Erin rode Fancy today and she did great. She is the old time definition of a saddle horse, advanced.
My aim was to be a loving partner today. My goal is to spend undemanding time with her. I ask her for nothing. I am not requesting nor demanding any action from her.
I drove into the stable driveway just as Erin was putting Fancy back in her small pasture. Erin told me Fancy whinnied when she saw my car. She knows my car and whinnied. The whinny is huge signature of “bonded.”
It was chilly today, but not horrid. I decided I could stand the temperature outside long enough to let her eat grass and clover. I got my chair, stick and string, haltered Fancy and let her graze on grass and clover. I kept the rope from tangling in her legs. She also avoided getting tangled and kept her body inside my rope range. We had no arguing about going beyond the rope. I did not have to use the stick and string to remind her about the rope boundary. This doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it is very high in our relationship and respect stage.
I lasted a half hour and was freezing. We went inside the barn and I groomed her tail for about ten minutes. Now it was time to spend more undemanding time that will be hugely significant.
Erin had an ongoing lesson when Fancy and I walked into the arena and went to a safe corner for her and a chair for me. Here we stood.
Fancy is a left brain extrovert and loves to nibble and then nip on body parts. Nipping body parts takes a special restraining hand to guard against, “The Mouth”. We stood with her mouth within range of my body. We played the “avoiding the bite” game. My hand fluttered at her mouth when it tried to sniffle a body part. I asked her to back out of range of my body part. This is a “it’s the little things that matter” game. Her legs creep forward when I’m not looking, bring the mouth within range of my body.
Fancy wasn’t on her high game. She appeared to give up “the nibble”. She stood within range of my body part for around 5 minutes without a nibble attempt. When she did think about a nibble, I asked her to lower her head and then to back up out of range again. We played this game about four times. At the end, she was standing close enough to nibble me, but she did not. Her mouth quieted. Her mouth stopped the nibble attempt. I was able to pet her head, watch the lesson and pet her head.
This was a huge quiet, non-movement significant event in our partnership. HUGE!
When the lesson was over, Erin left. The rider and I chatted for a few moments about her amazing ride and my horse did not interrupt. HUGE. I got out of my chair and walked the length of the arena. Fancy walked beside me, not in front of me, not ahead of me. This is huge! I’m her partner who she respects.
Good Lordy! Fall on your knees and worship this moment, a long long time coming!