Horse Sense....

 

 

Explain to me how, when it is cold, wet and muddy can Ralph look like a Rock Star.

Seriously, he's a gorgeous caramel and blonde colour...

 

 

 

 

Never wears a rug, has no hard feed, hangs out in the paddock or round the house and never, ever has one bit of mud or dirt on him apart from his hooves.  He consistently looks clean and gorgeous as if he rolled out of bed, hooves first, perfect.  Like a chick that can wear white.  

I mean, personally I just don't get it.  

Me?  I can't walk from my bedroom to the front door without looking down and realizing that what was once Snow White type white now has a black mark.  On my shoulder, my arm, my front and/or my ass.  

Sometimes all four.

It defies all reason.

Chew's the next cleanest but he's all rugged up so that doesn't really count.  Az is never clean apart from the 4 minutes and 33 seconds it takes him to eat carrots after we have had a wash then find an appropriate mud hole.  Sequoia is still slightly purple and Caps waits until he's been all brushed and stuff and then promptly rolls in mud.  Apparently you have to be groomed properly for the mud to really work.

And on that note Az and Sequoia both had a bath today.  Ok, so it was a hot sponge one but even so, clean water and removal of dirt were involved.  I am a great fan of hot water baths for horses.  I've had the pleasure of using one with both Caps and Sequoia and I'm sold.  They love it and it makes it so much fun.  However, at home here I do not have that luxury and have found myself with either a water tap and hose or somewhere to tie up.  Not together.  Or even close.  So, since both Az and Sequoia both do not voluntarily wish to have a bath I've had to get creative.  Hence, sponging.

Az was pretty good today though so, we should be fine by showing season.  Sequoia's not a huge fan but did pretty well.  She's slighty cleaner although still tinged purple.  

And Caps and I are doing ok.  There was one dodgy moment when I was looking at him and he was just standing there looking back going, Nothing to see here, Tania...  which gave me a little jolt because that normally says he's out of balance again but no, he's fine.  Almost 3 weeks, baby.  I did put anti flam on him tonight and my fingers came up dirty but my palms were clean so that says that his body is coping.  I'm trying not to do too much but also enough.  It's a fine line.

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So, someone left the paddock gate open or not 100% shut.  I guess that's me considering I was the only one home today.  So, the little ones and the welsh menance got out and were standing on the neighbours side again.  See, they think they're clever and if they stand next to fence on other side I won't notice.  I'm like, Dudes, if you're going to do the dodge you're going to have to do better than that.  Everyone was quite happy to come home although Chew wanted a play first.  He's all good.  

Caps is perfect.  We must have caught the Energy in time.  

On another note though, I'm reading a lot of articles at the moment about horses and them not being too smart.  I don't get this.  My horses aren't stupid but more than that, I haven't met any that are.  Admitedly, some are particularly clever but all of them have the ability to communicate and can process information.  And I don't believe this just because they talk to me but I see it.  Over and over and over again.  

I wonder if it is because if a horse doesn't play nicely quickly enough then it gets sold on.  And because no one is taking the time to connect in and really learn how to talk back to a horse the horse just gives up trying.  So, it just goes from home to home talking less and less and becoming in human words, stupid.  

But on a positive note the No's have stopped.  Finally.  After almost a year and 20 million times of me drawing a line in the sand defending my boundaries, my beliefs, my home and my horses the Yes's have started wallking over the horizon towards me.  Man, there were a whole heap of No's for me to get through first though.  I thought they were going to be never ending there for a while.  Some of them were soft and gentle and kind, some were like A Hell's Angel biker with a machine gun screaming towards me while others were like smashed glass then walking over smashed glass in barefeet.  Some gave me a feeling of relief, some were painful and some were just a 3 second vision of, This will be my life forever... and boom I was done, with far reaching consequences.  

But I'm starting to see the sun.  And I now understand that the magic that we've had over the last 4 years (and 5 horses) was not just a one off moment that happens periodically but is a regular and constant companion to us.  Four out of my 5 horses didn't talk when I got them.  Caps had had someone speak with him when he was young so it was lost but not forgotten when we came together.  Sequoia had never spoken, the same as Chew.  Ralph had been spoken to but not with and no one had taken the time to talk with Az.  I was lucky with him though, another 2 people interfering with him and I would have actually had a troubled pony not just a mischevious one.  Caps, Ralph and Chew were all seriously underweight.  Sequoia was unbroken.  Az had issues.  Now here we are 4 and a bit years later, everyone's in great nick, everyone's talking, they're all shoeless, no one wears a jacket apart from Chew (for emotional happiness), we never use hard feed and we've never needed a vet.  Ever.

So, I finally got the magic is here to stay which is making me smile, giving my soul a jolt and bringing in laughter, joy and love in abundance... and giving me tingly hands.  

But this new wisdom started because of what happened with Caps recently.  Then had a domino effect when I really looked at Sequoia, Az, Ralph and Chew.  

And then Spirit forced my hand, so they must have been getting really frustrated with me.

She's just not listening.  She's looking but she's not seeing.  

And they were right.  

Tap, tap.

I wasn't...then I did.  

* Gave Sequoia another wash today.  I'm not sure how well it worked because I'm pretty sure she was as dirty after as she was before but I can't take her to Kirsty's dirty.  So, we've got 22 days...wait....12 days for me to get her clean.  Or cleaner.  However, every day we work we're fine tuning our Energy.  Listening and learning and trusting each other to have the other's back. That's worth a bit of dirt.

** Ralph has decided he would like to hang round the house at night.  No problem.  He's a real sweetie and little Chew is no problem (because where Ralph is Chew will be).  There will be a reason as to why they want to hang round the house so they can.  And let's face it, who doesn't want their own personal guard mini's.

*** I've had Caps going on 4 years, Sequoia (roughly) 3 years, Ralph and Chew 2 years and Az almost a year.

Wishing you much love my friends, and of course, my humans.

Caps, me, Spirit, Sequoia, Ralph, Az and Chew

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