We have been trying to help abused horses and have several rescues at present. We have had success with some but we have a gelding that I wonder if he can ever be persuaded to trust any human being again. He is an appaloosa and had previously been used as a stockhorse on a cattle station. When we purchased him from the slaughter-yard, he was a very sorry sight. He was 20 years old, was physically and emotionally worn out – very depressed and trembling. His hooves were pixie shaped, his teeth had sharp edges, he was thin and he had a very swayed back with scars from saddle sores on both withers. Hunks of muscle in his neck were chunked out where it seems he got caught on a star picket or a steer’s horns. For the first year we did not ask anything from him, except that he eat his food, and stand to have his hooves trimmed and of course we made the mistake of forcing our affection on him as we didn’t know about waterholes rituals then. We tried to give him mega doses of reassurance that we would never try to hurt him. He was treated with good feed and minerals and began to put on some weight but his epaxial muscles have been damaged and he’ll never have a good topline again. A year after we purchased him, our 11 year old daughter began riding him around the farm in a halter and saddle pad. He took off on her a couple of times and so she doesn’t want to ride him anymore. I began to ride him and he was very obliging, apart from galloping off on me the last time I rode him, but I was able to pull him up. I can now see I’ve been doing it all wrong. I have tried hard to win this horse’s trust but I can see that I actually forced him into being ridden and to have to tolerate me being around him. At least I can pat him now without him trembling, but he is never relaxed around us. The equine dentist treated his teeth two days ago and even with 5 injections of 3 different drugs, could not get our poor horse under proper sedation. The drugs were effecting him, but he kept fighting against the relaxation. The vet said made several comments that this horse must have been severely abused because through fear he was fighting the sedation so strongly. I’m sure the gelding thought he was fighting for his life, but even so, he never tried to escape from the crush, bite, strike, kick or harm us in any way (never has either). In your experience Carolyn, is a horse that has been severely abused – but never the in the past 2 years – capable of forming a trust relationship at this late stage of his life? If so, which of the waterhole rituals would you consider to be the most important for this previously abused horse? I really have trouble believing that he’ll ever approach me even if I sat there waiting for two years, so some testimonials from your own experience or with others who have had success in gaining the trust of severely abused horses, would be very encouraging! I read the story about the nervous racehorse Rosie and watched the video, and that was encouraging but would love more details from Allesandra or Carolyn about which rituals were the most important in developing that fragile trust. Because I started wrong with this gelding, can I still go back and try again with him or would someone else have to take over? Thanks very much.