(He passed).
Brett and I spent most of today running errands and getting supplies for ranch maintenance projects. I'm sure most of you know this, but if you own property and have horses at home you ride less often then people who board their horses. We spend most of our time fixing things on the property or just maintaining the place. If there is time left, we ride. Often, like today, there is not.
We decided to put Flash and Tex up in the top pasture to graze while we worked on our respective projects. Brett was putting a drain in at the bottom of the dressage court, hoping it would stop the erosion we experience everytime it rains. A fairly large system is arriving Wednesday so he wanted to have that done. I was busy in the garden, installing a new and improved drip system in my vegetable bed.
We weren't positive that I would be able to catch Tex at dinner time, when we would bring Tex and Flash back to their pasture. The last time we put the boys in the top pasture, catching Tex was a disaster. Read about it here.
I was pretty optimistic; Brett less so.
We walked into the pasture to fetch the boys at 5pm. Tex walked behind Flash and stood there, looking at me, from the safety of the other side of Flash. Normally, Tex walks over to me. Hmmm. I stood still, with the halter on my shoulder, and looked at Tex. "What are you doing, dude?" I asked. He circled twice, nervously, and then walked up to me. I touched his shoulder and he flinched away. I spoke to him softy, calmly and firmly. He stopped and let me touch him. I waited for him to relax and drop his head toward the halter before putting it on.
(Yes! Yes! Mental fist pump!)
On our walk down to the front pasture, Tex kept bumping me with his nose in a campanionable way. At one point, he reached his nose towards my face and I kissed him. He flinched away, then licked his lips and bumped my hand with his nose. It was really sweet.
Back in the front pasture, we turned Flash and Tex loose. He stood by me, eating cookies while I stroked his face. When I left to start the evening chores, he stood still watching me go.
I love when Ashke reaches out and touches me with his nose while we are walking. It has always been his way of checking to make sure it is me. He does the same thing to J when we are on trail. He will bump her back with his nose when she is riding in front of us on her bike.
ReplyDeleteSounds to me like Tex likes his new person a lot.
Yay!! I think that touching with the nose really shows connection because it is also something Cowboy does with me. I think it says, we're together.
ReplyDeleteThis post made me smile. :)
ReplyDelete