Friends?

Well, it has been a long time coming, but I think my horse, Kaz, is starting to realize that we could just be friends!  It has been so slow.  For the past couple years I will admit I was impatient at times with his curious ways.  His nipping, his mouth, always moving, always ready.  Yet, somewhere along the way I began to think maybe he was playing, expressing interest.  Though the mouth/teeth issues are not my favorite thing I have begun to accept them, and him, for who and what he is.  A prime example us getting his halter on, for him it is always a game. It goes, place the halter towards him, Kaz grabs it, pull it off, try again, he grabs it and holds it.  For months this frustrated me, to the point I would yell stop, shake it, even one threw it at him, he won!  So, somewhere along the line, I began building the game aspect into my schedule, and, I won!  Oh, he still grabs a bit, and I let him.  Once he has had it for a moment or two, game over and on it goes.  Same issues when blanketing.  For this "game" I keep my elbow at the ready, he butts his head towards me I elbow him, softly, he stops, tries again, goes on for a couple times, then the blanket is on!  Yes, I have begun to accept his habits, his quirkiness, him.  Now Kaz is beginning to nuzzle me, rub his head softly.  He also will now let me pet his face in the barn, though only briefly, must be a guy thing.  Keep in mind that this horse is and has always been great under saddle.  Kaz is keen in mind and spirit, becomes bored easily, but, he knows his job.  His only "issues", at least for me, have been on the ground.   Our farrier even commented that my horse has settled, asking what I did to him, ha !  I have come to believe it is a matter of r-e-s-p-e-c-t, on both our parts.  So, the journey continues, though now I am enjoying it oh so much more ~~~

Beauty is in the eye ~

There is no such thing as an "ugly" horse !  There, I've said it.  As a young girl yearning for her own horse I saw beauty in anything that neighed, I hope never to lose that feeling.  I recently heard someone say they would rather feed a "pretty" horse than an ugly one, sigh.  I still find beauty in all of them, in one way or another.  There are of course "dinks", but I like to classify these as horses that just do not want to be, for one reason or another they are flawed inside, but not outside.  Either abuse, or over-breeding, or just chance has made them less than pretty to be around.  Years ago I had the privilege of meeting a horse that the media had determined was the "ugliest" horse on the track, one John Henry.  Yes, the boy was a looker, and probably not the kindest on the eyes.  His personality also left lots to be desired , kicking or biting anything that got in his way, causing him to be gelded in the hope of mellowing him, which, btw, did not really work.  John retired as one of the highest winning horses of his day, maybe he felt he had something to prove!
After owning a couple "beautiful" horses, on the outside, and having not bonded with either of them, I decided to look more on the inside when I went to adopt my next horse.  What I found was a thoroughbred gelding, complete with a hernia and a windpuff, yet, he had the kindest eyes and the softest neigh ever.  This gelding became my best friend for 19 years, and, he was beautiful, where it counted most !  I now own a horse that is pretty, and he knows it !  He is like one of those boys on the football field in high school, with that "hey look at me" attitude.  He is still young, for an Arab, so I keep hoping that he will lose the arabtude and get over himself, grow up a bit and mellow out, then, sigh, well he is an Arab!  He will stay with me, for now.  We will wait and see how things work out.  In the meantime my barn door will remain open in case that "one" happens to trot in to my life, that one with respect, loyalty, that one with heart.  If that one appears, no matter what the breed, the colour, the appearance, I will welcome him/her into my barn with a huge heart to match ~~~