Adopting Sakima – the Wild Horse

Do you ever do something in your life that makes no sense and could end in disaster but you push on regardless, despite the nagging thought of why am I doing this?

I still cannot answer why I made that first call about adopting a brumby and why when I heard about this tri coloured pinto I felt the compulsion to adopt him.

As I discussed his adoption, over several weeks the true nature of the problem with Sakima and why he had not long ago found a new home became apparent. This wild boy was one of the wildest and most fearful brumbies that had been captured in the Guy Fawkes National Park. After several months at the Save the Brumby adoption property the trainers had been able to do little with him in terms of halter starting and gentling him to accept the human touch. He would come in for his hay but fear drove him to avoid any close contact at any cost. He needed a special, understanding home and a place where no time restraints would be imposed on him as he joined the human world.

For some reason I bravely went onwards. Saying yes we will adopt him and I will get the help I need to start him as I had never started a horse, let alone a brumby.

When I did see a photo of Sakima I fell in love with my wild boy. Not because of his unique colour, black, white and brown or his magnificent, tangled mane but his eyes that spoke of a wonderfully spirited, kind and intelligent horse. It is true the eye is the window of the soul. It is why I don’t wear sunglasses when I work with Sakima; I want him to see the intent and softness in my eyes. He can see I mean him no harm and he responds accordingly. He does not see me as the predator that humans represented to him and we meant fear and danger to a wild horse.

So I adopted Sakima but it would be months before he came to our property. Lisa, the trainer wanted to be able to bring him further into the human world before he joined us.
In March I made the long trip to Armidale to meet my brumby. It was then I knew that I had adopted a very special horse that would take a long time to accept people and would test my level of horse training skills.

Eventually more brumbies were arriving from Guy Fawkes National Park for adoption and Sakima had to come, ready or not. Lisa would bring him down in the special brumby truck set up so he could not jump out.

Sakima was unloaded and here he was at his new home at last.

He fled to the farthest corner of the holding paddock and the stories of him jumping out of the National Park trap three times filled me with apprehension as to whether I could contain him on our property. His ranger’s nickname of Jack in the Box filled me with dread. None of our fences were electrified like the brumby sanctuary.

I had an added problem. We used the natural cliff face as the boundary fence to stop our horses and cows going into the National Park that adjoined our property. Hardly brumby proof. Before he could join the herd I had to have the fences run to the top of the cliff to prevent him making a run for freedom.

I made no progress with him and yes he would come in for his hay but he was always aware of where we were and the danger in his mind that we represented. Little progress was made and eventually I began to think I needed more help on this adventure.

The day the fencing was completed in the front paddock he could be released to join the herd. A tentative boy walked out of the yard, first rejoicing in his freedom. Then it was down to business, joining the herd. He trotted and then cantered to the herd.

Don’t ask me how he knew but he knew who the herd leader was and it was Zippin. He made a bee line for Zippin, challenging him immediately. Ignoring the others fascinated by his presence, Sakima did battle with Zippin. Brumbies challenge at the throat and this was a new experience for Zippin who usually did battle by a bite on the bum. Here was a challenger who approached front on. After the first contact that looked violent but was not life threatening, Zippin and Sakima battled it out at a canter.

Zippin positioning himself to push Sakima from behind and this is the dominant position that the leader of the herd assumes. This would go on for days with Zippin asserting his control by herding Sakima from behind and telling him when he could graze, where he had to move and when he would be allowed to stop.
Sakima assumed the bottom position in the herd and each of the other horses, Yannee and Beau would push him from behind when they had the chance and keep him on the outskirts of the mob. He would not be allowed to join the herd until he had shown his horse manners and that he accepted his position at the bottom of the pecking order.

He had to start at the bottom to get acceptance and over time he would challenge all the others to improve his pecking order position. He would spend many lonely days grazing on his own forlornly following at distance and when getting too close being pushed out of the herd. I could do nothing to help him in the introduction to our herd except at feed time.

I usually found him with the cows that he herded mercilessly and took the dominant position with them. He regularly made them scatter as he snaked at them to move away and if ignored he ran through the cattle mob. Much to the annoyance of our farm manager, who complained that every time Sakima scattered the herd his cows lost a kilo or two.

At feed time I was the leader and tolerated no horse rudely taking another’s food or being aggressive. I was able to send an offender off to the outside of the herd and in this way protected Sakima when he arrived for his feed.

Even Zippin learnt quickly to leave Sakima alone at feed time or suffer the dire consequences. When he finished his food he would stand eyes locked on to Sakima but not prepared to move from his empty food bucket as he knew he would be sent further away. Trying to take over Sakima’s food was simply not worth it when I was around.

This way Sakima learnt that there was a fairer leader than Zippin and that I would set the standard for herd behaviour when I was around. Zippin is a dominant leader and at times his ego and desire to be the boss takes him into an unpleasant side of leadership. He is young and needs to learn a fairer way to lead. But because domestic horses have not learnt horse manners as foals, Zippin may never learn this finer side of leadership.

Sakima accepted that when I was there he could eat his feed without interference from the rest of the herd. This was the first, tiny step in having Sakima trust and bond with me.

It would be many more months before the trust and bond would change his life as a wild horse forever.

Lynn