Panike

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Gorgeous Panike joins us for training from our friends at the Dorset Equine Rescue in Vermont in October 2024. She is an 11 year old, 15.2 hh Friesian mare who was rescued from severe neglect and starvation by the crew at Dorset. Panike has been lightly started under saddle prior to joining our program, but can be anxious and so will benefit from further training before finding her new home.

As she settles in here, Panike has shown her energetic and anxious tendencies but also her very sweet side. Once settled in a space she enjoys attention and has the ability to be very soft and responsive. We are so excited to get to know Panike and to be a part of her journey. This lovely mare has every reason to be nervous, and we hope to help prove to her that she is safe and can trust in people again.

February 2025 update: We have spent the last couple months getting to know Panike, helping her to keep her focus on her handler, and teaching her all sorts of groundwork skills in the process. We will start getting on her soon and will be keeping our first few rides short, rewarding relaxation and focus before asking more of her and finding out all that this fancy Friesian has to offer! 

Panike has a severe bug allergy that requires allergy medicine and for her to be covered from head-to-tail in fly gear during the warmer months. Without coverage, she is so affected by the bugs that she loses her ability to focus on anything else. For this reason, her future home would ideally have an indoor arena so they can still enjoy her year-round— in the summer when the bugs are out, and in the winter when the ground is icy. Her ideal home will also have experience training green horses. 

May 2025 update:

We have recently started reintroducing Panike to the concept of carrying a rider, and she improves every day! We are keeping it simple, establishing forward movement with a focus on relaxation and connection with her rider. Having a handler lunge her from the ground while she carries a rider seems to help keep her focus on the task at hand.

When she has a good grasp of “go” and “whoa”, we will gradually add in the basic steering aids that she has already been introduced to via ground-driving. When Panike is ready, we will continue her under-saddle education in different spaces such as our outdoor arena, where there are more potential distractions than in the indoor arena that she has become so familiar with over the winter.

Panike has a great understanding of the foundational groundwork skills and enjoys liberty work— both of which have greatly improved her focus and confidence in her handler. She is very familiar with wearing a saddle, but is still learning to lower her head to accept the bit during bridling. A little food goes a long way with her in those scenarios! Whether she is truly nervous, or at other times would just prefer not to do something, a well-timed cookie usually wins her over.

Panike’s bug allergy is currently being managed with Equishield SA powder, Equishield IBH spray, and twice-daily hydroxyzine. She is currently wearing a regular fly sheet (instead of the nose-to-tail outfit that she required in the past!) and remained comfortable throughout blackfly season with those management changes. We are hoping for the same when the deer flies come out!

Panike’s ideal home will be able to provide her with the above protocol to manage her bug allergy, and it remains to be seen if an indoor arena is still a definite requirement for her. She thrives on consistency and routine, which would make her a great candidate for someone who prefers ringwork but does not have an interest in showing.