Ten Minutes To Save A Life

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In this comeback story, a rider from Region 9 tells us about her rescue horse, whose will to live helped him overcome severe malnourishment, recurrent colic, and surgery. His name? Hercules, of course!

By Aimée Barigian; Photos by Farrah Nichole Photography

Hello, my name is Aimée, and this is my horse, Hercules. Hercules is a 14-year-old Percheron sitting at 18 hands tall. I adopted Hercules in April of 2021, and our story has been a wild ride. 

Back in 2021, I wanted to get back into horseback riding after a 10-year break from riding. I’ve ridden horses since I was a young child but took a break to go to college and then transition into adult life. Then, I spent some time in my late twenties volunteering for multiple therapeutic riding centers that help disabled children. I was able to connect with horses again while helping these kids flourish. It was so fulfilling, but I was still yearning for more. 

I started reaching out to different stables to ask about adult horseback riding lessons, and I found this beautiful facility with a dressage trainer. I was initially hesitant to get back on, as I had gained a lot of weight in my twenties and felt I was too big to ride. The trainer told me that was not the case, but we just needed to find the right horse for me. It was honestly a breath of fresh air. When I was young and competitively riding, everyone was the same size. So, I was very nervous about getting back on, but my trainer was so supportive.

I told my trainer I wasn’t ready to buy quite yet, but I would consider leasing a horse. Little did I know that I would meet the love of my life less than a month later and change my mind about buying completely. We looked for less than a month until my trainer saw this Percheron at a horse rescue that she thought could be a good fit for me. I decided to go with her to the rescue to look at the horses, and then we saw him. The moment we locked eyes, I knew Hercules would be coming home with me. I ended up adopting Hercules not even ten minutes later!

Hercules didn’t look great at the rescue. He was severely malnourished (roughly 600-800 pounds underweight), had scars all over his body, a broken jaw, and his feet looked terrible. But looking past all of his issues, his eyes told me another story. His eyes showed me that he wanted to live. He wanted to be loved. There was no question to me that this was the “one.” 

When Hercules came to the stables, he didn’t even know what a carrot or an apple was. He was extremely shy, reserved, and scared. Not even a month after I adopted him, he colicked and had to have life-saving surgery. When they opened him up, they found rocks in his intestines, indicating the poor guy had eaten rocks to survive. He almost didn’t make it through the surgery as his blood pressure plummeted not even ten minutes into the procedure. The vets at Texas A&M Large Animal Hospital saved his life. I am forever grateful to the team that day. I even sent his surgeon some pictures of us a year later, and she told me that they are still sitting on her desk. He spent the next two weeks at the hospital, and the vets were so surprised by how quickly he was recovering. He had a will to live!

He’s had a rocky road with colicking two more times, choking twice, and being diagnosed with shivers. But, he has pushed past boundaries that even the vets thought were impossible. Fast forward to today, he is doing so much better physically, and we are navigating what life looks like with shivers. Throughout this entire process, my trainer has worked with me and Hercules to get him to a good place to ride. 

This horse is so smart and is so willing to try anything. He loves having a job, though it looks a lot different now than when he used to pull wagons and farm equipment. He is now my little dressage horse. We believe Hercules had never been ridden before he got rescued. I remember the first time I got on him, he didn’t understand how to stand still at the mounting block and was questioning why I was on his back. He now confidently stands at the mounting block and is excited for our rides together.

Hercules has been a great horse for learning the fundamentals of dressage. My training before Hercules was mostly in hunter/jumper, western pleasure, and barrel racing. Because he has a neurological condition, a lot of our work is done at the walk or trot. I have learned so much about how to connect with him, get his feet in the correct place, and how to properly ride him. I love learning dressage, and it’s been great for Hercules as well. Our training has been very slow, but I am grateful that I have this time to really learn proper classical dressage skills. 

I am not sure what the future holds with Hercules, but I hope that one day, we can submit a video for one of the online dressage shows. I am a very ambitious person, and Hercules has taught me the importance of how fundamentals really impact your riding, and that riding is so much more than just showing. I can’t ride Hercules how someone else may ride their horse. We have to methodically place his feet in the correct places so he does not trip and fall. This has taught me how to be a better rider and that even if I feel we may be going backward in training on some days, he reminds me of how smart and willing he really is. 

This horse has broken so many barriers, and I have never seen an animal with the will to live that he demonstrates. I know that Hercules has a bright future ahead of him, and I am so excited to see where we will go together. As a rider, Hercules has given me the confidence to not be afraid to get on because I am a plus-size rider. It has been hard for me to build my confidence back up after gaining weight. I felt like I didn’t belong. It wasn’t until I met my trainer that I realized riding is so much more than what your weight is. Riding is about connection. Being a plus-size rider, I am able to advocate for other plus-size riders. I love empowering women to see their value and worth.

My advice for any plus-size riders who are hesitant to get back on is to just go for it. Find a dressage trainer who is willing to help you and someone you connect with, and get out of your head! Simply sitting on your horse will do so much for your confidence. Work your way up to riding for 10, 20, or 30 minutes at a time. Don’t give up on yourself. You are worth so much more than what anyone tells you about your weight. You are your best advocate. Find your horse and go the distance with them! I know I will be cheering you on.