Economics

I read a commentary recently which expressed the view that owning a horse is not that expensive. Because I had recently been mulling over how costly it is to own an equine, this really caught my attention.

Reading more closely, it became apparent that the commentator was saying that horse owners do not need to spend as much money as advertising and various published instructions would indicate.

The commentator did assume an owner could afford a large pasture with suitable grass, health care, and thoughtful training. Beyond this, most supplements and many accoutrements would be unnecessary.

It was an incredible assumption and it demonstrates the income gap within the horse world. It almost made me cry, thinking of all the backyard horses that vanished during the recession, of the horses I knew who had to journey onward, of the horse-related businesses that I have seen fail, and of the stories we have all heard of horses abandoned at boarding facilities or in fields or along the roadside. An owner first postpones this farrier visit or that fee, and after that, unpaid bills can mount faster than it seems possible.

I will never forget how I once remarked that one reason I didn't own a horse was that I didn't have time to muck out and feed twice a day. An acquaintance responded with an eye roll and a laugh, "Well that is why you board them!" I could never decide if they were speaking from ignorance or arrogance.

Molly in September 2014

I learned what it cost to own an equine, and only purchased Molly when I was in a position to support her. Good fortune was largely responsible for that position. If my fortunes changed, would I be able to accept that in time to find her another home? How long would I wait, telling myself that things could improve in just a few days or weeks?

Owning a horse is a luxury, but the companionship of a beloved animal is not. My heart goes out to all who struggle to reconcile one with the other.

New Year's Day Ride

We had a lot of snow a few weeks ago, followed by a thaw and now more cold. I've been working Molly a little at a time so that we can get used to these conditions together.

As soon as we could get around at all, I just hand-walked her around the tack room building. As the snow packed down we walked farther afield, and last weekend we resumed riding in the upper field.

Some of the farm equipment has been moved around for winter. The rows of crops are sheltered with lots of straw and some snow over that. There's still a lot of snow cover elsewhere. So the landscape looks a lot different and I give her plenty of time to look around. There are lots of new tarps covering this and that so we make sure to check those out beforehand.

She has taken just about everything in stride but I still give her lots of time. She snorts a lot and I can feel that she is different. I suppose it could be the cold, or the footing, or the wind, or the way sights  and sounds are different in the snow. I try really hard to sit her well so that she gains confidence in herself and in me. She frequently starts trotting on her own, so I know she is not at all relaxed! Recalling my teachers, I stop her often and back up a few steps, then go forward, so that she has something else to think about.

She spooked at a parked truck and also at one of her reins. She rarely spooks and I'm not scared when she does it but it seemed this time to be a sign that she's not herself. So I dismounted right away and then she walked along just fine. Next time I think I'll stay mounted and walk her back and forth a short distance. If we are able to stay in tune now, then come spring, we can progress!

Piero della Francesca

My husband gave me a great book for Christmas - Horses and Horsemanship Through the Ages, by Luigi Gianoli. The author says that the Renaissance brought fundamental changes in horsemanship to Europe.

Piero della Francesca is known as an important Italian Renaissance painter. From his c. 1466 fresco cycle "The Legend of the True Cross", which includes this painting:




The Queen of Sheba in adoration of the Wood and the Meeting of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Gianoli has selected this detail:

The striking white horse must belong to the Queen of Sheba. And the black horse to the left is certainly communicating something to someone.

But the thing I find most charming is how the artist depicted the horse who is looking out at us over the white horse's saddle. I imagine this tells us something about della Francesca as a horseman as well as an artist.


 NB: Wikipedia notes of Piero della Francesca, "As testified by Giorgio Vasari in his Lives of the Artists, to contemporaries he was also known as a mathematician and geometer."

Note: The book is: Horses and Horsemanship Through the Ages, by Luigi Gianoli, translated by Iris Brooks. First published in Italian as Il Cavallo e l'Uomo, 1967 by Longanesi and C. First published in the United States by Crown Publishers, Inc. 1969.

The deer

A few nights ago, my husband and I were coming home from a party. We saw that a number of cars had pulled over, so we did too.

There was a deer lying in the middle of the road, badly hurt. No one knew what to do.

My husband got out of the car and went over to the deer. He rested his had on her briefly to be sure she wouldn't panic. She raised her head and looked around. Then she let him pull her over to the side of the road, while someone else called the police.

Although no one could have alleviated her suffering, he made her safe from further injury. He will always be a hero to me.

When Molly Goes Walking

When Molly goes walking, and I am walking beside her holding her lead rope, there's almost always a point at which I am positive there is someone walking behind us. I keep listening, trying to hear their steps, and I eventually have to turn around and look. There's never anyone there. It's her hind feet that I'm hearing, the second and fourth beats in the 1-2-3-4 rhythm of her walk.

