I am a horse addict and I collect horses. No doubt about it. There is also no doubt that my horses live up to their reputation as “hay burners” and eat my budget like biblical locusts.

However, they are cheaper than psychiatrists and give me more therapy than any licensed psychiatrist.

How’s that for rationalization?

Walker’s Horse Therapy, My Hothouse Flower

I have a Quarter Horse gelding named Walker, who I jokingly refer to as my “hothouse flower.” Compared to the rest of my herds, mostly mustangs, Walker is just a high maintenance guy.

I’m a true believer in the barefoot approach, and Walker’s feet are as soft and swollen as clay. He has a great talent for controlling the reins, but the slightest scratch and his entire body swells up like a balloon. Do you already have the image?

So I’ve been wondering what to do about Walker. He doesn’t fit into my “tough girl” herd (although he and Fezzywig, my other gelding, now get along just fine alone in a pen) and I’ve been sounding out people who might want to buy him. . Meanwhile, he gets instant supplements (my special horse goo multiplied by two), almost daily body work, and lots and lots of food.

I have been quite disappointed that I bought the Walker, at quite a high price, as a sort of “reward horse” for myself. The rest of the time I start mustang foals, which are quite a challenge and mostly not cut out for rein control. Well, come find out that holding the reins isn’t really my thing. So, test your attempts to see if the perfect home for Walker turns up.

Walker gives me an NCIS “Gibbs” maneuver!

Well, the strangest thing happened yesterday. Walker did the equivalent of slapping me on the back of the head, kind of like Jethro Gibbs does to his team on NCIS. He had done some body work on Walker and was sitting on a stool next to him, thinking about selling it. Walker proceeded to lower his head and hit me on the back of the head with his nose. Then he put his nose right in my face and blew my snot out, about 10 times in a row.

I’ve taken a few animal communication classes in my time, but I don’t excel at it (for great animal communication resources, check out Leta Worthington’s Herbs and Animals website). However, the message was clear. Walker was saying,

“Hey, you keep thinking that I’m here for you, that I’m supposed to serve as your ‘reward horse’! Not to mention the fact that you keep thinking of selling me out. Well, I have news for you: – You’re supposed to be here for me too. You’re supposed to help me, you know? We weren’t brought together just so I could be the horse of your dreams. You’re supposed to be the person of my dreams too!

wow! Now, from a Shao Yin horse personality (read more about horse personalities on the Horse Harmony website by Dr. Madalyn Ward), that’s a strong statement. Most Shao Yin horses want to please people, they want to get along. yowza! Now I’m going to have to rethink the whole thing with Walker.

I always felt that my horses had to “earn their keep,” meaning they had to be good at their discipline and tough enough to withstand the competitive show horse lifestyle. Whether it’s in the corral, sorting, roping, jumping or riding, my horses are workhorses.

Walker’s message was clear: He wants to work and he wants to stay with me, at least for now. When a Shao Yin makes such a strong statement, I am forced to hit the brakes and think about this. I thought Walker wasn’t strong enough to walk around here, so he left here. His thought is that he needs the healing I can provide, so he wants to stay.

What’s a zen cowgirl to do? If I were a straight, non-spiritual cowgirl, I’d say, “Tough legs! You’ve got to go.” But being something of a spiritual cowgirl, I’m going to have to rethink this. I’m going to have to buy the boy some boots. I’m going to have to find room in my heart and in my “regime” for a horse that isn’t tough but really wants to be here.

Oh boy… another damn opportunity for growth! Gotta love those! Oh well, everything happens for a reason, right?

So what is the moral of the story?

If you don’t listen to your horse’s gentlest attempts to communicate with the animals, prepare to get slapped on the head. Most animals are persistent if they want something bad enough, so start listening!