His mane was a bit knotty, after all, rolling in the dirt is one of Shorty's favourite pastimes, especially after I've just groomed him. While I took another handful of mane in my hand, he turned and looked at me. I returned the gaze and stood quietly enjoying the moment. In my imagination, it felt like he was saying that I could trust him and that he would not let me down. I gave him another pat and turned back to combing out his mane.
Shorty, at just over 16 hands high, is not very short at all so when I picked up the bit and bridle, he lowered his head so that I could get it on more easily. I fastened the bridle and checked the girth. Shorty knows to hold his breath so that it feels like it is snug and as my left arm is sore - bursitis, impingement of subsomethingaratha etc, I need to use a girth-eze which makes it a lot easier to do up. Even then, it is only after I have mounted, that Lynne checks it again and moves it up another notch to make it fit properly. He's a smart horse!
I moved Shorty away from the mounting block and we waited for Lynne and Trooper to begin our ride. After a quick prayer for safety and a good ride, we headed down the driveway. Shorty followed and stayed to the centre, which meant my head avoided the branches. Trooper began pacing so Lynne pulled him up a couple of times to remind him to walk and Shorty waited each time. On the road, a P-plater hooned past, his engine roared and Shorty fidgeted. Once the car was out of sight, we crossed the road and headed down into the bush, weaving in and out of trees and scrub. The ground was soft in places as there has been a bit of rain lately and at one stage Trooper stopped. Lynne urged him forward and he stood on a wombat hole so we turned and went another way.
It was a pleasant ride and I realised that not only wasn't I feeling nervous, I was really enjoying myself. It's been about 7 months since I fell off a horse that shied badly and it's been just over 5 months since Shorty entered into my life. I smelled the clean air and breathed in deeply. I watched a bird fly overhead and butterflies flitted about. A couple of weeks ago we had seen a herd of kangaroos but we didn't see any today and we haven't seen the albino wallaby for months.
Shorty hates botflies! One time Lynne saw Shorty racing up and down the paddock in a frenzy and he worked up a sweat. She noticed that he was losing weight, connected the dots and realised that the botflies really bothered him. It's been a bad season for botflies so when I told her there was a botfly, she cautioned me to stay on Shorty because if he moved when I was getting off him, that could be a problem. Shorty stood still while Lynne swatted at the botfly and I was so proud of him. I got off safely, took off his saddle, bridle, brushed him down and led him back to the paddocks.
Today was a successful ride. When we were out riding, I commented to Lynne that I felt relaxed and she said that Shorty and I had learned to trust each other. I reflected on that as I rode. When he had turned to look at me earlier while I brushed him, I felt he was saying I could trust him.
It's taken time, patience and persistence to get to this point. In 'human relationships' it takes time, patience and persistence to build that trust too. Sometimes there will be soft ground that you find it hard to get up out of, there will be "noises" that distract you and you might come across an unexpected obstacle. As you move forward, breathe in the fresh air, notice the blessings and as you step together along the journey and continue to grow the trust between you both.
