FINDING NIKKO A Remarkable A
call from Nikko’s third rescue organization left the message, “If you want him, he’ll be tied to a tree. Come before 4 p.m., because that’s when he’ll be
taken away and euthanized.” The bay Swedish Warmblood came with a warning
label. He’s dangerous. Not for adult amateurs. No dressage. And, as the first two rescue groups had expressed, don’t bring him back here. But some people just won’t
listen. Robert Kelley of Santa Cruz, California, didn’t fit the profile on the warning label. He was an amateur. He rode dressage. He was a ballet instructor trained to use his body in a way antithetical to riding. He heard the description of the horse and he didn’t care. There was something about this horse.
GETTING ACQUAINTED The message from Willow Pond Rescue came to Robert’s partner Sam Harpur, whose organization Rediscovering Horses brought together troubled horses with troubled kids. With his strong equestrian background, Sam was the professional who picked up Nikko, brought him to the Save the Horse Foundation and had a successful go of it the first two days he rode the horse. Day three was not so good. The moment Sam got on, Nikko reared straight up. Robert was watching. Rear or no rear, he begged to get
on. Nikko was friendly to him and had a special look in his eye that told Robert they had a future together. Robert had ridden some as a youngster, but essentially he had only been riding as an adult for a year. Sam said no. But after more begging, Sam gave in.
24 November/December 2011 of Fate
IT’S OBVIOUS THAT SOMETHING BAD HAPPENEDTO NIKKO. WHY THIS HORSEWOULD FORGIVE ANY HUMAN IS BEYOND EXPLANATION.
By Patti Schofler “Yes, he reared with me too, but not big. So I begged
Sam to let me play with him for awhile. I just wanted to see if I could turn this horse around—if I could make him loveable,” Robert says. Little was and still is known about “Joey,” whose name they changed to Nikko. His father was Juvel, the Swedish Warmblood stallion that was a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic Dressage Team, the 1991 Pan American Games Silver Medalist, and also was an AHSA Grand Prix Horse of the Year. At some point,
Nikko’s life turned ugly. The first indication was in his mouth. An equine dentist found one and a half inch hooks on his teeth. “The vet said this horse has had a migraine for at least
ten years! The hooks were going up into the cavity of
his brain. That was probably why he was rearing,” Robert recalls. “The
dentist also found scar tissue on the roof of
his mouth which may likely have been from the double bridle.” Furthermore, the right side of his body was distended about six inches to the right. “We have no idea why. When you ran your hand along his back he would practically collapse to the ground. He was a train wreck.” Robert couldn’t carry a whip or Nikko panicked and
went up. He freaked out in crossties. If you put your legs on him, he would fly into the air. To this day, four years later, if a man comes up behind him he starts shaking. “I had a male bit checker at a dressage show and he couldn’t get the job done,” Robert remarks. “I’ve never been afraid of him,” he continues. “From the start I just felt I could trust him and I can’t explain why. I
All photos are courtesy of Robert Kelley
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