06/23/2024
This Horse Gives Freedom...
I've often said that this horse, Freedom, is my favorite all time horse, not because of any world championships although she has won a few competitions in her day. She isn't the best rope horse in the world or the fastest in a barrel pattern either. In fact, I have used the phrase to describe her that she isn't great at anything, but she is good at everything. I have relied on her assistance to work pushy colts and mules turning them into willing partners. She has dragged countless deer out of the woods to put in the freezer but now spends most of her days carrying around a couple of horse crazy girls over jumps, obstacles and around barrels.
Yesterday she carried Hailey to 3 blues and 2 red ribbons at their 4H show.
This from a couple of years ago:
But today I needed her to doctor a yearling steer, not sure how much experience you have with Angus cattle but most that are pasture raised aren't the most friendly cuddle types and as such act about the same as a kid getting their school shots before kindergarten only with 500 more pounds of muscle. This scenario leaves the options limited to basically getting a rope on them, and since they aren't particularly fond of that idea they do everything they can to show their disapproval. To add to the mix one rope around the head alone won't get the job done, it starts there and then must go around the back legs of the cantankerous critters, pulled tight causing the irritated animal to slowly tip over. The back legs are then pulled up off the ground and the horse must hold the rope tight as the rider steps off and ties 3 legs together and the head rope is then removed. All necessary doctoring can now be completed thanks to the hard work from the horse.
Yes the steer injured his eye (pink eye) so I medicated it, put a patch on it to keep the flies out for a couple of days.
You can imagine I'm sure, that most horses aren't sticking around much less participating in this kind of party but Freedom does and has done it from calves all they way to full sized bulls and a few in between and she does it well.
If we ask nothing from our horse, we shouldn't be surprised when we get it.
All this is exactly why it is so important to slow down and take the time that it takes to set up our horses for success in the long run. When I bought Freedom as a rambunctious yearling 17 years ago, I had ideas of what I hoped she would become. Roughly 1000 hours of work later, she has become that trusted partner.
