10/30/2025
Another great read.
๏ธ๐ซKhalif๐ซ
Khalif is 7yo and is the oldest of the Sorraia x Lusitano brothers.
Physically he is mildly ataxic due to an OCD bone chip in his neck that cannot be removed due to the location. He isn't in any pain but was very uncoordinated, particularly when stressed. He also didnt have a very well developed canter making a few strides then preferring to stay in a rushy trot. On top of this, he seems to have way too many teeth! I've never seen a horse with so many canines, there's very little space in there so he'll see both the dentist and the osteo on their next visits.
Emotionally, all the responsibility and decision making has been on him for years and his 'worry cup' lid is welded on. Lusitanos are amazing at carrying a high degree of tension that would make most other horses explode and Khalif is like this, but on steroids๐
. During his sessions with me, he is very happy to let me take control and doesn't give his brother (Jamie) a second thought. But when I work Jamie, Khalif hovers at the roundpen, making sure everything is OK. This was super annoying as it created more draw to the outside of the roundpen, meaning whatever I did inside the roundpen was irrelevant to Jamie! He's getting better with this and hovers a good 20 meters or so away now.
Khalif is the type that makes me look really good- he's sharp as a tack, stays checked in and has a lot of different ideas, making him an efficient problem solver. He is naturally a more spooky type, but his problem solving abilities mean he doesn't stay upset for long. He has a great attention span yet no tendencies to fixate on either me or his environment. He doesn't go looking for trouble and is more than happy to hand the controls over to me so he can relax!
His biggest thing is that initially I thought I'd need the osteopath to look at him before I could work him- his head was turned out particularly traveling right and he kept losing his balance. I also noticed he couldn't lower his head in motion and didn't lick and chew at all due to mental tension- turns out those things were linked! If I get a horse like this,I'll stick a thumb in their mouth at the moments they're supposed to relax until they stretch their tongue over my hand. This loosens off the TMJ and also the horses relax and then lick and chew by themselves. Day 1, Khalif did not lick and chew by himself at all, I always had to use my thumb. Day 2, he licked and chewed by himself twice. By day 3, he was licking and chewing by himself after completing each of my requests! This was also the day he started traveling straight, lowing his head, looking to the inside and his ataxia was apparently cured! He also had a really rhythmic, easy to maintain canter out of nowhere. He's interacting with other members of the herd, orbiting close to them and trying to make new connections. He's on track to start ridden work as soon as this weekend!
Big fan of Khalif and imagine that eventually lots of guests will be too ๐
