I decided to attend the cow working clinic at the Longhorn Cattle Company even though I didn’t have many hours on my Quarter Horse gelding, Shyguy. Turned out there were many like us! New horses, new owners, not many hours, herd bound horses, it ran the gamut. A few inadvertent dismounts in the melee of early morning warm up! How many times have you almost decided not to go, instead of being grateful for the opportunity to spend time with your horse? It’s all good, and good for challenging your natural horsemanship skills!
This time, I decided Shyguy and I weren’t ready to chase cows, but from what I observed, we will give it a go at the next opportunity! I learned much about how our partnership had developed, starting with Shyguy catching me up! How gratifying!
From a smooth self load, we took our turn getting parked in the large pasture at the event. Shyguy tied quietly during the day, not minding when I left him by himself to check things out. While we hung out and watched the cow practice, he remained quiet, not wasting energy.
We checked out the trail course. Shyguy crossed water and the wooden bridge, putting his nose down to check it out, taking everything calmly; the stuffed toy at the bridge, the animal hide hung out, the mail box, ground poles, a log to step over, and an L-shaped pole maze.
We took time to hang out and share an apple. Shuguy self loaded, and a quiet ride home.
The next time you have an opportunity to try something new, go and see how many natural horsemanship skills you can accomplish! Leave yourself open to opportunity!
Terri
