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October 30, 2018: Why?

Another day of horsey home schooling. It was a beautiful day out – the freshly fallen snow clung to the trees and was illuminated by the low lying sunlight. It was in fact breathtaking. It’s now winter, and cold out. I had Pete get my winter boots out of the Black Hole, our cabin storage area. And I’m now wearing gloves all the time when I’m outside. It’s tough, I constantly have to take one off, in order to do finer things such as fasten halters and undo leadline clips. I sometimes drop them on the ground, and then the cuffs become snow-filled which makes my wrists cold. And when I’m out for a long time, like I was today, I get fatigued and my lower back gets achy.

The question that others have asked and I am now asking myself is why am I spending so much time with these animals? The answer is that I don’t really fully know. I have some ideas as to why, but they are just ideas, mere speculation.

I for one really believe that I am interacting with very intelligent animals, not mere beasts of burden. And so I have a responsibility, to both tend to my ponies and to provide them with an education. I also enjoy teaching and live for those moments in which they or I have ahh haa moments.


“What are we going to do today?”


In addition, I have come to believe that the horse-human connection comes about when we make it a point to spend time with our animals. These revelations have not come without a price. I have not been getting as much writing done as I’d like. And I have not been doing as much around the place as I should.

Today was a day in which my revelations were again confirmed, as they often are. I first did body work and body awareness work on all the horses, which seemed to enable all, especially Tinni, to move more freely and with greater flexibility.

I got all the horses out. Pete assisted me in making sure Tyra’s new saddle fit, and after I went for a test ride around the loop. She was at first balky. Then it slowly dawned on her that she was no longer in pain because of an improperly fitting saddle. We trotted some on the icy road and, too, I felt in balance. This, I thought, is a horse who is going to realize her potential.

I next took Tinni for a ride of equal length. He tolted nicely and was very chipper.

Hrimmi came next. I ground drove her. She’s the most easy going of the lot. She was, as always, incredibly patient. It took me a while to figure out how to secure the reins – I ended up putting her saddle on her and on side, threaded the reins through a carabiner, and on the other, through a loop of baling twine. She who was feeling good did not hesitate when asked to move out – if I had been wearing running shoes we would have moved even faster.

Raudi who was last did get the short end of the deal because by then it was getting dark and I was fairly cold. However, she was a good sport and seemed to enjoy the short workout, which in part consisted of going over poles and through the agility tunnel, and through the curtain.

At the day’s end I think we all felt a sense of accomplishment. This feeling, which has come about over time, is not coincidental. It’s the end result of considerable time on my part. I do not and can’t foresee ever having any regrets about how I’ve chosen to spend the majority of my time.

Next: 304. 10/31/18: A Letter to Our Friend, Dan LeMay

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