Horseland

Since this past fall, I've had the huge blessing of spending time out in the mountains twice a week.

Ballou

And learning to work with horses.


There could be maybe nothing more foreign from where I grew up. I spent lots of summers in the South, of course, and various relatives have always had -- and some still do have -- horses, cows, goats.  But until this fall the last time I was on a horse was nearly ten years ago.

And I'd never before even ridden a horse by myself.  Never tacked one up.  Never bridled one.  Never led one.  Never even brushed a horse.  Just got plopped on one a couple of times and led around, not to learn proper position or anything, but just for the experience.  Which is special enough.

"Sweet Pete"

Song, Cantata, and Ballou

And I never really had a big horse phase as a little girl, not counting My Little Pony and Lisa Frank.  I always thought they were beautiful, but I never had the consuming preoccupation with them I've since developed.

Wisdom, aka "Black"

Black

I'm going through my horse phase a little late.  But at the same time, there's no better time for it.  Growing up in Brooklyn, horses aren't something you see every day -- maybe you'll get to go to a stable, or a pony ride upstate, or see some mounted policemen.  And I think they might have horses for carriage rides in Central Park in the winter.

But out here, there are horses everywhere.  You don't even need to leave the city proper to see horses.  I live in a decidedly non-rural apartment complex, and there are some horses within easy walking distance from me.  Drive up towards and into the mountains, and you'll spot dozens at a time.  There might even be more horses than cows around here.

They even show up in shopping centers, on occasion. 

With the car out of commission (more on that later, I think) for the past eight days, I've really missed it.  Whenever I'm there, I try to give them a good rubbing on the withers, if only so that when I go home, I still have that smell on my hands. 

Black

A couple of weeks ago, I ran around after our lessons taking snapshots.  They don't communicate the reality of what it's like at all.  They look awkward and small in the pictures -- you don't get the vigor, the breathing beauty.

Dakota, aka "Red" -- this photo certainly fits in the 'awkward' category

But it's something, anyway.

"Sweet Pete"

Rococo, aka "The Bay Horse"

We don't work with all of the horses -- mostly Red, Black, and Laddie.  And some horses -- like Rococo -- we never work with.  In the case of the Bay, it's a safety issue.  Even though we don't work with him, I still love to just stand and look at him, like when I'm watering.  He's beautiful, and so dark he looks all black in a certain light.

Laddie

Laddie is just about as opposite from the big Bay as you can get.  This isn't the best picture of him -- he's got particularly beautiful eyes -- but he's a sweet horse, extremely easy-going.  He can get nervous, too, in the right circumstances, but he's slower to get worried than some of the other horses.

Back when Black was in the far pen, closer to the road, we'd always meet eyes as I drove in.  Unlike Laddie, he's quick to get defensive, and quick to get upset.  Like the Bay, he was (unwittingly) taught to be dominant and aggressive, so for me anyway, he can be a more intimidating horse to work with. 

One of the girls I take lessons with has been doing an excellent job with him.  She's more assertive than I am, which is a huge help with this horse.

I think he might be my favorite in some ways.  When he relaxes, he's even better to work with than Laddie.  And he's just beautiful.  He's got bad conformation, but I don't really care.  I think maybe because he occasionally frightens me, I find him the most beautiful, too.