Soul Searching Through Our Horses

Have you ever heard that pets take on their owner’s personalities? I’ve heard that in dog circles and I wondered if it is true for horses. Last night my friend and I were riding down the trail and this thought started to meander around in my brain. We had some good chuckles but later I started thinking about it again. Kelly, my 5-year old gelding, has been with me since a couple weeks after his conception and I figure this would give me a good reference point to start from.

You know, I really love him a lot and I get a little defensive sometimes when people make negative comments about his behavior. I don’t think the negative comments are anything to worry about. Maybe that is because we are alike and those things don’t bother me as much as they bother other people who don’t think the same way I do. I guess that is natural but I really started thinking about those comments a few months ago and have been trying to take a better look to see if they were right. I have to admit that for the most part they are true. Since then I have been working on helping him to learn better behavior.

Last night when I started delving more into this “being alike” concept I discovered some pretty startling thoughts. Oh no! It was beginning to sound like it might be true. He’s a whiner and doesn’t really fight you very hard. When push-comes-to-shove, he gives in and goes along with the program. Hmm, I don’t like to admit it but that’s exactly the way I am. He is busy all the time and always trying to figure ways to get around obstacles but also has a basic lazy streak. Yup, just like me. He loves everyone and gets up close and personal most of the time, consequently scaring the poo-poo out of some people. Oh dear, I don’t know if I want to continue this! He takes corrections very nicely from the horses he respects and is very stubborn, contrary and tries to bully the others. Oh criminy, I don’t think I’m liking this one at all. Some people think he’s great and others think he’s rude and pushy. Let’s not go there. Humph!

What does this say to me?

• (1) I wonder if I should concentrate more on my negative points and maybe the negative comments about my horse will stop!
• (2) On the other hand, we can never please all of the people, all of the time.
• (3) Some improvements are needed for myself, and my horse, but there is a point at which I think we should be content with the improvements so far and take a break! Keeping in mind that we (our horses and ourselves) are a work-in-progress. A little later we can tackle some more improvements.
• (4) Soul searching can be pretty scary stuff!

What do you think?

Happy trails,
Trail Riding Sweetheart