All we need is love

Buying his affections. 

Within a short period of time I have learned even a well-trained horse needs a knowledgeable rider in order to better provide what the rider is asking him to do.   If the rider doesn't know?  Or doesn't know how to get the message across, there are difficulties.  However, if the horse doesn't trust the rider?   Epic Fail!

Somewhere quickly into this journey, I discovered how much I want this horse to love me.  Second to that is of course is the hope he responds to me.   But truth be told.. I want ALL the horses to love me.   I'm not opposed to sweetening the odds on that, so stopping just short of rubbing carrots all over my body, I DID make certain to take treats out last Saturday evening when it was just me at the stables.

This is Lil' Man

Lisa was gone for the weekend and I got granted permission to go out and do the daily routine of cleaning the stable, grooming Lil' Man, and yes - taking him into the arena to see if he will listen to me.  

I arrived at dinner time...  let's just say the listening was limited until he caught whiff of my carrot scent.  Yes, suddenly I had his attention!   But like any good momma (surrogate or otherwise), he had to wait for dessert.  

You know what momma wants...

 

The standard routine with Lil' Man (from now on referred to as L.M.) includes the following... we go in and halter him up, and lead him out to the grooming area.   There he is brushed out, hooves picked and general touching and loving.   Then he's released into the arena and we move to stable cleaning because nobody likes standing in their own business.   Then again, nobody likes standing in anyone else's business either, but ya'll probably know that already.

Following the stable cleaning, Lisa harnesses him back up and begins with a few walking circles, then on to trotting circles.   Eventually she gets him to run the arena, with direction changes and pace changes through hand-signals and sometimes charging at him to remind him who is calling the shots.

L.M. charging past me

It's always fun to watch him kick it up in protest before getting back to it...   1170lbs of  'But I don't WANT to run circles anymore'...

Sometimes he starts a random figure-8 just because he can.   When I'm out in the middle and Lisa is directing him.. I've noticed he often cuts closer and closer to me as he charges by.  

I trust him not to run into me..  so far that trust hasn't been misplaced.

Last Saturday, because I knew he'd be stalled for the weekend, I got L.M. out into the arena and we did just a little of those exercises.   In true fashion, he balked a few times, charged towards me in protest and for the most part?   Had a playful good time.    We didn't stay out too long before I let him get back to his dinner.

Bribes?  I prefer the word Encouragement!

 

Are you SURE we can't go back to those carrots yet?

After I got him back inside and all the equipment stored.  I simply sat in his enclosure with him..  We talked.. Mostly me.. not so much him.   I yammered with his neighbor Risky...   I walked up and down the fenceline saying howdy to all the residents...  and THEN I broke out the carrots.

Yes I did.  Want a carrot?   Show me some love!   I had the whole crew standing at attention.  Risky got a bit snotty towards L.M... who reminded him that *I* was *HIS* person...  surrogate or not..  therefore those carrots and that one apple probably defaulted to his property.   We fixed the kicking, snorting situation by some firm talk and some more love..   

And eventually I noticed my heart, which had come out heavy.. was smiling, and I knew I could go home and be thankful for my evening.  So I said goodnight to all the babies and drove home..   

My cousin Lorrie said something today that really struck a chord with me..

"What is on the outside of a horse, is good for the inside of a woman."  

 

 They don't make a bandaid big enough to handle my hurt... but they sure do make horses that can.