When it works….
It is finally nice and warm here, so blankets are off, and the battle with the mud is on. At the very least Pony needs a little fly spray and a brush. So I hit the barn last night, even though I got there much later than I had hoped.
Hawkeye’s field has a lovely tree lined creek running through it, and he was enjoying a little splash when I got there. I went out and just spent a few moments hanging out with him, watching him graze with the sun flitting through the trees. When it came time to go in for his groom, for the first time since I have known him, he wandered away and attempted to escape his halter. Not grumpily, just a few steps retreat everytime I approached. I think he thought it was a fine game. I, on the other hand, did not want him to learn that having me chase him around the field was going to become de rigueur. Since we weren’t going for a ride anyway, I decided that this might be an excellent time to revisit the round pen. While, my Join-up experiment had gone well enough last time, I still felt like I had just not quite gotten it right.
This time was an entirely different experience. I forsook the lounge whip this time for my lounge line, even though it has a rubber weight on the end of it, as just seems easier to make passive than a long stick. Hawkeye started off with a nice easy trot. I had his inside ear INSTANTLY. Nice. He was then convinced to switch directions and maintain the gait without drama. Only a couple of laps around the pen and he was putting his head down. Excellent.
This entire time I consciously made eye contact as he lapped around me. The MOMENT I dropped my eyes to his shoulder, he would slow his pace and creep slightly in toward the center of the circle. If I raised my eyes back to his, he would step it back up and out. There was never any licking or chewing, but that seemed outweighed by all the head dropping and the continued attempts to slow and come in to chat with me.
So I lowered my gaze for one more lap, still encouraging him on, but letting him close the circle. I stopped pushing him onward and turned my shoulder to him, dropped my gaze and coiled my lounge line. Sure enough, he came to a stop directly behind me, body turned into the circle considering. I am not a patient girl. Not peeking at him was tough, but somehow I closed my eyes and just waited. I heard him step closer. Still arms reach away. Now he started licking and chewing as he tried to puzzle out what the next step should be. I remained still. Another step. I could hear him breathing just behind me. Finally, finally, a soft nudge with his nose on my elbow. What a good pony!!!
As with everything I do with the ponies… patience and being able to find that quiet, mental, place makes all the difference.
