The Howie Chronicles

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.