New World

My first two days amongst horses were engaging and presented me a learning curve that kept me just short of feeling competent.  I had some success with the new concepts of leading a horse and making sure it did not rule me.  I had learned to drive a horse in a ring, and change the direction of that drive.  What I could not at all claim proficiency in was being able to read the animal, I did not know when it was paying attention, nor when I had received dispensation to change things up, nor when it was tense, or relaxed.  Sugar had not responded to my talking, very little of my walking tall, and even less of my gesturing.

Day Three Karen introduced me to other horses boarded at the stables.  I met Mattheo, an enormous black Frisian/Thoroughbred horse with an honest to God Hercule Poirot mustache that apparently is shed in the summer.  That was a horse worthy of a photo spread.  He grabbed my sweatshirt with his lips, and even in my novice state I knew that was not the best behavior.  Next we met Garzo, a very nervous tic-laden horse that was white with blue eyes.  I could tell my proximity was stressing him out and I was glad when we went over to Karen's horses.

I visited Dusty, her most compliant and gentle horse.  He allowed me to do the neck pressure thing where he practically went nose to the grass.  Karen worked on the concept of getting Dusty to move away from me by my just facing his hind quarters and holding intent.  Dusty's leg almost immediately yielded over in front of his other one and he stepped away.  This was the demo horse.

Next up was Elijah, a white horse with huge blackberry colored splotches that are quite charming in total view.  Elijah was haltered by Karen and we tried the same thing of staring at the hip, facing the back side and I waited for Elijah to do the same cross step that Dusty had just showed.  Nothing.  Karen had told me in the arena with Sugar that it is not the best position of control for the human to cave in on a request.  We must stand our ground.  We must stare and be commanding.  I had less patience than Elijah and I decided to twirl my wrist a bit to give him the idea of relenting but that gesture spooked him and he pulled way back and turned toward me.  Karen had the halter so I think she knew he might do this.  She then informed me Elijah really needed little extra coaxing.  He was if anything very sensitive to commands and humans.  She suggested I lead Elijah down the hill to the arena.

We entered the arena and I figured we were going to practice what I had learned with Sugar with this new horse.  We got to the center and Karen began walking away and took up a bench at one end of the arena.  She then told me to remove Elijah's harness carefully and see if he would stay near me.  I began to undo the harness as if I were defusing a bomb, but as expected, I moved one of my hands too quickly (or so I thought) and he bolted to the other side of the enclosure.

Karen then said that today I would just try to get Elijah to come up to me and maybe to walk with me.  That was it.

From this moment my world tilted on its axis to a wholly new place.  For the next half hour I kept Elijah aware of my interest in him.  I approached and he bolted.  I cut him off in one direction and he would whirl away in the other,  if he approached I backed up,  I would keep eye contact and then break it respectfully.  The whole time I remained silent!  This went on and on, I never let him get bored with my presence.  I had to keep him engaged or we would both be standing alone, with me feeling very foolish.  It was at once a bizarre series of novel movements and at the same time an instinctive ritual dance that I felt I had known my entire life.

When at last Elijah walked in a straight path and stopped his nose straight in front of mine, my heart was beating an elated fast clip.  I was screaming inside Wow! and I can't believe this is happening to me! and  on the outside I was barely moving a muscle.  We stood there for about twenty seconds and I lowered my head a bit and slowly brought my hand up, a new knowledgeable hand, for permission, the time taken to ask it, and then a nose pet.  I broke my silence to tell Karen I could not believe this was happening.

She suggested I walk with Elijah, first placing myself at his side if he would allow, and then just commencing walking and see if he followed.  He did.  I was thrilled beyond anything I have felt in ages, if ever.  We walked clear around the ring twice, stopping on occasion to see if that still held our relationship actively too.  We walked over low hurdles that were set out. I spoke out loud to Karen to say that in all past times with horses I had never been given the opportunity or time to have a horse willingly accompany me anywhere.  It had all been about getting ready to ride.  Karen paused and then said, "I don't think Elijah has ever been given the time to make his own decisions about a person either."  What a wonderful thing for both of us.

On the second go round I walked over a hurdle and instead of going the same big circle path around the arena, left to right, I began to turn a tighter, more wall cramped right to left direction.  Elijah bolted.  Karen asked me what I thought went wrong and I at first thought it was an abrupt movement of my arm.  Then I added the thought that it might have been that I was asking him to make a tight turn.  She said yes, exactly, that turn is a submissive turn.  I had obviously broken our momentary equality and he didn't like it.  I apologized out loud, funny notion after all that silence but then Elijah came right back.  I probably don't need to elaborate on the feeling that was coursing through me.

Karen then came over and handed me the halter to put on Elijah.  Elijah did not move an inch as I placed it carefully.  Then I drove him around the arena for the next ten minutes.  He was so responsive to the slightest tug on the rope or twirling of the back of the rope to move off from me.  Karen said she had never been relaxed enough before about a student driving a horse on their second day. She just stayed seated and away from us.

Our time, our incredible time, was up.  I stood close to Elijah and looked at him as I have never looked at a horse.  I wondered if I had fallen in love.  This day I will remember for the rest of my life.  I have been elated all the week since.  I wonder if this day will ever be repeated with any horse, or even Elijah again.  I know it was a moment of grace for which I am profoundly thankful.