Calabar-land

"You has hat hair, Mom."

With all the other exciting news going on in my world, there has been a little blog neglect over here at Spotty Horse News. And there are actually some really cool things to report from Calabar-land.

You didn't know he had a land? Well, he does. It is special and things there revolve around his awesome brown self.

Lena has a new friend, someone who rides with a gentle hand and treats her with respect. This is good because Lena needs more riding. How is this related to Calabar-land? He can relax and not worry. He worried before, with good reason as it turns out. The other person we let ride Lena did not treat her gently and she was upset and sore before we figured it out. Steve is still kicking himself over that, but Calabar assures us he will let us know when things are amiss with his spotty lady friend.

In fact, he did so with me just the other day. He and I were riding in the indoor arena and he got a little agitated. He didn't buck or try to dump me, he just put his head down and ran a little harder than was called for. He responded when I told him "easy" and then I heard a slight ruckus from the outdoor. I thought it was just Lena running, but it turns out Steve had fallen off after Lena had stopped faster and harder than anticipated and both of them were a little upset. How my horse knows this through arena walls is not clear to a mortal such as myself, but it is empirically obvious.

Speaking of mortal experiences, I touched a higher plane a few days before that. My horse asked me for contact. Yep. He reached right down and grabbed that bit. Twice. That is the first time--or at very least the first time I recognized it. I was so excited I am mildly afraid I did not respond correctly. I think I squealed. I know I laughed and said, "Good boy," very enthusiastically.

He may have sighed in resignation, stuck with an owner who does not know immediately what to do with that gift of connection he gave.

And THEN! After that lovely stretch down, standing in the cross ties, he let me rub his neck. This is not normal. He has sore spots in his neck that he sort of wants me to rub but when I do so, it makes him chew hard on the cross ties. He knows better than to try to bite me at this point, but he also is very clear on how much pressure is too much. Mostly, the pressure has always been too much, but the other day? It was just right in Calabar-land. Not one, not two, but three blows out as I rubbed. Three! Plus a head shake or two.

So despite my recent preoccupation with other Off-Track Thoroughbreds, Calabar is pleased to have things in his land going along as he expects. As long as I don't bring any of these others home, all will still be well in Calabar-land. He says there is enough for him to manage with just Lena and Forrest, thank you very much. And good night.