On Pasture

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

The mares were delighted when our icy storms ended to return to my neighbor’s pasture. Before leading them over, I practiced walking on the path from my place to our next-door neighbor’s, and then on to the next neighbor’s. My footing seemed okay. While stepping into an icy crust and hearing it break under my cleats, nothing felt slippery. That’s not all to consider. While walking between and leading two horses, I pay attention to more, for example, staying alert for nearly invisible deer that might leap and surprise us.

Harder to describe is trying to sense from a horse’s view what’s ahead, beside, or behind, that might cause an unexpected bump. The best way for this is by listening to the horses, their body language and what I can feel through the lead ropes. When an animal pauses with ears alert and eyes fixed, I speak softly and wait until she relaxes before we continue. Aside from occasional deer, our biggest problem is Pimmy. She follows us loosely, sometimes pausing to graze before cantering to catch up. Her suddenness startles Rosie but doesn’t affect Sunni, so as usual, it’s another “just Rosie” behavior.

A human working with horses must be as alert to the horses themselves as to the environment. For several years, we’ve walked to and from my neighbor’s pasture (fallow between hayings). There are more advantages than getting horses to grass. Moving them are training opportunities for me and the horses. I keep Rosie walking behind, instead of ahead and trying to lead me. I keep Sunni from stopping to graze and interrupting our strides. As for Pimmy, she teaches much about herself, on her own, too bonded to the mares to fall out of line.

Trips to and from the pasture that draw on all my senses make the moments special, like all my activities with horses. We keep each other on our toes, and to me, if all goes well it’s exhilarating.

Dear Readers, have a lovely day. Diana