When Molly goes walking through the field, I sometimes think about what to do if a bear comes charging out of the woods at us. You may have heard the story of the woman leading some children on a trail ride in the Rockies. She and her horse charged a bear and managed to scare it off, and - so the story goes - she bought the horse. That is not going to happen with us. I am completely confident that Molly will get herself out of there right away. My job will be to make sure I don't get left behind. So I imagine sitting deeply, with my hips almost disconnected so that my legs can counter balance me. First she'll spin very quickly, so it will be important to let my seat go along with her and just let my shoulders catch up. Then we'll take off. I've seen her gallop but never ridden at that gait. Keeping your seat at the canter, which is similar to a gallop, means using a slight scooping action, and not leaning forward which is my usual fault. Galloping will be really hard for me. Worse comes to worst, I can fall forward and wrap my arms around her neck. Heaven only knows what direction we'll be headed in.

When Molly and I go walking with me mounted, I'm always amazed at how much motion there is. Her back ripples as each leg moves. Horseback riding is said to be good physical therapy for people who have trouble with their own legs. I keep trying to feel the four beats of the walk, but I often can't. So I just let my seat go along with her back. There is a trick to letting your seat move but keeping your shoulders steady. I love it when I can do it.

It has been great to ride more often, and sense my body catching up to the instruction that I've had over the years, while I ponder the theory and the reality of equine movement.

Coming along

Today Molly came to me when I called her. It was amazing.

We worked on this while still at Duane's. She would stand at her gate, gazing out at the grass beyond. I stood about 15 feet away, waiting to groom her. Because I am supposed to be the herd leader, I wanted to see if I could get her to come to me instead of me going to her. So I used consistent hand signals and a consistent voice call, which included her name.

She seemed to figure out pretty quickly what I wanted, but immediately began to look all around, up at the sky, over at the other horses, anywhere but at me. I persisted, and she eventually came over. It probably took three prolonged attempts on separate days. I rewarded her with praise and petting; then again I was also standing near her hay.

Here, Molly is coming toward me as I approach her paddock. But this is because she thinks we may be going to go get some grass. She is wearing her new turnout sheet from JP's North.

This time, I was taking off her (new!) turnout sheet when she just ambled away with it all unfastened but still resting on her. To the gate. With her halter on. I was disappointed but tried not to get emotional. I hadn't called her in many months, but I figured, why not give it a whirl? Imagine my surprise when she obeyed me.

I did use the same motions and voice call as previously - they were simple so they were easy to remember. I tried to keep my energy low but still sound happy at the same time. The sheet slid off (mercifully not into the manure) as she headed back my way. She also stepped on the halter rope a couple of times, but she was moving at no great speed and has had this happen to her a lot, so she knew how to get out of it.

And there she was in front of me! She received much praise, kissing, and patting. I can hardly imagine that that is meaningful to her, but I do it anyway. To me it always feels like her outlook lies  somewhere between an understanding that I won't hurt her, a hope that I will give her food, and the knowledge that I won't shut up. In this I think she may share her ancestors' perspectives.

I am wary of anthropomorphism. She is developing a familiarity with and respect for me - I don't really get the feeling that she has much of an attachment to me personally. Much as I wish she enjoyed our exercises in some way or other, I don't imagine that she ever will. They seem to be meaningless to her. Also, she probably worked hard for many years and she has no desire to please me. But she does, especially when she surprises me.

Coats and Blankets

We’ve had our first snow already this year. I put a turnout sheet on Molly last night because it was  supposed to be a wet snow, with temperatures rising into the 40’s.

Molly grows a heavy coat for winter and keeps it through the summer (it’s unbelievable). Her heavier coat is gorgeous and rich. Connie told me that once you put a winter blanket on a horse, it needs to stay on because it flattens all the winter hair that has grown in and lofted to trap warmth. The blanket can also inhibit further growth.

This is a picture of Molly's coat in October.

Blanketing a horse takes more thought than I would have ever imagined. One of my coworkers once asked why some horses have blankets and some don’t, and I rattled on for probably 5 minutes about weather, weight, work, age, and breeds. She politely murmured that it sounded "complicated" and the conversation turned to another topic.





But horse people will talk about it endlessly, each and every season. What brand did you get, what color is it, how does it fit him/her, can she run in it, did he tear off the straps again, when are you putting it on/taking it off/putting it on? Last year I bought Molly a winter blanket for the coldest months, and this year I got her the turnout sheet, which is a single uninsulated layer, for the warmer months. The work she does is considered to be very light, so I can afford to let her to grow as heavy a coat as possible - there’s no danger of her working up a sweat and then getting a chill. The turnout sheet is mostly to keep wet snow and cold rain off of her. Soon it will be cold enough for the winter blanket, and cold enough for me to savor her warmth when I take the blanket off and press my head to her side.