Lucky Star and I are in the middle of the forty acre field at Pine Dell Farm. Lucky gets to ride with his girlfriend, Lady. Lucky has been in the outdoor arena and the playground, but we ‘ve never rode out into the field.
Lucky took the lead to the east. In fact, he wanted to run for the far-away horizon. His girlfriend was content to stay behind him. I decided making an S shape pattern was sufficient to slow him down. Horses are not supposed to want to run to the unknown. We made it to the end of the field and turned around to come back. There was girlfriend , Lady in the lead. Lady has the rules right. She wanted to run back. She and Kelley had to make a few circles at a canter, before she could be persuaded to meander along at a trot or walk.
Lucky is supposed to want to keep up with Lady and he should have wanted to return to the trailer. But the wrong-way horse protested the return. I thought I felt him kick out in protest. It was just a slight protest. I couldn’t imagine that he wouldn’t want to reverse and turn back.
We made it back to mid field and made another trip to the east. Same story. This time he was under better control and we got to gait straight down the field. Again, protest when we turned back. Safely back to the middle, Kelley and I decide to visIt tw west end of the field. Zip, we travel to the far horizon again. Sunset is coming. I ask Lucky to turn around and return. Lady has already made it back to mid point. Lucky breaks the horse rules again. He doesn’t want to join up with Lady. Lady and Kelley return to the west end of the field. Lucky is kicking out now in protest. He doesn’t want to head home.
I’ve never before been stuck at the end of the field. All my other horses try to run back home at this point. Many times to avoid runing home, I’ve had to circle or head back to the horizon. Not Lucky. He wants to head on West! He doesn’t want to join up with his girlfriend. This is totally breaking all the horse rules! Lucky kicks up a bit and finally is persuaded to head back toid point as the sun accelerates the slide into the ground
What a weird, confident little hunk of horse this is!