I learned that if the rider and the groom of a horse are two different people, the bond of attachment will be weaker with the horse and rider. The person who grooms the horse is the one with the closest bond with the horse. My lengthy grooming sessions with Zum will ensure a tight emotional bond between us.
I rode Kamar on the trail for two hours and he jumped over an irrigation ditch and climbed a rock embankment. Kamar is an amazing senior horse!
After I saddle Zum, I cinch up his saddle firmly. Then I reward him. He has overcome something that is frightening to him. I want Zum to think of me as a close friend. I want Zum to think of human companionship as a positive experience.
Horses have blind spots, in front and directly behind their bodies. It is crucial not to approach a horse, even a docile horse, from those angles. If a horse suddenly realizes that something has come close to him without his awareness, he is badly startled. Zum sees me clearly as I approach Zum from the side with the saddle. When Zum calms down, I gently put the saddle on his back.
I want Zum to feel no tension or threat with me or with the saddle. Earning Zum’s trust takes a long time but he is worth it.
I let Zum sniff the saddle until he is satisfied that the saddle won’t harm him.
I love walking on the Plaza for Spanish Market. It was a relief to see so many happy people, smiling and laughing with each other.
Huszar is a perfect horse and riding Huszar is genuine joy. The only corrupt and polluted thing around me are my neighbors. They sit on their mansion porches or run after me with their dogs and rifles and yell at me to get off the road or to get off the trail and that no horses are allowed. How can people be malevolent?
Kamar and Huszar are inseparable. They are buddies for life.
When I approach Zum with the saddle, he still backs up and moves around the hitching post. The sight of the saddle still alarms Zum.
