I Love This Horse

This one right here.

Obviously the pictures aren't recent (we've got about 8 inches of snow on the ground currently), but this big handsome lug has really connected with me in a way that not too very many horses have.  Honestly, The Quarter Horse and I did not connect like this. And I'm not even sure The Mare (who was my partner for roughly 14 years) and I had quite the same relationship as The California Horse and I enjoy.

Yes, enjoy.  It really hit me the other day, that we have a mutual enjoyment of and respect for each other. Something different than I've had with any of my previous mounts.

Riding him is a lot of hard work, and really, there are times when I know I'm being totally uncoordinated in my aids--and the expression on his face and in his ears lets me know he's finding me confusing and uncoordinated. But even with the times of not quite clear, or smooth, or beautiful aids, and all the muscle power (especially in my core) required, riding The California Horse is fun.  And it's rewarding.  Especially when he makes contented little snorting noises as we work, or when he puffs himself up with pride in knowing the answers to my questions, or when we walk out on a long rein during our cool down at the end of a session and he just has this satisfied swagger about him.

There is such a feeling that we are a team, sometimes its just overwhelmingly cool and gratifying.  Almost too overwhelming when I think that this partnership isn't a long term thing--its just a lease.  And really, unless he were to be offered to me for pretty much free, I just couldn't buy him.  Not in my budget, not in the cards for me.  It's really too bad he's not about 6 years younger and I'm not about 5 digits richer.

Meanwhile, I really really love this horse.  And I can tell he likes being ridden by me.  That in itself is a huge reward.  The progress I'm making in my riding is rewarding too--like being able to sit the trot so much better than I ever have; even without stirrups my sitting trot feels more and more like we are one being, like my seat is suctioned to his back and we cannot possibly become out of sync.  But knowing that he's a happy horse and hearing him make those contented, satisfied little noises during our riding sessions, that's the icing on the cake.