The Howie Chronicles

Yes, I am supposed to be Howie's teacher, but there are many ways that I learn from him. I just need to pay attention and listen, speak horse. Even though there are times I swear Howie can speak English just fine, Thank You very much! One of the most important things I think Howie has taught me is to be more appreciative of the small advances along the way. I used to focus so strongly on the final outcome, that I didn't appreciate the small, nuanced advances in the learning scale. I can take Howie out, spend 15 or 20 minutes at the walk, and if he is bending correctly from my shifting of weight and stepping into a stirrup, backing straight, turning on the forehand without rushing, I can appreciate the work that it has taken to get us here, and I can be happy to quit while we are ahead. I'm certain other people think I move at a snail's pace, but I have seen more progress in the last 2 weeks than I had in the last year. I think it is because I have just made a conscious decision to enjoy the journey.

It's the age old question isn't it? Well, if you're fortunate enough to live somewhere that you are able to keep your horse. If you live in downtown suburbia, it's a moot point. One of the benefits of boarding is the camaraderie. I am making new friends at the new barn, some very nice people. But, it is showing me just how much I miss some of my friends from former barns. Some I still keep in touch with and others that I have lost along the way. My husband once bemoaned the fact that I didn't have enough (in his opinion) friends in the area. I tried to explain to him that I did have friends, they just happen to live from one end of the country to the other. I didn't keep friends from high school or college like he did, but I have a whole community of friends from my show horse days, my standardbred days and already, my time with Howie. Horses bring so much to our lives, much more than the time we spend with them.

Recurring theme. All I need is a lawn ornament and occasional trail ride. Wrong answer. Howie just keeps getting better and better. I knew he would be a late bloomer. I know Morgans take awhile to mature and all you had to do was look at Howie and you saw a lanky, undeveloped youngster. Well, he is finally, maybe, just beginning to mature, a little. He's nowhere near finished, but there are glimpses of a mature horse here and there. I was fortunate enough to be able to reconnect with my former horseshoer. I love the guy. He's great. And he was very, very kind and helpful the day I had to take my old horse to the clinic for the last time. Anyway, Lee fixed Howie up just a smidge different, and with the rubber footing in the new indoor, wow, he would make any dressage fan stop and take notice. He is stepping well up underneath himself and starting to create some nice impulsion. And the biggest difference, he is able to hold his canter better without falling apart. Yes, now we're getting somewhere.

We've moved to a new barn. My husband has been friends with the owners sister (heck, he introduced her to her husband) for years, knows the whole family. They have been telling me about this barn and telling me I should come see it. Well, I finally went and they had a stall available, it was time for a change. It is a different atmosphere, but one that I am comfortable it. The facilities are spectacular and the care is great. Howie is settling in just fine, already won everyone over. They can't believe how quiet and kind he is and they all think he is very pretty and a great mover. If I'm not careful he will have a superiority complex! The barn owner is happy with him, said he is patient at feeding time and tries to 'help' her clean his stall. That probably means he tries to pick up the muck bucket and move it for her, I think she is just being kind! Now we just need some warmer weather to melt the ice in the fields so he can get turned out and release some of that energy!

Is Howie just the most consistent horse on the planet? It is almost scary, I know, with absolute conviction, how my horse will react in any situation. I know him. It's not hard. He is, without a doubt, the most honest, steady, dependable, kind, reliable, willing creature on this earth. He is everything a Morgan should be and more. For example, this weekend we moved to a new barn, and I knew, as sure as the sun rises in the east, that he would load on the trailer exactly as he did when I bought him. Howie has had maybe half a dozen trailer rides in his entire lifetime, none in the last three years, but I knew with every fiber of my being, (i could watch a film of it in my head) how it would go. To me this begs the question: is he really just this steady? How much is my influence, because I so completely expect this scenario? The old genetics vs environment question. Would there be any way to test this? Would he have loaded the same way for someone else? All I know is I am so glad I decided to try, one more time, to find a horse and took a chance after a two minute look. I saw a lot in the short time I studied Howie as I was bidding on him, I am so glad I took that chance.