Today I took George out to graze for over an hour. At first I thought I'd ask him to check in with me from time to time, by kissing at him and asking him to raise his head and look at me. But as this is his all-important time for his greens fix, and as I'm trying to be tactful and considerate, I amended this plan to asking him to check in with me whenever he lifted his head to move to another area.
After a while, we got into a very relaxing rhythm together. So relaxing that I thought maybe this would be a good time to try getting on him bareback and letting him carry on grazing. But when I climbed aboard from the picnic table, he became very tense and started trotting. So - emergency dismount. I've got to stop doing dumb things!
Sometimes I get discouraged and think that maybe those people are right who say that horses never really want to be ridden. That the only way you can get on a horse is to hold it captive while you mount. But then I remind myself that someone has probably only climbed on top of George a total of less than 50 times in his life, and he was probably startled to find that I had disappeared and something was on top of him. When I was on the ground again, he was like, "Oh - hey there."
Yes, we need a picadero, where we can have a new conversation. Outside the pasture, it's all about eat, eat, eat, or else going-for-a-walk. Inside the pasture, it's all about r&r and friendly interaction. We need a space designated for friendly interaction which is somewhat goal-oriented.
It was a nice moonlit night tonight, and I went to hang out - first with Chloe, then with Bridget. Then George came over, and we played dueling positions. He wanted me by his tail, and I wanted him under my wing, with his head close to my side. At first he wouldn't let me have a turn. But then he did, a couple of times for a minute or so. But only a couple of times; then he said No More, so I did too. What a pair we are.
I don't think horses mind being ridden if you have a good relationship and there are no tack issues. It would be so easy for them to throw us off if they wanted! In fact, I can think of several occasions where Minnie and Cassie made sure they didn't loose me!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sandra!
ReplyDeleteYes, it always amazes me that back when Chloe was still "difficult" (i.e. when I was), the only time she ever tried to lose her rider was when she had a painful saddle. She would argue and argue and argue, but never try to get the rider off. She would even temporarily quit arguing if she felt the saddle slipping.
I wanted to get up on George with no saddle or bridle so see if he'd be happier. The fact that he wasn't means something, which I haven't figured out yet! He may just have been startled.
I have found that I can tack up Ben at liberty, and given the way he loves to head for the hills sometimes, I have to take this as a yes to being ridden. Also Rosie seems to genuinely like the sessions she has with my youngest daughter. I wonder does she feel involved and having a sense of purpose at these times.
ReplyDeleteI too really, really want a picadero, or similar.
We used to tack George up at liberty in Mississippi, where we had the use of a round pen. It makes me feel better about the whole thing.
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