Mr. Balistic had been a valued friend and partner to Gail Cayce, who had foxhunted (as staff, Fairfax Hunt and Loudon Hunt) with him and shown at The Washington International Horse Show. As a graduate of the Washington Park Police School, life as a therapeutic riding horse was a perfect fit for his retirement.
At 22 years old, Mr. Ballistic was being disposed of by his therapeutic riding program. During all the years that he was with the program (while being fed a commercial feed) he had been a head-flipper; was dragging his right hind leg; was an awful mud-brown color; and had poor body condition. Additionally he wind-sucked constantly. Because he was in so much pain, he was considered a danger to the volunteers and riders and the program's only option was to have him put down. Mr. B's former owner begged Virginia Equine Research to take him as a "poster-child" for the HorseSense Balanced Optimal Nutrition system.
In six months of simple lay-up life on good nutrition (no exercise) he became a new horse. He was 100% sound and was galloping and jumping. We used him to pony a racing filly (Noble Testamony) to her exercise field. He quit cribbing and was never lame in his hocks again. In eleven months all head flipping disappeared. He was a model therapeutic riding horse, transporting a multiple sclerosis adult rider like a true champ!
At 22 years old, Mr. Ballistic was being disposed of by his therapeutic riding program. During all the years that he was with the program (while being fed a commercial feed) he had been a head-flipper; was dragging his right hind leg; was an awful mud-brown color; and had poor body condition. Additionally he wind-sucked constantly. Because he was in so much pain, he was considered a danger to the volunteers and riders and the program's only option was to have him put down. Mr. B's former owner begged Virginia Equine Research to take him as a "poster-child" for the HorseSense Balanced Optimal Nutrition system.
In six months of simple lay-up life on good nutrition (no exercise) he became a new horse. He was 100% sound and was galloping and jumping. We used him to pony a racing filly (Noble Testamony) to her exercise field. He quit cribbing and was never lame in his hocks again. In eleven months all head flipping disappeared. He was a model therapeutic riding horse, transporting a multiple sclerosis adult rider like a true champ!