Scary!

You know what' scary? Snow in October! But sure enough--that's what we got this year. In my neck of the woods it wasn't much, but when I went to visit Gobie this weekend there was still snow sticking to the ground.

Snow? in October?!

It was also pretty muddy. I tried to convince Gobie that he should walk all the way in from the field though the gate to the work area by himself, but I ended up meeting him 1/4 of the way. Which still beats having to go the whole way through the mud I guess.

I'll just wait here for you.

The first thing we always do is a quick grooming session. That way I can clean him up a little bit and check to see if there are any injuries or other weird things going on. With the change in the weather his hair has gotten to be static-city whenever I brush it. The big scrap under his mane seems to be getting a bit better though there's still no hair growing. And he's been getting some dandruff/crustiness in some parts. I'll have to pick up some anti-bacterial spray or something. But other than that, he's looking pretty good and getting rather wooly!

Sam was with me on this visit, so we kept it kind of quick and low key. We've been working on leading and going on walks in "unfamiliar" places.

The driveway is scary.

You're so handsome when you're obstinate.

The Yaris is scary, too.

Even though he gets ultra alert and a little nervous about it, Gobie is still very good when he's being lead through scary areas. He's more apt to stop and freeze than run, and for the most part he's mindful of where I am. He's also a good listener--so if we're walking someplace scary and I ask him to back up or turn around he always complies.

We hung out a little big in the grassy area by the apple trees on the side of Bonnie's property. Another thing I've been consciously trying is lounging on, and putting my weight on Gobie's back. He's always been very happy to have me give him a hug, or play with his head and neck.

went on a walk around. There were some scary things. Like the driveway. And the Yaris. Gobie is a little dude. Being nerds. Leaning on Gobie. I think Honey and BooBoo are BFFs now! Poor Gobie. When I returned him back the herd he ran around very passionately. And got completely muddy again.

Two nerds. 

But sometimes a horse can get a little worried if they see you on both sides of them at once. I think it has something to do with that left-brain/right-brain separation. Of course, it's an important thing to get over, because when you're riding a horse they perceive you as being on both sides and right on top of them which as a prey animal is a little nerve wracking.

Anyway, Gobie doesn't mind having someone lounge on him.

It's nice to have a shoulder to lean on, amirite? 

Sometimes he tries to walk off, but so long as you walk with him (or ask him to stop) he's very accommodating. He also doesn't seem to mind the weight portion of it--though I guess the weight you feel with someone leaning on you is different than carrying someone around!

Gobie's favorite part of the leading/desensitization exercise is getting to eat some choice grass.

omnomnom 

Also, sometimes Gobie looks like a regular sized horse, but other times he seems really tiny! I'm constantly re-assessing the practicality of actually riding him. I mean it's one thing to train him to be ridden, and another to plan for me to ride him consistently. We'll take it a day at a time, I guess!

Going back to the field.

When I returned Gobie back to his pals in the field he got a little nuts about it! When we were on the walk around the property Honey called for him, but he wasn't too worried about it. We also stopped to say "hi" to her and BooBoo over the fence. Honey had her head kind of hiding under BooBoo's which made me wonder if they were starting to bond pretty closely. Once I returned Gobie to the field he full-out ran to the other horses and very dramatically started pushing everyone around. I was busy putting his things away to watch it all but before I left I gave him a treat over the fence and noticed that he was muddy again--even on one side of his face! I wonder if during his dramatic return he slipped and landed in the mud, or maybe he just rolled? I hope that Honey hasn't traded Gobie in for BooBoo--though that might be the case. Poor Gobie!