Finding calm
Read this, it's a little long, but worth it, I think. "In observing his [Merlin, the author's highly traumatized and reactive stallion] behavior over time (well, really more like enduring and surviving his behavior over time), I found the trauma pattern to be 'consistently erratic.' Merlin seemed to try, sincerely, to keep it together. he was at times engaged and filled with promise, intelligent, and even enthusiastic about learning something new. Then suddenly, seemingly without warning, he'd trip off into a rage, whereupon he'd either lunge toward the handler, rearing and striking with teeth bared, or pull away and run so frantically he'd lose his balance and slide on his side, sometimes ten or fifteen feet across the arena into the fence, scraping his hide, lying there for ten minutes covered with sweat, staring blankly as if he'd given up the ghost while his pulse was racing frantically. These tantrums were heartbreaking to witness, and absolute