My Evening Walk

A couple of nights ago, some barn friends were having a spur of the moment cook out at the barn. We had just finished our dinner and I, like many of us, had had one too many hot dogs. I thought I would take a short walk into the pasture where Braveheart was lazily munching on grass with his herd buddies. The herd was in the small pasture right behind the barn so the walk would not be too long. This was a good thing because even though the August heat had subsided some, the Kentucky humidity was holding its own.

I remembered enough from my earlier lessons to not make a bee line to the herd but, rather, walk in a wide arc as I approached them. Walking in a straight line gives off a predator vibe to the horses and I was not in predator mode. Yes, I wanted to get close to them but I was not "on the hunt." Anyway, I came to the herd in the right frame of mind and from the right direction because none of them raised their heads from their chosen patch of grass. To be fair, they all had an eye on me and knew I was there, but that's good. One of the horses, Slow Poke, raised his head and came to me, wanting a scratch on his face and withers. I obliged him and then moved on to Braveheart.

As I got closer to him, he raised his head as if to let me know thet he was ready for whatever I had in mind. He was on alert. I went to his side and rubbed his shoulder and neck but, even though I knew better, went for his head and face too quickly. He walked away, briskly, about five or six steps. I did not chase him because I knew that would trigger his "flight" response. I stood still until he stopped and turned back to me. I approached him again and, this time, took more care as to where I rubbed him. I began on his shoulder, then to his back and withers, dropped down to his girth area, back to his withers, then his neck and, finally, his head, face and poll.

I spent about 10 minutes just rubbing him and letting him know I was there to be with him but not to capture him. I began to walk away but, after about four steps, I stopped. I kept my back to him, hoping he would hook on and come to me. The two minutes it took for him to get to me seemed like two hours, but his nose touched my elbow and his warm breath felt like kindness as it enveloped my arm. I slowly turned to him and saw the softness in his eyes. If you have never seen a horse's eye soften, its like that feeling you have when you let out a big sigh. Calmness floods over you as the air and tension are released. That's the only way I know of to describe what it looks like to see a horse's eye soften. I spent some more time just thanking him for that moment of trust and kindness before I headed back to the barn.

When I returned, those who had remained in the barn had watched my trek and commnted to me that Braveheart had positioned himself, as I walked away, so he could watch me all the way to the barn. I turned back to see the herd still grazing and to see Braveheart standing, head high, looking at me as if to say, "When you come back, I'll be here."