Rose and Bridget Have a Little Too Much Adventure

The plan is for Rose to become buddies with my husband.  He has not had much to do with horses in the course of his life, but he would like to learn more and become more involved. Today I decided we should take Bridget and Rose out for a walk, me leading Bridget, and he leading Rose.

Well, the first thing I learn, when we go to get the horses, is how very different it is trying to interact with the horses when there's someone else in the field I have to be concerned about.

Bridget can tell that I'm just not on top of things.  After I put her halter on, I leave her to go help my husband with Rose's halter. She comes over and nips me on the arm - "Get it together, woman!" I smack her nose, which bothers her not at all, but in retrospect I guess, instead, I should have said, "Thanks - I needed that." Bridget's nips are always well-timed.

We finally get organized, halters on, out the gate (thank you, George), and off into the hay field to graze.

The main advice I give my husband is that if he finds himself thinking in anthropomorphic terms about the horse, he should go with it.  And that if he finds himself being dragged along at the end of the leadrope, it's ok to plant his feet and refuse to move. And that if he wants Rose to look at him, he can call to her and put a little pressure on the rope, and ask her to re-connect.

So, we have a nice little grazing walk, and then it's time to go back and cross the bridge with the George Troll sitting underneath it.

I explain to my husband that we have to Wait, which doesn't make him happy, as we have to Be Somewhere in Less Than an Hour. The gate opens inward on the right; so when I open it, I want George to move off to the left, positioning him behind the gate as Bridget enters.  He paws for a while. I push him off gently to the left.  I ask nicely.  Then he says, "Nope, not going left, going right, so there."  And off he goes to the right, far enough for Bridget to enter comfortably.  He comes back, and Bridget looks nervous, but he has no intention of interfering and lets me take her halter off.  Then I cheat, put the rope around his neck and lead him away to allow my husband to bring Rose in.

Mission accomplished?  Nope.  Bridget sees her chance and darts through the still-open gate, Rose breaks free, leadrope trailing, and the two of them trot merrily over to the neighbor's alfalfa. I walk over, retrieve Rose, give her to my husband, and go get Bridget.

Fugitive

On the way back, Bridget and I enjoy the longest trot together we've ever had, with Bridget kindly letting me keep abreast. In the meantime, my husband and Rose enter the pasture with no interference from George, and he lets us in too. Phew.

I put some hay out.  When Rose's halter is off, however, she chooses to stay standing next to my husband, and she looks rather happy.  So maybe this buddy thing will work out.