Taking It for Granted

Our entire house as succumbed to strep throat. I would like to think  that having an entire house of sick people has slowed our progress on getting stuff done around the place, but I don't think I can blame it on being sick.


I'm heading out soon to haul Lightening to the vet for a float. Lets hope that he loads into the trailer easier than before. I forget on a daily basis that the horses at the Sanctuary are awesome. And when I say awesome.. I really mean it.  I point  at a trailer, and they load. I drag a blanket out, and they stand without being tied. I grab a brush, and they walk u p to me. Horses dont' get that way overnight. But I forget. Lightening has only been at the Sanctuary (he's my personal horse) for a little over a month and I havent' had time to mess with him much. He's reminding me that I shouldn't take everything the horses do for granted.


I didn't realize I was so spoiled. I guess it's a trust thing. I trust them, they trust me. Any time  I load them into a trailer, it doesn't mean anything other than a trip to the vet or to a different pasture for a little while. Well, in Lightening's case, it's to drill team practice. But they always come home. I take it for granted that they won't be snots when I ask them to do something.


Lightening is reminding me daily that what I have with the Sanctuary horses isn't always the same for everyone else. I remember walking out the pasture to show the horses off and someone thought I needed a halter and lead rope to bring them in. Umm...what? why? Oh, yeah. Because most herds of horses don't come at a run when you yell "Come on boys". Mine do. I yell that three or four times and they all come at a slow lope or a trot into the pen to get their treats and a good night visit. I'm sure some if it has to do with routine but not always. Sometimes in the summer when I have them come in from pasture and lock them in for the night (to help ease the strain on the pasture), not everyone comes in for the night. It's a battle of wills at that point and I usually let them "win" but the next time, they come in with no problem.


But I forget often that not everyone has that. Of course the horses at the Sanctuary aren't button pushers. Dude is but otherwise they are all fairly laid back and dont' want to try and tests their boundaries. And even Dude is getting to be less of a button pusher as age sets in (he's 20 this year). There's a ton of horses that test their owners on a daily basis but we don't have those types of horses. I guess that's why I hand pick the ones that do come in. And being older, they are already set in their ways and not young and feisty and trying to figure things out on their own. The older horses seem to simply appreciate a full belly and a place to sleep at night. Some of them have been bounced around so I wonder if they don't simply appreciate the routine without the worry of learning new routines every few months.


Each horse has a story and each has to learn to trust. It's a new experience having a younger horse (10 years old) at the Sanctuary and seeing how they adapt to our routines. Lightening is reminding me to not take what the Sanctuary horses are giving me (their trust) for granted.