Don't overthink it

Am I back? Kind of! I tend to get overwhelmed and be unable to draw at all. Totally blocked. To add to it, I thrive in the long, warm days of summer so I don’t usually want to be drawing. But now that the days are shorter and the depression higher, I need the comfort of drawing again. So anyways, here is Mac’s second image finally! 

Horse: Macadamia

Image 1: Join us…

Image 2: You are here

Image 3: 

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Story:

“Hey mama,” Dusty murmured softly. He reached out a hand and gently stroked along the top of Mac’s neck. 

It had become a sort of ritual. Each day he greeted the gentle mare and spent some time petting and scratching her itchy spots. It started in the freezing wet of winter, when Dusty first brought the mare home, but now the weather had warmed up and it had been dry for a couple weeks. The pastures had begun to green up and patches and spring flowers were blooming everywhere. And the best part? The days had begun to get longer, allowing for so much more time spent with horses. 

On this particular mild day, Dusty carefully haltered Mac. This was also something he had been slowly working on. It was incredible how quickly the mare seemed to grasp every new concept like she was already an old pro. He leaned his shoulders forward and Mac stepped into a slow walk. They walked side by side, matching each other’s stride, all the way to the gate. With a quick change in his body position, Dusty gently sent Mac through the gate ahead of him and cued her to spin around to face him while he latched the gate behind them. Mac casually glanced around, making eye contact with a few of her pasture mates. She gave a short whinny and someone in the field answered her. 

“You’ll be back to them soon,” Dusty reassured, giving her neck a little rub. 

Mac’s attention came back to Dusty and she licked and chewed, returning her energy to relaxed. 

They made their way to the round pen and worked on some basic ground skills: giving to light pressure on the halter to turn, responding to voice cues, backing up, stepping over ground poles, standing untied to be saddled. Working with Mac made Dusty feel like a teacher or a coach. She was so eager to learn and do right that he only needed to present the information in a clear and fair way. There was so opposition, so Dusty was extra aware to not overwhelm the mare. He wondered if she would ever oppose him and it made him a little worried. The most sensitive and agreeable horses were the easiest to take advantage of without even realizing it. 

Keeping this in mind, Dusty had moved their training along slowly. Allowing, and even encouraging, the mare to occasionally not want to do something. So when he stepped onto the mounting block and asked her to step to him, something she had already learned, he left the rope plenty slack. Speaking softly, he carefully slipped his foot into the stirrup. Mac lifted her head, her little lip wiggled back and forth, her ears were tilted back as she assessed the situation. 

“You’re good, Mama,” Dusty soothed. He leaned forward until his stomach was against the saddle and stepped his weight down in the stirrup, keeping his balance over the center of the horse. “You’re doing it, sweet girl. You got this.”

Mac was clearly unsure but didn’t move as Dusty slid back to the mounting block. He gave her plenty of gentle pets and then did it again. 

By the fourth time Dusty had leaned against the saddle, Mac was showing signs of relaxing, so on the fifth time, Dusty gently swung his leg and lowered himself to the saddle. Now Mac’s attention was back on high alert. Perhaps feeling the difference in balancing, Mac went to take a step forward. She seemed to realize Dusty was still on her and did a small jump step forward, before slamming on the brakes and turning her head around to nudge his boots. Dusty gave a little chuckle and stroked her neck. Mac straightened back out and took another tentative step forward. Dusty kept the rope slack and stayed still and balanced in the saddle. He didn’t stop her forward advances and even gave her a little verbal reassurance. The steps grew more steady and consistent and confident and before long they were plodding about the pen with no concerns. Dusty couldn’t stop smiling, his cheeks were starting to hurt. There was nothing like the first ride. When all the relationship building and ground work came together. 

Dusty ended the ride before Mac had time to start overthinking things and celebrated by letting her loose to roll in the sand. He sat on the ground while she rolled nearby and fell even more in love with the gentle horse. 

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Reference: here

Art (c) Chihuahua4446