He let out a breathy chuckle. “No, I know. It’s just new.”
“I know,” I echoed him. “Just let me know if you need help.”
With some assistance, he managed to get the halter on her, and I showed him how to make an easy knot to hold it closed. Then he clipped the lead to the loop and beamed at me.
“Well done,” I said honestly. “Now let’s get her to the outdoor arena.”
He was a bit stiff as he walked her out of the paddock and then waited while I closed the gate behind us.
I guess someone arrived at the main house, because suddenly Juanpablo started to bray out of the blue, and Ramona snapped her head up, startled.
“Whoa there,” Carter blurted out, his eyes wide.
“She’s a good girl, she won’t bolt easy. And she knows what the donkey sounds like,” I said gently as I walked past them toward the arena.
She moved with me more than she did with Carter, but at this point I didn’t mind.
Once we had them in the fenced in area, I told him to let her off the lead. Then I went to the little storage area and got out a big exercise ball.
“Hey, Ramona?” I called to her, and her attention went to me immediately. “Remember this?”
As Carter watched, his mouth hanging open, I tossed the ball past the mare.
She snorted and whirled around, careful not to trample Carter, and chased the ball like a dog.
Carter let out a laughter that belied his disbelief at what he was seeing. “What the hell?”
“I discovered she likes toys the other day. I thought you might want to play with her.”
I grinned as he watched her nudge the ball with her head. Then she kind of kicked it with her front leg, sending it away, and trotted after it.
Carter looked at me, his expression taking about thirty years off his age. “This is awesome!”
“I know. Now go kick the ball away from her toward me.”
And that was how we ended up playing soccer with a horse for about half an hour.
Once she started to show signs of losing interest, I grabbed the ball and took it back to the shed. When I came back, Carter was murmuring to her, feeding her peppermints like it was his job.
“How about we take her to the wash stall and I show you how to cool a horse down? Not that she needs it right now, but we might as well.”
He clipped the lead back to her halter, and we started toward the gate.
“All of these things are important to build a relationship with her. Just like going on walks with her, every time you groom her or spend any time with her, you’re making an impression. She’s relaxed with you now, and I’d like to keep it that way,” I spoke as we made our way inside the barn.
“That makes sense. And I assume it can go the other way, too? If I fuck up somehow?” He didn’t sound too worried, which was good.
“Yeah, of course. It’s easier to mess up with a young or abused horse, but you’d have to do a lot to make Ramona distrust you for more than a moment.”
“I hope it never comes to that.” He guided her into the wash stall and looked around curiously. “I don’t think I knew this was here.”
“Yeah, it was a later addition so it’s a bit hidden behind the feed room.”
He clipped her on the cross ties, and I grabbed the extendable hose, turning it on slowly so she had time to adjust.
I hosed her legs, talking about the importance of good hoof care and what to watch for with horses’ legs in general.
“There’s an old saying that a horse is only as good as its feet.”
