I learned a lot from Cisco today. The big lesson is how to get really high stacked hay bales down on the ground. I’ve got hay stacked in my barn. Stalls are on one side and hay is on about half of the other side. The hay is stacked about four bales over my head. So it takes about four bales to equal my height and then add four bales on top of that and you picture the hay tower. I’ve misplaced my gadget to drag a bale off the stack. Cisco taught me today that he can unstack a tower of hay and not die in the process. Sadly, I wasn’t in the barn to see this. Of course if I had of been in the barn, I could have crushed by either a hay bale or Cisco getting out of the way of the falling bales. whew.
Here’s the story. Time to ride. It’s been too hot for me to ride all this week. Today is cool enough to ride. I went to the barn to get Cisco. The horses stay in the barn during the day. There are fans to blow the worst of the flies off them. It is a comfortable shady place. Back to the story. I picked up the halter and turned toward Cisco. Cisco turned around and left the stall. Cisco said to me in non verbal language. I don’t want to be with you mom. I don’t want to go and run and sweat while you ride me. It’s just not fun for me mom. Take Lucky.
ahhhhh! I hate those non verbal words from Cisco. He is supposed to want to be with me, even though I ask him to run around in this humid hot weather. I went into the horse part of the barn and pasture and stalked Cisco until he purposely got himself back in a stall and then I had him trapped. At least he turned to face me and I put on the halter.
We did ride. We practiced our flying lead change preparation and attempts. We quit before he got horribly sweaty and returned home. Now the plan. I’m going to let him out in the yard where he can eat the yummy grass. Plus I’m going to wash his trail. His tail has itchy dandruff. He will so appreciate getting rid of the itchy tail.
Cisco didn’t appear to be thrilled with his bath. His non verbal language was not positive. He spoke to me in these words, “Stop getting water in my face! I’ve never heard the water stream hit the barn before. What is that scary noise and you have me tied up! I can’t run to get away in case the noise wants to eat me. You want to put my tail into a big bucket of water? What the heck?” Thank goodness you are done and I can eat grass in peace now. Thanks for turning me loose.”
You can see how great of a horsemanship person I am to be able to translate Cisco’s feelings.
Now I’m going to get some horse feed for him to make him feel extra special. I’m going to put it in the trailer so he will have great love for the trailer.
Cisco, “Bucket rattle! Food Food! Mom has food for me! oh wait. She’s putting it in the trailer. That means she is going to put me in the trailer and take me somewhere to run and sweat. Snort! I’m not going near that bucket of food.”
I decided to leave Cisco at peace with all that yard grass. He will eventually go and eat the feed in the bucket. I drive to the gate and shut it. Cisco has fooled me before and left the property even though he was the only horse loose and his herd was in the pasture. Yes, he has broken the horse law of leaving the herd.
I drove back and didn’t see Cisco outside. I went to check on him and discovered him eating hay in the barn. Four bales had fallen off a stacked hay tower. Cisco, Lucky Star and Delta were munching hay. I didn’t see any blood on Cisco. He took those hay bales crashing down without getting hurt. I gave Sweetie some hay as none of the flying hay bales landed near her stall. Cisco turned around and came toward me.
Cisco, “I would like to get into the stall mom. The fans are all blowing air into the stalls and I’m on the other side. I don’t want to eat grass. I want to be inside the barn eating hay with the fan blowing on me.” (Cisco”s mom opened the stall door to where Sweetie {Cisco’s girlfriend} was standing.) “Get out of the way Sweetie, I’m coming in. Move!”
I left the happy horses chomping on hay. I drove back and opened the gate. I’ll have to spend undemanding time with Cisco to get his love of me back to 110%.