A Glimmer of Something Great

There are moments in your life when you have to just stop and think…did that really happen?

I have watched countless You Tube videos of people playing with their horses at liberty and dreamed of what that might be like.

This afternoon after a quick trip out the paddock with two arguing kids in tow, I resigned myself to just doing some hill therapy with Roxy and giving her a groom and a feed.

While lunging she mucked up a bit on the right lead (normal) and the moment when I was distracted by screaming from my car, she took the opportunity to spin and start circles to the left (her preferred direction). She did it with a bit of speed and was actually cantering around using very un-characteristic speed. I tried to get her to face up and yield her hindquarter but she just kept on going like an energizer bunny. So instead, using drawing soft hands, I made her canter circles smaller and smaller until she was within 6 ft and then asked for her butt to get out of the way and for her to face me. Yep it worked.

We finished up and I fed and groomed her then let her out.

My friend Leah showed up shortly after and was doing some lovely ground work with her mare Bubba. At one point Roxy saunters over and gives Bubba a nicker, sniffs her rump and then comes in with her neck all arched and sniffs her muzzle! Then Leah sent Bubba to the right and Roxy circled with her following Bubba for about 2 circles before drifting off. Roxy was clearly in a playful mood!

I decided to grab my carrot stick and a pocket full of cubes and see what would happen if I went in and tried to play. Roxy had started to walk off so I sat in the grass and called her while Leah threw some carrots in my direction. Roxy started heading back.

After rewarding her for coming back I sent her to the right and she circled then drifted off. This continued with me getting her attention and getting her to walk with me before asking her to stop, back up and circle. All of which she did if only for a few paces it was something! Then I started running next to her, stopping suddenly, backing up and turning to go the other way, hoping that Roxy would mimic me. For the most part she did and it was FUN! When she drifted off I simply walked up to her and either dropped in beside her to walk next to her and get her attention back with me or tried to get her attention and draw her to me while walking backwards. Roxy did know that I had a pocket full of treats but she wasn’t pushy and for a left brain introvert the biggest reward for doing the right thing is a treat!

You could just see her starting to think ‘wow you are being a bit interesting?’

Leah called out ‘I feel a blog in this’ and at the time I was too focused on thinking and playing but when I got home I realised what a huge achievement it was. I truly believe that one day I will be that person with that horse doing those things and some person in the crowd will be wishing they were me.