People called the pony, Major, “mean” and “aggressive”. He will attack and try to bite anyone who comes near him, but his behavior is not spontaneous. Major was abused and abandoned as a child because his first owners used methods to try and “break the horse”.
Thought Major would suffer for the rest of his life, but then he met a man named Max. At first, the Major is very hesitant towards Max because he is around full of people, but Max is different because he never gives up trying to gain the Major’s trust.
Fear of trusting anyone
The Major’s original owners would beat him up and tie him up between the posts. While he was tied up, they abandoned him for four weeks without food or water. The poor horse never received human kindness until Max adopted it.
However, Max’s wife is not happy about his decision to keep the horse. Soon after arriving at his new home, Major dashes over the fence and tries to bite anyone who comes near him. Max’s wife calls the horse “Major Deal” because of how dangerous it is to the family.
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“I will never forget the day my mother called me in a panic, ‘Janna, you have to convince your father to let go of that horse, it will kill him!’” Janna Grapperhaus, Max’s daughter, recalls.
But Max was never discouraged by the Major’s temper. He worked with the horse for several hours a day, gradually gaining its trust. After two years of hard work, Major let Max ride him. Major becomes so attached to Max that the horse will “kiss” the human whenever the opportunity arises.
Major’s last kiss
Major and Max form a bond like no other as Max is the only one who refuses to give up the ferocious horse. However, their touching story came to an end when Max passed away in October 2020.
Max’s family knows that the Major deserves a well-deserved goodbye, so they let the horse give his human one last kiss before closing the coffin. Janna posted a photo of the Major’s last kiss on Facebook.
“When Dad was out, the Major would kiss him again and again on the head. They have a bond that only riders can understand. It seemed only appropriate for the Major to say goodbye. This is the Major’s last kiss,” Janna wrote.
Caring for an abused animal can be overwhelming, but earning the animal’s trust is one of the most rewarding experiences. Major is lucky to have Max in his life and hopes that their story will inspire others to help even the most needy animals.
Featured pictures: Facebook
