Lazy Days

As the weather gets warmer, I've been content to just spend the day being lazy with Kachina. I feel a little guilty, since this would be the perfect time to start schooling her, but I also really enjoy just spending time with her without any pressure. Then I realized that I am teaching her; she's learning very subtle, but vital, life skills that only come when we spend this sort of time together.

She isn't head-shy about her ears any longer; in fact, she sort of enjoys having them stroked. She let me braid the bit of mane along her bridlepath, dangerously close to her ears, without a fight, something that would have been unheard of a month ago (although she didn't like me spending too much time there fiddling with my makeshift rubberband). I'm tempted to braid feathers in her mane and really make her look like a little Indian Pony!

Before, she wasn't too sure about my habit of kissing her muzzle, but now she actually puts her face close to mine and asks for kisses. Sometimes she'll even put her face against mine and blow softly, in a sort of horsey kiss of her own.

When I groom or scratch her, she will crane her neck around to lip at my hair, back or hip. At first I was concerned, believing that it was best not to let her get into the habit of mouthing me, least it turn into nipping or biting. But I had to realize that lipping is not nipping; there's absolutely no malice or brattiness in it, and she's incredibly gentle and happy while doing it, with her ears floppy and her eyes soft. So I figured, how hypocritical of me would it be to expect her to stand still and let me groom her when I'm not willing to trust her enough to let her do the same? So now we groom each other, and she's extremely sweet and careful about it, and I try to be as well.

At feeding time, she's learning to be patient and polite when getting her grain. She will walk behind me and throw her head excitedly (and probably in an attempt to hurry me up), but she's starting to get the idea that trying to stick her head in the bucket before I clip it to the fence just means it'll be that much longer until she gets to eat. Then, when it's clipped, she's perfectly willing to let me back her up and stand patiently until I release her. The goal is to have her back up on just vocal command and wait until I say it's ok to eat. Call it the dog trainer in me.

She still does not like the fly spray.

She's learning to pick up all four feet without being haltered and tied, which she's willing to do, but sometimes she loses interest before I'm done and walks off. Ah well, we're making progress! My goal is to get her to stand still without a halter and lead, long enough for me to work with her (i.e., braid her entire mane, brush her down, pick her feet, etc.).

Pretty soon we'll both have to work on the harder, "big horse" things; she'll need to learn how to walk, jog and lope, take off on the right lead, back up, flex at the neck and poll, pivot on her rear and her front, grab dirt when she whoas, rollback, rate a cow, give to the bit, sidepass, work on a loose rein, ground tie, so on and so forth. But there's plenty of time for that. For now, she's learning more important things.