It seems that Scout is not meant to be trained by anyone else and I am now willing to step up and walk the path with her. I received a phone call from Wayne saying that he wasn't able to work with her due to the rain so after two weeks, I went and picked her up and bought her home again. It was a costly lesson for both of us but a valuable one at that. I have decided again to trust in my horses and allow our path to unfold without trying to force anything. I am slowly learning to just let go and trust.
Scout was a little cranky with me when I went to pick her up and she stayed that way for a day or so. I have made amends now though and she is allowing me back in again. Lacey is also back home again and she loved her time away. Her confidence has grown even more so (who would have thought it possible!!) and the mares are now setting some harder ground rules and firmer boundaries with her. She is learning that she isn't a foal anymore and new rules apply.
I was honoured to be part of one of the most incredible displays my horses have ever put on when I finally reunited them all. I let them all go and Sienna immediately spun her hindquarters at Scout pushing her up the hill and then I could feel this intense energy in the air as their excitement reach a crescendo and they all simultaneously lifted tails and took off at a gallop around the slippery, wet paddock.
I must have held my breath as I watched them move so fast on the clay ground. None of them even faltered and I longed to run with them however I was having a hard time just walking around let alone running as the ground was so water logged. One by one they pranced around me then leaped into the air squealing as they did so. Then they were off again for another few laps and each time they would pass me they would treat me to an acrobatic maneuver which made me laugh out loud to see the pure joy they were all expressing so clearly. I looked at Sienna and smiled and she pranced over to me almost in Piaffe, spun around so her head was at my shoulder and stood proud and tall snorting so loud the echo could be heard in the distance. I put my hand on her neck and said 'I know - you got your girls back. It is a happy time'. She put her head on my shoulder as I gave her a rub and then she rounded up the girls and took them on another final lap of the paddock.
What a gift it is to see them like that. They really have an intrinsic need to be in their little herd and it breaks my heart every time I have to separate them. I long for the day that I can buy a property for us and I can give them the stability that is so very important for their well-being.
I have been travelling a lot of late in pursuit of work and on these trips I am enjoying listening to my 'Path of the Horse' teleseminar series again. It awakens in me my true desire for the life I hope to build for my horses. I hope to remain open enough to hear them and be able to meet their needs to the best of my ability. They are my family and my teachers and I couldn't be more grateful for the joy and direction they give me each day just by being in their presence.
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| Sienna |
