Satin and I had a fabulous time in one of our big pastures yesterday. It was all undemanding, quality time munching on green grass and pulling up poisonous weeds (I was doing the weed pulling ;-) ). I've allowed this 7 acre (approximately) pasture to grow for 30 days and Satin and I went out to patrol the fence line for any flaws and destroy any pesky plants before I turn one of the herds out there.
I was very impressed with her comfort level in a new place with horses whinnying in the distance. She didn't care. She really never has. We have always shared a strong bond and Satin seems to feel safe with me.
Yesterday as we wandered the pasture I started to think back to 10 years ago when we would ride bareback in a halter from our little dirt road to the subdivision near our farm. I would ride her on the sidewalks while little kids would squeal in delight at the sight of her. We would canter up and down the main road to race the cars. We even played in the retention ponds on hot days. It was always just her and I, the environment never mattered. These are the days I long to have again. Peaceful, undemanding, fun. I miss that. I feel like we've strayed so far from what's important - the relationship. Thankfully we have found PNH, a program that bases everything on the relationship. I'm looking forward to that friendship we once had.
Today we played in the arena. We did a circle here and there and popped over a few cavaletties. She's starting to see that I won't punish her. She's starting to see the positive patterns.
And yet we have another battle to win. I think Satin is partially blind in her left eye. She has always been "night blind" - a genetically linked trait in certain Appaloosas (Leopards and snowflaked). As an Appaloosa she's predisposed to both night blindness and plain ol' blindness. Here's what I noticed:
Trotting on a circle to the left (left eye inside) she rolled her eye back so that mostly white sclera was visible. She was balanced and collected. We switched sides (left eye out) and she turned her nose to the outside, head was up, she was not collected and kind of discombobulated. I switched several times and she showed this same behavior at the walk and the trot.
Well, the good news is if she's going blind then I have caught it early. Plus, our relationship is getting stronger so if she does lose her sight then she will have a much easier time adjusting with me as her leader.
I'll try to get some pictures of this weirdness!
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