Jetblue's recovery process involves two months of stall rest with hand walking followed by a closely supervised month or so in a small paddock. This is understandably frustrating for a young horse. Without fail, we've managed to get her out for twice daily walks, usually with a little hand grazing. Since I am recovering from three broken ribs myself, this responsibility has fallen mostly to Lorenzo during the week and to Nick on the weekends.
It's no secret that Lorenzo and Jetblue have a "thing." Sometimes, when I watch these two interact, it's as if magic is playing out before my eyes. Lorenzo has a gift and he truly understands the language of horses. When he's hand-walking Jetblue, she's ultra calm, so quiet that Lorenzo can sip on his mocha as the two pass back and forth between the house and barn.
Learning the language of the horse is a never ending quest. Recently, we introduced the bosal and the mecate, a hackamore, to Irish and Drifty. Having a solid foundation in his training, Irish took to it well. Drifty is a different horse, much greener, and we rushed her introduction. The result was a lot of frustration for both horse and rider. Unfortunately, the communicaiton we had worked so hard to establish broke down.
Over the next few months, we'll be working to repair and rebuild Drifty's trust in us and her understanding of what we are asking as we endeavor to be clear and consistent. Key to our efforts is a wonderful DVD, Jaquima a Freno Series -- Part 2, Starting the Horse in the Jaquima with Richard Caldwell.
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