How to Play with an Eighteen Hundred Pound Animal

Or the title could read "Sammy needs to find a job."

Yesterday after feeding the horses I walked across their large field to check the water supply. As I was making my way down the hill Sammy saw me and walked out to meet me.

I had thought about doing my wolf whistle to have the group run to me, just cause it's just so awesome to see. But you know what's not awesome Having four eighteen hundred animals run up to you without a fence to jump. It's really not a good habit for them to form. I do like having them run up at feeding time, 'cause I gots me a fence to hide behind. And really it is SO cool, not only to watch them, but to hear the hooves. When it snows it's incredible.

But, back to the story. Sammy, as you read above, had met me in the middle of the field so of course I reached to pet him. Which was fine at first, but then he decided I made a worthy opponent for one of his favorite games "Nip and Jump." Nip and Jump is a fun game to WATCH. It consists of two horses nipping at each other, swinging their heads in circle around each other and then jumping off of their front feet to get a better nip. Yea. Not so much fun for a 155 lb woman (yes I have some weight to lose, but that's another blog)

Me telling him in a stern voice "No Sam, I don't want to play." Wasn't working. Running wasn't an option either because running is another part of the game. Running would have made it all the more fun! Smacking him to get him to back off wasn't an option either, because raising my hand was equivlant to jumping off the ground, which just made him rear. Oh, yea, you can see this was fun for me, can't you? So, calmly walking away with nervous glances to the rear was my only option.

My faithful companion Mick was in the field also and after realizing I wasn't up for the fun, Sam decided to chase him. Mick, having been trampled before by our horse Jazzy, was not up for the game either. He was up for running right at me, to have me protect him.

My only way out of the situation was that Gunnar another horse, decided to join the game with Sam and distracted him enough to allow me to get at least to a feed pan. The feed pan was MUCH more interesting than me.

So, Sam needs to be ridden. It's true. The girls and I are truly fair weather riders, or at least above 40 degree with thawed ground riders. Therefore, Sam will likely not be ridden for another month and a half.