I don’t know about you, but I just paid our taxes and I’m in sticker shock.  I depleted my stash of excess cash – and I feel a bout of ‘stingy’ coming on…

This morning when I gazed out at my trailer I thought to myself… do I want to spend the gas money to go on a trail ride?

Ummmm.  Not today.

Stingy setting in firmly…

Maybe in a month or so – when I recover.  But, not today.

(Yup, in about an hour or so  I’ll probably be pawing through all the loose change spots in my house…  I’ll totally quit Starbucks and I might even dust off my Ebay Seller hat ….)

So let’s chat about simple things to do with the horses that don’t cost money!

WHAT I DO WHEN I HAVE NO MONEY

I swear, the best thing for me to do when I have no money – and many other times, believe me – is to just sit with my horse and observe.

Have you ever done that?

Have no agenda at all.  Just sit in his paddock and watch him interact with his herd.

If you have no herd, take him out for a graze and go wherever he wants to go.  Sit there when he is stationary – for as long as it takes – and see how close he comes to your body.

Watch how he thinks and chooses.  Watch how he watches you.  Sit and consider him.  A lot.  Observe him like you would any person coming to date your child…  Really look for him inside of this horsey body,

For me, ‘breaking bread with a horse’ (as I call it) is simply hanging out with them and being quiet.

They like that.

QUIET TIME WORKS WONDERS

I think we humans – as a breed – move too quickly and talk too much.  So, us being quiet is a real treat for the horse…  ;)

Once we are quiet and simply sit with them and concentrate on them, it seems as if they start to accept us as their buddies.  Or, if you are already good pals, this just strengthens the bond.

Aladdin and I used to hang out all the time.  He was my buddy when I went through my divorce.  I would go see him and just sit there, stunned in a stupor, and he would hang with me.  Eventually, I noticed him more than obsessing about myself… within time, learning his nuances became more interesting to me than my own pity party.

We would go grazing or walking or we’d eat together.  He loved it.  Loved it!  If we ate together, he’d sniff what I had and then go back to what he was eating.  Constantly.

We’d play the game of ‘figuring out his favorite parts of the flake of hay’ – you know, how they push the hay around to find their first favorite bites.  I’d pull out all the different pieces and see which ones he liked.  Then, I’d dig around for those bits and feed them to him.

I swear I could hear him say, “Now THAT is a good use for two-legger hands!”

Or, we’d simply graze together.   He’d graze.  I’d sit.

After a while, he’d always check in with a nose nudge – about every 10 minutes.  I lived for those nose-nudges.

FRIENDSHIP BUILDS TRUST

I’ve often thought that Aladdin and I were so successful as a pair because we had all that ‘divorce time’.

Total down time where I was incapable of doing much except hanging with him.

In that time, we created such a bond that we trusted each other.

To me, that was invaluable.

Trusting that he really liked me and that we were friends and he was an honest horse – made all the difference.

Of course, I was always mindful, but I was never frightened of him – ever.

And I’m sure that was because we spent so much time… breaking bread.

SO, IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE MONEY – HANG WITH YOUR HORSE!

To me, hanging out with your horse is the best money unspent ever…

No agenda.  No timeframe.  No gottas or havetas.

Just be.

I’m going to take my own advice and spend more time with Rojo for the next few months…

UPDATE ON PLLL

I had the good fortune to be invited to a dinner party at PLLL’s new home.  Of course, I brought my camera.

She ran over when she heard  my voice.  I was really pleased!  I swear she was llama smiling!

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!