Foiled Equestrian Workout

This past Wednesday, I had gone to the barn at Green's Acres with the full intention of bringing Kadance in from the pasture to work on walk-trot-walk transitions using very light aids. Funny how things chance in a few seconds.

I was bundled up against the cold, yet the sun was shining and felt warm. I collected my halter and lead rope and began the long walk out to the far pasture. The closer I got, the fewer horses I could see. There should have been four, yet I could only see two. Too soon to panic, I suspected my big girl would be further away and possibly in the tree line. She sometimes does that to either get away from the wind or heat of the summer sun. I continued my trek.

Then, I noticed Gunner, a spotted gelding laying down. He was clearly sound asleep. His deep exhalations visibly billowed about his head. Although my approach was soon discovered, he chose to remain recumbent. A few yards passed him, laying near the tree line, my big girl slept soundly. She stirred at my approach yet made no effort to stand. I ever-so-slowly moved closer and she still remained down with her front legs curled nearly under her.

"You're okay," I calmly told her as I gently set the halter on the grass. "You don't have to get up."

She sighed a cloud of warm breath and I knelt down and began easing closer to her.  My predatory-like behavior didn't phase her.

Inching next to her, I sat and rested my head on her shoulder. She looked at me then closed her eyes. Although I was leaping and squealing with excitement on the inside, I forced myself to take slow deep breaths and show no emotion other than complete peace and serenity. Not concerned that my elbow dug into my side or that my bum was not only absorbing the dew, but also the chill from the ground. My only concern was Kadance's need for safety and comfort. Twenty minutes of bonding bliss.

When she finally decided to stand up, she shook and we stood face to face. Neither of us were in a hurry to move. Eventually, Gunner decided to get to his feet and join us. Sniff and pets satisfied, I retrieved my halter and lead rope. Testing how far I could go, I opted to not use my artificial tools, and simply placed my palm under her chin and lead her back to the barn. In those moments, when she is relaxed, Kadance is amazing and compliant. Only when she gets emotional and excited does she loose her mind and forget what is being asked of her. But, there we were walking easily across the pasture, to and through the gate and into the barn just as nice as you please.

After that experience, there was no way I could make her physically exert herself. So, I fed her some hay and put her into the "Jenny Craig" lot. We played chase around the round pen and she helped my scoop poop. Apparently, I didn't have enough poop to remove, so she added some.

And such was my day with my horse.