A horse is often times described in multitude of words, he is at once power and beauty, majesty and courage. He is the subject of legend and myth. All at once godlike and playful, he has captured our hearts and minds by his very being. To riders everywhere he is the very essence of equestrian arts and sports.

Lukas is one such horse a thoroughbred born and bred in California to win at the races, he failed at his purpose and was destined to meet the fate of most of his kind deemed failures, a life of suffering and abuse.

He was starving and neglected in a yard when he came to the attention of a woman who would forever change his life, Karen Murdock. A registered nurse and licensed psychiatric practioner; Karen has loved animals all her life and has devoted over two decades to training them.

Lukas’s condition urged Karen to buy him regardless of his age and his difficult start.   Most of her friends thought it futile for her to invest her time and finances in him not only for reasons of temperament but also because he was at the time already nine years old and as equine training goes quite old. It would also be difficult to undo all the years of collateral damage.

Giving up on him was never her intention; she was committed from the start. She felt that beneath the debris of a lifetime of pain and suffering there was a curious being intelligent and willing to learn. Aided by her knowledge and 27 years of experience in psychiatry she started work on Lukas using a unique approach, a combination of play and games. The system she developed based on Shaping uses two primary tools Capturing and Creating. To elicit a correct response she uses “clicks” words and whistles to signal approval. She sought to bring him out using an emphatic approach coupled with positive reinforcements. She became his teacher, protector and family she taught him the delicate balance between love and trust and he in turn gained strength and confidence improving his focus and performance.

Today, Lukas is a totally changed horse, a celebrity in his own right. He is particular about many things like not wanting to get wet and being very private, he does not have any horse friendships nor has he shown any inclination to initiate one. However he is happy and loves to be around people and perform. Karen explains:

“He loves to have an outside spot to stand in the sun, he seems to realize his duty and quietly stands and lets children pet him endlessly”

He is considered one of the top “Liberty” performers in the United States, he is able to execute high school movements such as Passage, Jambette, Reverence (bow) and Rear and does these exercises unbound and in complete freedom. Karen never uses force she does not even own a whip.

His crowning achievement is his extraordinary ability for cognitive tasks; he can identify letters, numbers, and shapes. He is able to differentiate colors and understands the idea of object permanence, spatial relationship, proportion, same/difference and absence.

He is now a Guinness Book of World Record holder having, “The most numbers correctly identified by a horse in one minute” and according to the World’s Record Academy; “The World’s Smartest Horse.”

Future plans include a Hollywood movie and a book based on his life.

Karen and Lukas forge an unbreakable bond, they have risen above the norm of horse and rider relationship. Her faith in him has freed him from fear and a life without hope he in turn has given her his most precious asset, a bright and open mind and an unbeatable spirit. His brilliance illuminates and encourages us all in the appreciation and conservation of every creature great and small.

“I have been told many times that Lukas is lucky to have such a good home. I always respond that it is I who am the lucky one. I find daily inspiration in his example of living life with forgiveness, resilience, devotion, loyalty, humor, joy and love.”

Karen Murdock

For more on Lukas and Karen go to info@playingwithlukas.com