Waru Warrior (Lewie)
⚔️ 𝓦𝓐𝓡𝓤 𝓦𝓐𝓡𝓡𝓘𝓞𝓡 ⚔️
I remember the day as if it was yesterday, it was a cold, dark dreary day in Victoria, May 20th, 2020. We were struck down by the COVID-19 virus and in lockdown unable to leave our homes, I was off work and needed a way to fill the time. I had just come off a tough 6 months, losing a few horse to some really freak accidents/illnesses and ready to throw in the towel all together. That was when I stumbled across “Lewie”, a yearling (rising 2yo) QH colt, located all the way up in Ipswich Queensland for $500. I rang the lady and had a good chat about him and decided to take the gamble on him, he looked a lovely type, and she assured me he had a good temperament.
Unfortunately, although meant to be float trained, he was loaded on the truck, only to resist the pressure, flip over backwards and put a “small slit behind his ear” I was informed and was told the transport driver would keep a close eye on him. He gave the drivers considerable trouble all the way to Victoria, taking two grown men to virtually lift him on and off the truck at each stopover. He finally arrived just on dark on May 20, he was wormy, had ticks on him and on close inspection a very nasty hole in his head. The following morning the vet came out and wrote out a full A4 page list of care instructions, they used an ultrasound around the hole to find out it ran around 15cm under the skin down the front of his face and around 30cm over his poll and down the opposite side of his neck. The vets were dumbfounded he was alive, he had a mild case of travel sickness (pneumonia – fluid on the lungs) and a severe infection running a temperature of 39-40 degrees Celsius. He also had a nasty infection in the hole itself and severe concussion, as expected, that had severely swollen his brain. At this stage the vets were cautious not to give us too much hope for his survival however said if we follow the care instructions it will keep him comfortable enough to keep fighting IF he is going to survive.
By the end of his treatment the vets were sure I missed my calling and should go back to university to join their team. Treatment included flushing his wound at least 3-4 times a day and more if there was a lot of mucus coming out, we used a fluid bag with a tiny hose to push it into the hole and squeeze the fluid out, then fill the hole with a 20mL syringe full of antibiotic cream. He then had 2 intramuscular needles and 1 intravenous needle a day for 4 weeks. At the conclusion of 4 weeks, we threw the needles out and moved to 2 lots of oral antibiotics per day as he was just so sore from all the needles. Despite the 4 weeks heavy treatment, his head was still quite swollen, he was dull, temperature ranging from high 38’s to 40 still, however the wound was starting to look much better. Finally, after 7 weeks, the wound began to heal in (meaning it was finally healing from the inside out). He started to brighten up, the swelling in his face had reduced dramatically and a moment I will never forget, he shook his head for the first time. While we weren’t out of the woods yet, it was the first good sign, he stayed on antibiotics for 12 weeks just to be sure we had covered all bases. We were finally able to start rehabilitation, the biggest fear was brain damage, it was almost guaranteed he would have, but to the full degree would be unknown for some time.
Over the next month we worked on basics, walking in straight lines, backing, turning circles, yielding quarters, walking over bridges, standing on tyres, and walking over poles etc. The first two weeks he did struggle a little but never stopped trying, at the end of week 4 he was lunging and had the breaking gear on for the first time. Due to his young age and of course the trauma he had been through we took each day one step at a time and always gave him regular breaks both during the session and breaks between work (a few days off or a week off if needed). He was then gelded but unfortunately due to all the trauma his body had been through his immunity was still low and he ended up getting an infection and going on more antibiotics (his favourite), so we gave him another month off to recover fully.
Once he was all healed up and playing in the paddock he was brought back into work, he was a little slow to get the hang of things initially but after the long reining began he really started to pick it all up. Within a few weeks he had his first ride and just absolutely loved the ridden life, he was so cheeky and full of life but not a nasty or naughty bone in his body. He went on a trail ride within his first 10 rides and was regularly walked out the roads and used to accompany a more nervous older horse I had at the time.
So here we are in July of 2023, not only is he healthy, happy, and loving life, he is already having a successful career under saddle! He started barrel racing this year after a couple of outings last year for a look around and has gone from 4D to 3D in just 4 rounds, he has a huge heart and makes fans wherever he goes. He absolutely loves anything to do with cattle work (being Acres Destiny bred this isn’t surprising) and I can’t wait to let him try some team penning or cutting soon. Oh, if you were wondering if he did end up with brain damage the answer is YES! He has some quirks, things that trigger him to become over stimulated and react in odd ways but has never shown to be potentially dangerous to himself or anyone else. He also has damaged facial nerves that has meant bits just don’t sit comfortably with him, so he is a hackamore kind of guy, the lovely soft padded type. He once was unable to wear a bridle without a Hidez hood underneath but for the last 6 months we have been hood free! The older he gets and the more work he does the more it reduces which is common in brain injuries they do change as the brain develops. For now, we just go with the flow, we know each other so well and have such a strong bond that together we can just enjoy life and accomplish whatever we set our minds to.
I always say life has a funny way of working out and I think deep down inside, he was meant to find me as much as I was meant to find him.
