Today was cool, by both definitions!

So today I headed to the barn to see if I could work with Brave Heart. Last week was a wash because we were hard hit by the ice storm that covered Kentucky. Without going into all the details, my wife and I had to leave town and stay with our daughter in Cincinnati for a few days until the power came back on in our town. I didn't see Brave Heart through any of this weather emergency and only hoped that the barn owner had cared for him (she did and I knew she would). So, anyway, I went to the barn today to visit my horse. It was cool outside when I left the house but quickly became cold as the snow started and the wind began to blow. Yea, it was snowing sideways when I got to the barn. Some of the horses were in stalls but Brave Heart was not. I went through the barn to the back door, opened the gate and, facing a stiff wind and stinging snow in the face, went into the pasture to see if I could find him. He and his pasture buddies were standing over a pile of hay, munching away. Great, I thought, he's on food so getting him in will be tough. I mean, really, would you want to leave your dinner to go to work? Anyway, I whistled and called his name. His head came up, we made eye contact, and he headed right to me. Really. No hesitation, no turning back to the hay pile, just a quick walk right to me. I opened the gate, he walked right in, I closed the gate and when I turned around, he was right there with a soft eye, waiting for a pat on the neck. Cool, huh? Well, I thought so, and, since I am writing this blog, it was cool. Well, I know that when a horse does something well, you should reward them, so I headed for the feed room to get a scoop of grain for my friend. When I returned, he nickered to me and politely waited for the grain bin to get to the ground before he came over. More rubbing of the neck, a scratch under the chin and a quick wiping of the tears of joy on my face. I mean, hey, it was cold and I didn't want icicles on my beard! About this time, the barn owner, Chris, arrived and announced that she was making a fresh pot of coffee. So while Brave Heart ate his grain, I enjoyed a hot cup of coffee in a warmish barn office. After the coffee went down, I headed for the arena to work Brave Heart for a little while. He did not balk at the halter and went through all of the ground work without a hitch. Now, its been awhile since I have had a blanket on him and, well, today wasn't the day to reintroduce that to him. I need to spend more time with him and getting back the trust between us. So I showed him the blanket and carried it with me as we did ground work. I was getting cold and Chris needed the arena to work a newly boarded draft mare, so I turned Brave Heart out into the pasture and headed for the warmth of my truck.

I have come to understand that natural horsemanship is much like the phrase attributed to St. Francis; "I'd like to tell you about my faith and, if I have to, I'll use words." Working with horses, at least to me, is a lot like that. If you watch someone work a horse using natural techniques, you can just see that they are connected with the horse. The words they use only support their actions. You need that calm, collected and steady approach when working with a horse. To me, its the same with faith. Show and live your faith. There is a sign at the barn that reads, "A horse learns what he lives and lives what he learns." Becoming centered in my faith has helped me be centered in my horsemanship. The two are connected. Cool, huh?

I am Back

So, quite a good deal has happend since I last added to this blog. Braveheart and I have continued to bond, finding time to hang out in the pasture, in the barn and in the arena. I have been spending more time clarifying groundwork, in my mind and in his. I have tried to keep my energy down unless I want him to trot or move out at which point I increase my energy, and he responds in kind. Since I last blogged, I have introduced Braveheart to the blanket. Of course, as with anything new, we had to take it slow. He came through this like a champ. With the blanket on his back we went through the ground work, again, and introduced the lead line around his cinch area. He never flinched!

My trainer once said that we would get there quicker if we took it slower. Of course, that sounds counter-intuitive. How can you get there faster is you move more slowly? But, and here's a cool thing, someone reported to me that a colt that foaled at the same time as Braveheart had recently begun training. This 6 year old gelding had very similar experiences as had Braveheart; little imprinting, minimal handling and left to his own devices. His new owner had simply rushed through groundwork, saddled up and hopped on. It was later reported that the owner had received medical advice to stay off the horse for awhile or risk serious, and potentially permanent, injury. Braveheart, attitude aside, has moved forward more completely and safely.

So I'll fast forward to about a month ago. I was working Braveheart in the arena and the trainer was working a young stallion. I got the blanket and Braveheart took it all in stride. The trainer commented that my horse was ready for a saddle. I almost exploded with excitement. OK, just inside because if Braveeart had of sensed that, he'd have freaked! Anyway, the trainer took Braveheart, worked him a little, and swung a saddle onto his back. We were ready for a rodeo with lots of kicking, jumping and running around. What we got was totally unexpected. As the cinch was tightened, Braveheart simply turned his head to the saddle, gave it a sniff and took a deep and calming breath. No freak-out, no rodeo, no problem. I took him back, continued groundwork and some work with stirrups and fenders, and eventually unsaddled him.

Then, once he was returned to the pasture, I DANCED THE HAPPY DANCE! All the time spent, the tears, the sweat, the cursing and the praise had finally got me to this place. So, the next day, I returned, saddled the big Curly gelding myself, and did more ground work. He took it all in stride.

Then, my wife and I headed to Baltimore to visit our daughter, son-in-law and grandson for Christmas. More soon, when we put a rider in the saddle.