Neko has not always been a dragon. I’m pretty sure if you asked anyone who dealt with him at the track they would probably call him “Demon Spawn”. The journey to becoming a dragon has not been easy, for anyone involved. Blood was drawn, feelings were hurt, and bruises were dealt. But, anything worth having is worth working for…and the Dragon is definitely worth it!
I remember when Neko arrived at Willow Spring Farm. Unfortunately the “field trip” to go see him happened while I was taking care of my own horse after a ride so I missed meeting him then. Mark would occasionally mention him and some of the in hand work they were doing. Mark was travelling quite a bit teaching clinics around the country and had his homebred horses to work with so Neko took a bit of a back seat but still had a great start in classical Dressage in-hand work and had a few rides under his belt. He had been at Willow Spring Farm for about a year when Mark started telling me I needed that Red Horse. I was fairly adamantly against it. I have an obsession with dark bays and the idea of adding a chestnut to the herd was not very appealing. They have a tendency to have very sensitive skin and honestly, I’ve just never really liked the color much.
Finally, in February 2015 I listened to Mark when he told me, “You NEED this red horse.” When I went to pick him up Mark helped me with some easy in-hand work and I immediately was questioning his assertion that I needed this horse. HE WOULD NOT STOP TRYING TO BITE ME! He was like a piranha. Constantly, at whoever was closest...bite, bite, bite. Luckily it was February and my winter coat was protecting me from most of the assault. I was really wondering what Mark was getting me into. Against my better judgement I loaded “Piranha Pony” on to the trailer and our adventure officially started!
The first little bit was hard…like in tears hard. I had never met a horse like this before. Very quickly I started to see that Neko’s biting was not aggressive, but defensive. It was like he needed to get you before you got him. I started giving him TONS of treats, which is usually the opposite of what you want to do with a horse that is biting, but it started to make him realize that my hands were good (treat dispensers) and not mean. He was usually pretty friendly in the field… I think because they don’t get turn out on the track he didn’t have many bad experiences in that setting. But the first time I bathed and sweat-scraped him I thought he was going to kill me! They get bathed and sweat-scraped after almost every work on the track, so he had a lot of bad experiences with that.
Slowly Neko began to trust me more and stopped trying to bite me at every turn. Unfortunately, when he did question his trust in me, or the situation I put him in, he would really go after me. He was no longer like a piranha, he was like a shark. Luckily the “shark attacks” usually came with enough warning, but it you weren’t paying attention, he could really nail you. At this point he was starting to tolerate more physical contact, but when he was done, he was D-O-N-E and you better leave him be. I also noticed he was starting to accept me in to his “bubble” and sometimes he would almost try to protect both of us, especially from my dad and husband. This could make grooming him in the barn aisle really interesting if someone came in to the barn unexpectedly.
I don’t think I could totally pinpoint when he started to transition from “Sharkie Pony” to “The Dragon”, but gradually he began to trust me more, dare I say even LIKE me. There were many pieces to the “Happy Dragon’ puzzle; nutrition, saddle fit, body work and most importantly LISTENING to what he wanted and needed. Some days he is like the dragons from Game of Thrones and I am just barely in control, other days he is more like Puff.
I feel like I am firmly part of his herd now, and even if he isn’t always the easiest for everyone else, we are pretty solid in our relationship. I can’t say he never bites me, but generally its low key and what I call “cheap shots”. I’ve been lucky that throughout our journey to being a Dragon that my vets and farrier have been kind and understanding. I don’t think I could have done it if I had to board him…the poor barn manager…thankfully, I am the barn manager! I know I could not have handled a horse like this without Mark’s mentorship. Even though we lost Mark last May, I still feel his presence with me every time I work with any horse, but particularly with Neko.
I wouldn’t trade the Dragon for anything. He is becoming a wonderful horse and I couldn’t imagine my life without him. Mark was right (as usual), I really needed that red horse. I am thankful for Mark Russell for many things, but I am especially thankful that he saw the potential in me and that red horse…and that he was more stubborn about it than me! I could never thank him and his beautiful wife Hela enough for feeling like I am worthy of such an amazing creature. I work every day to deserve him.