on the M4, we were stuck there for hours and then had to unload him and reload him on a busy road with big lorries passing by and he was totally unfazed. The other day I was checking him after I had got home much later than usual and he went to lie down in the field next to me, as if nothing could interrupt his bedtime!
He does take a while to settle in new places and can be nappy going away from his field to an area he is unsure of initially, however, once he's been led there a few times in company and he knows where he is going, he is super chilled. He can rip rugs in friendly play, but has never been a kicker and gets on well with all horses. He has no vices and is happy living out 24 x 7 or in at night.
See the gallery for lots of pics!
You can also see Wiola's blog that has followed his progress over the last year: