George is Very Sweet

You know you're on a different track from most horse people when you can't wait to tell someone:  "Today my horse asked me to scratch his butt!"

Well, George used to be very uncomfortable about people being around his quarters and his flanks, which made people (me) feel uncomfortable being there. Today he gently swung around and parked his tail in front of me so I could scratch it - definitely a first.

He also did something very, very sweet.  He is fond of sliding me into a spot along his flank just behind his shoulder.  Once I'm there, I always lean up against him, as it feels nice and warm and cozy. Tonight, he slid me into the usual spot and then sidestepped closer, pressed his side against me, and stayed there for a few moments.

Interestingly, this was right after he'd found my foot (contained in a tasty sneaker) on the ground and thought he'd give it a munch to see what it felt like.  My "ouch" was quite loud and emphatic - maybe he was trying to put us back on a good footing (ha!) by his kind gesture. The other night he was very keen on holding the flashlight in his mouth.  I think I need to bring George some interesting objects to play with. For some reason, a hula hoop strikes me as a good idea, and possibly an old shoe.

By the way, if anyone wonders how I manage to spend so much time with the horses and then more time writing about them and conjectures that I have nothing else/better with which to occupy myself, this is only partially true.