Trust, a Beautiful Thing

I know I shouldn’t be, but I am always surprised and shocked by the extent of trust these horses give me. I am no horse whisperer, I am not a teacher. I do not give off the vibe of a leader. I am me but the horses at the Sanctuary trust me. I ask them to perform a simple task, and they do it. Sometimes with a little bit of hesitation but they still do it.  Why? Because they trust me. And not just me, they trust people.

I am always left speechless when I’m messing around with a horse and they do something that I’ve asked them, which happens to be out of their normal routine. Take for example Rabbit. I hate to even admit that I’d not had her in a trailer since we brought her home in 2010. It’s a bit of an embarrassment to admit it but it is what it is. Rabbit didn’t even want to go in the trailer when we were bringing her home. We had to load Mayhem first to get Rabbit to go in. But yesterday, with just a bit of coaxing (and some grain), she loaded into the trailer. She also unloaded without much hesitation. Not only did she load and unload once, she loaded and unloaded a total of three times yesterday. Each time she loaded more quickly. Given that she hadn’t been on a trailer in over three years, the little bit of time she needed to think, was amazing. Once she had her front feet in the trailer, she stood there figuring out where her back legs were. We didn’t rush her and she didn’t get upset.

With trust comes patience. I guess I’m learning that the horses are trusting me so I need to give them patience in figuring out exactly what I’m asking of them and knowing that I’m not asking them to do anything that will put them in to harm’s way.

Then I think about Mayhem. I tried messing with her last year in getting her accustomed to a saddle. She freaked out so I figured I’d leave it to the trainer (when the time finally came), to get her accustomed to a saddle and all that. But when we had the polar vortex blow through, I KNEW she needed a blanket. Wouldn’t you know, she trusted me to put a blanket on. She’d never had one on before and she didn’t flinch when I put the blanket on or pulled the straps around to adjust them. She trusted me to protect her from harm.

It’s the trust that these horses have in me that blows me away. They trust me to protect them, to feed them, and keep them safe. They trust me to keep them cool in the summer and warm in the winter. They trust me beyond anything else. I can walk up to them carrying a blanket without having to halter and hold them. They trust me to mess with them, to walk in between herd mates, they trust me to come when I call (which is pretty neat to have them come galloping up from the pasture).

The trust these horses has in me is beyond words. I can’t explain the feeling I get knowing that the Sanctuary horses trust in me. I might not technically be the boss mare, but they know that I am there to protected them.

So the next time you ask your horse to do something, be patient and consider the trust that they have in you. You are there to protect them. They are putting their life in your hands. They are trusting you.

Trust, it’s a beautiful thing.