I Have a Little Colt

Yup, there he is, in my pasture. His name is Pretty Boy.

Well, really, he isn't mine. I'm renting my pasture out for two months to a teenager who has three horses - Willie, a 16 yOA gelding, Snip, a 6 YOA gelding, and Pretty Boy, who's a year and a half. Pretty Boy is a paint 'stang, bought off of the Indian reservation. The young lady who owns these horses wants to lean how to break them. So far she has been unsuccessful, but you have to admire her persistence. Snip doesn't like anyone on him, and bucks. Sometimes you can ride him for an hour - but then he'll buck you off. Willie is too old; he'd make a great child's horse, but hasn't been well cared for and needs fattening. And of course Pretty Boy is too young.

Well today the power went out because the pole near the high school caught fire. I was glad that my pickling and baking were done for the week! I heard Pretty Boy neighing in the pasture; apparently his high youthful spirits had pissed off Snip, and Snip was chasing him. So I walked over to the fence. Snip turned away and started munching. Pretty Boy came over to me for comfort. I stood there for over an hour, scratching him, talking to him, while he nuzzled me and whiffed and sniffed my neck, my hair, my arms. I stood there and gently whispered to him.

Yes, many years ago, I use to have an affinity for animals. When I was still a child, I found an injured full grown possum once in the woods, picked him up and carried him home. He had gotten ahold of a sardine can and licked and licked, and started his tongue to bleeding, and kept licking... I gave him some water to drink, and an old towel to lie on, and just sat next to him and whispered. After about three hours he got up, gave me a look, and wandered back across the street into the woods. Mother was hysterical - a WILD ANIMAL!!! With SHARP TEETH!!! Next to my neck!!!

I cared for my friends' horses at different times, and they would stand still when they were injured and needed medical care to let me treat them. I didn't like to "break" horses, I 'gentled' them. The training takes a lot longer and a lot more attention, but it lasts longer. I was pretty good with most critters. Maybe that's why I enjoyed being an EMT so much - my patients trusted me to take care of them, too; and with a little comforting and soft words they would let me treat them or their children when no one else could.

Nowadays it is a big deal to be a "horse whisperer". But anyone can do it - anyone who simply lets themselves go, who doesn't think about the future or the past, who just responds to and treats the 'now'.

I am just glad Pretty Boy and I understand each other now.