"Butch"

Becky and Butch arrived around 10:00... just as the rain began to have a "real purpose", Becky brought her horse, Major, to "play" with... it was fun to have a couple of "equines" on the property. We gave them the grand tour and waited for the rain to let up some.

Butch is a "true horseman" and has a talent for them that I can only hope to learn. He is very interested in natural horsemanship and uses that idea for training. So, he brought his usual "bag of goodies" and worked Tonka in the round pen. Now, here is where I have a few moments of bragging rights.

After we had visited with Butch last summer, I took many of his ideas and worked with Tonka my self. So, when I saw Butch pull out his "blue tarp" I thought to myself... piece of cake!!! and it was. Tonka could have cared less about that silly thing and continued to work just as Butch asked him to do. There were a couple of other things as well, a big beach ball... no prob... a tire that Butch asked him to step around, threw and over... no prob.... cones... "big" no prob (I don't even think Tonka noticed them) and a few other items. Tonka was very respectful of Butch's space (which I still have to remind him about with me) and he walked, trotted, cantered, whoa and turned on voice. I was so proud!!!! Until.... the whip!!!! When Butch pulled that out, I thought Tonka was heading for home!!!!

He has been extremely sensitive with the whip, so I am careful with it around him... but, after watching Butch yesterday... my "protecting "Tonka from it has proved not to be a good training idea. As Butch said, a snapping branch in the woods can sound a lot like a whip snap, and if I am driving out there... well, I don't want him taking off on me. It took probably a couple of hours for Tonka to decide that Butch wasn't going to hurt him, with that horrible sounding thing, and after the work, Tonka pretty much decided that everything was still ok.... but, I can see that I still have "holes" in my training work.

After the roundpen work, we harnessed Tonka and headed out. He hasn't been in harness since last Novemeber, but I remember hearing that "if you leave a horse in a good place, that is where he will likely return when you begin again". This proved to be true in Tonka's case, because in moment, Butch had him tugging a tire without any trouble at all.

Then it was my turn. I was surprised at how familiar it felt when I took up the driving reins. Guess all those miles of walking last fall have paid off. We went together like "peas and carrots" and I ground drove him all around the field.

He stayed happy and relaxed in my hands, and though the raindrops continued to be their pesky selves... we had a grand time and I could see that when I finally get up on the farm...

There's a pretty good chance I won't be leaving it!!!!!