Waru Warrior (meaning Fire Warrior in my native language) his name is because we think he has fought through the depths of hell and needs to be acknowledged for his pure strength and resilience.
I remember the day as if it was yesterday, it was a cold, dark dreary day in Victoria, May 20th, 2020. We were struck down by the COVID-19 virus and in lockdown unable to leave our homes, I was off work and needed a way to fill the time. I had just come off a tough 6 months, losing a few horse to some really freak accidents/illnesses and ready to throw in the towel all together. That was when I stumbled across “Lewie”, a yearling (rising 2yo) QH colt, located all the way up in Ipswich Queensland for $500. I rang the lady and had a good chat about him and decided to take the gamble on him, he looked a lovely type, and she assured me he had a good temperament.
Unfortunately, although meant to be float trained, he was loaded on the truck, only to resist the pressure, flip over backwards and put a “small slit behind his ear” I was informed and was told the transport driver would keep a close eye on him. He gave the drivers considerable trouble all the way to Victoria, taking two grown men to virtually lift him on and off the truck at each stopover. He finally arrived just on dark on May 20, he was wormy, had ticks on him and on close inspection a very nasty hole in his head. The following morning the vet came out and wrote out a full A4 page list of care instructions, they used an ultrasound around the hole to find out it ran around 15cm under the skin down the front of his face and around 30cm over his poll and down the opposite side of his neck. The vets were dumbfounded he was alive, he had a mild case of travel sickness (pneumonia – fluid on the lungs) and a severe infection running a temperature of 39-40 degrees Celsius. He also had a nasty infection in the hole itself and severe concussion, as expected, that had severely swollen his brain. At this stage the vets were cautious not to give us too much hope for his survival however said if we follow the care instructions it will keep him comfortable enough to keep fighting IF he is going to survive.
By the end of his treatment the vets were sure I missed my calling and should go back to university to join their team. Treatment included flushing his wound at least 3-4 times a day and more if there was a lot of mucus coming out, we used a fluid bag with a tiny hose to push it into the hole and squeeze the fluid out, then fill the hole with a 20mL syringe full of antibiotic cream. He then had 2 intramuscular needles and 1 intravenous needle a day for 4 weeks. At the conclusion of 4 weeks, we threw the needles out and moved to 2 lots of oral antibiotics per day as he was just so sore from all the needles. Despite the 4 weeks heavy treatment, his head was still quite swollen, he was dull, temperature ranging from high 38’s to 40 still, however the wound was starting to look much better. Finally, after 7 weeks, the wound began to heal in (meaning it was finally healing from the inside out). He started to brighten up, the swelling in his face had reduced dramatically and a moment I will never forget, he shook his head for the first time. While we weren’t out of the woods yet, it was the first good sign, he stayed on antibiotics for 12 weeks just to be sure we had covered all bases. We were finally able to start rehabilitation, the biggest fear was brain damage, it was almost guaranteed he would have, but to the full degree would be unknown for some time.
Over the next month we worked on basics, walking in straight lines, backing, turning circles, yielding quarters, walking over bridges, standing on tyres, and walking over poles etc. The first two weeks he did struggle a little but never stopped trying, at the end of week 4 he was lunging and had the breaking gear on for the first time. Due to his young age and of course the trauma he had been through we took each day one step at a time and always gave him regular breaks both during the session and breaks between work (a few days off or a week off if needed). He was then gelded but unfortunately due to all the trauma his body had been through his immunity was still low and he ended up getting an infection and going on more antibiotics (his favourite), so we gave him another month off to recover fully.
Once he was all healed up and playing in the paddock he was brought back into work, he was a little slow to get the hang of things initially but after the long reining began he really started to pick it all up. Within a few weeks he had his first ride and just absolutely loved the ridden life, he was so cheeky and full of life but not a nasty or naughty bone in his body. He went on a trail ride within his first 10 rides and was regularly walked out the roads and used to accompany a more nervous older horse I had at the time.
So here we are in July of 2023, not only is he healthy, happy, and loving life, he is already having a successful career under saddle! He started barrel racing this year after a couple of outings last year for a look around and has gone from 4D to 3D in just 4 rounds, he has a huge heart and makes fans wherever he goes. He absolutely loves anything to do with cattle work (being Acres Destiny bred this isn’t surprising) and I can’t wait to let him try some team penning or cutting soon. Oh, if you were wondering if he did end up with brain damage the answer is YES! He has some quirks, things that trigger him to become over stimulated and react in odd ways but has never shown to be potentially dangerous to himself or anyone else. He also has damaged facial nerves that has meant bits just don’t sit comfortably with him, so he is a hackamore kind of guy, the lovely soft padded type. He once was unable to wear a bridle without a Hidez hood underneath but for the last 6 months we have been hood free! The older he gets and the more work he does the more it reduces which is common in brain injuries they do change as the brain develops. For now, we just go with the flow, we know each other so well and have such a strong bond that together we can just enjoy life and accomplish whatever we set our minds to.
I always say life has a funny way of working out and I think deep down inside, he was meant to find me as much as I was meant to find him.
Waru Warrior (meaning Fire Warrior in my native language) his name is because we think he has fought through the depths of hell and needs to be acknowledged for his pure strength and resilience.