>>>>>My son Eric and our stallion Landi got along > really well. Then one day, Eric, just for the fun of it, got on the saddle > facing backward. Landi bucked him off immediately. I think he felt that Eric > was making fun of him and did not like it. I think if Eric had approached > more respectfully and somehow explained to him that he wanted to see of he > could stay in the saddle that way. Landi would have been careful with him. > I can't really explain this too well. It has something to do with how you > feel in your heart. Horses feel respect and they feel if you are making fun > of them.
gosh that is so true anneliese! I do all sorts of cutesy, or funny stuff to my horses all the time and they seem to "get it" that I am being playful, but Tivar doesnt always! He will sometimes lift his head and chew like he has clinched teeth and his eyes will narrow like "I know she is laughing at me". I swear he does! But more and more he seems to be catching on when I am playful. Like when I put the dog on him and took pics, in the pic he seems almost amused, his eyes are warm. my jaspar will sometimes look at me like "oh for goodness sake" almost like he could roll his eyes because he cant believe i am so foolish. But most of my horses seem playful back when I do it, but fox he always seems so baffled, like he will narrow his eyes suspiciously, and watch me, like "I am on standby if she tries anything..." he does that when i do stuff like giving equine massage, the first time I pulled his tail and leaned back to rock him to and fro, he watched me over his shoulder like "she is a nut, and I have my eye on her, but so far its ok". i swear! Janice -- yipie tie yie yo
