As most of you know I grew up in Rural Maine. Looking back now its feels like a different place in time, or that could be just the effect of a care free childhood. When I look back to that time one horse always stands out to me, the horse that gave me my first taste of freedom and independence.
This horse was not my first or even second horse, but he was by far the most important. Even to this day. My Trainer had gone to an Arabian show at the Big E in MA, my family stayed home during this show in order to care for the farm. After a week passed My trainer returned with one more horse then she had left with. She had bought back Josiah for a very low price because the people that had him liked to keep there horses at home. And they shortly found out they did not have a proper facility for a stallion. He had jumped the fence, and instead of finding the mares he wondered up to there front door and pushed his way through the screen door in to there kitchen. Which he promptly destroyed! On returning home from so errands they found a 15.2h stallion standing in their kitchen! Needless to say they decided they could not keep a stallion! When the young colt was unloaded I did not think much of him. His barn named was Josiah and his registered name was Bask in Darkness. He was two years old and very awkward. And his mouth was on every thing, your hair, your shoulder the lead rope! At this point he had not be gelding as he be sold as a stallion prospect to cover warmblood mares.
My Trainer had bred this colt, he was out of her best mare and by her stallion Hello Darkness PR. I had been there when he was born, but as he was sold at seven months I had not seen him in a long while.
The first thing to be done was to get the vet out to geld him. Even after the gelding he was still a little monster (a cute one!). We had to chain the end of the barn off so none of the kids would get near his mouth. He never was nasty about it, he just didn't know better. Mom used to spend hours playing ball with him. He had this giant jolly ball that mom would throw and he would catch and toss back to her.
As time went by I started to work with in hand and in the round pen. Most of our time was spent teaching him to keep his mouth to him self. He was a very smart boy and picked up things very fast. By the time he was two and half he was my best friend. He would fallow me around the farm like a dog and go any where with me. Being a child with a young horse, I always was trying new things with him. And he was always a saint about it. I had trained him lay down, sit up like a dog, bow and do Spanish walk. He also would trot next to me as I ran and turn and stop as I did. That winter we also trained him to pull the sleigh. We would all go out on trail rides, using the groomed snowmobile trails. My trainers husband would drive Josiah as every one else rode.
At this point he was also lounging well in tack and I had leaned over his back many times. So one warm day, well warm for Maine that is! I decided this would be the day I would start him. After about ten min of lounging, and with a leg up from my Trainer I was on him for the first time! I walked around the round pen a few times, then with my voice and a very gentle leg he picked up the trot. He could of cared less, he was perfect! And then with a little kissing noise he picked up the canter, on the correct lead!
I had no training in any trick training, I was able to do these things because of a good relationship with my horse and common sense when it comes to body language. I was very lucky to have this horse, he was my best friend and will always hold a very special place in my heart. More will come on the adventures of Josiah the Wonder Arab!
Sincerely ,
Petra
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