starting to blossom

I'm not sure how much any horse is free to express his or her opinion. Most people approach riding like rape. You are gonna, and I don't care how you feel about it. Sometimes it comes to blows. I learned a different way through Carolyn Resnick, and I tell ya, horses have opinions. No, they aren't lazy. Some would prefer you not ride them. I have two like that, and they both have back issues. My paint loves to work. Loves it. My arabian loves ground play, but he's like (as Brent Graef said) "a person that's been on welfare and never had to work, and now he has a job". Then there's Shaun. I don't have an invite from him to ride. I'm just getting an invite to say "hello". For a long time he'd turn away. Did you know if the horse turns away, you don't have his permission to touch? It's hard not to throw your arms around the neck of a horse and take what you want. That being love. It took me a while to understand, if I touch a horse, I have to have permission and I better be giving, not taking.

So Mr. Shaun is touching his nose to my outstretched hand. I'm not touching him, he's touching me. That's important. His choice to say hello, not mine. I'm just offering the opportunity. He can say "no", and that's real important to a horse. Today he wanted to be let out of the 10 acres I have fenced in where I feed, to the other 30 acres we have for the herd. I needed to doctor Gunner's legs. He has something called scratches, and I had to lead him away from where Shaun wanted to go. He tried to herd me like a border collie, lol! Now I'm nice to my horses, I'm kind, but that was overstepping mama, so I twirled my rope at him. His head came up, but he was still trying to get me to turn around. I finally tapped him with the popper on the end of the rope, and he took off like I beat him. Very sensitive boy. I also stopped and told him I'd be right back after I took care of Gunner. He relaxed after that and waited for us to come back by the gate. I made sure I headed right for the gate and let him out when I got back. You need to keep your word with a horse.

I'm blessed to have five horses in my pasture. Chances are, I'll find a horse that wants to play. He or she may not want to ride, but they will want to play. I can usually talk em into a ride after a while. If not, I don't worry about it too much. If you ask a friend to go out, and they don't want to dance, do you make them? Or do you find something that you both want to do? My horses are my friends, and I treat them like they are friends. Good friends. They are generous to treat me with kindness, too. I don't know if they love me. What we have is so special, so deep, I don't know if love covers it. Shaun is starting to experience what might be possible for him here. With the herd, and with me. He's finding out that I won't force him to do anything, unless it's to save his live. He's discovering what it is to be a horse. He's experiencing life as a herd, and that's bigger than just himself. The herd is one unit, and it thrives because everyone works together to be better than they could be alone. He's starting to blossom into more than he has ever been.