“Those horses as so much smarter than most people so it seems.”
That Cody, home raised gelding with owner prejudice most beautiful palomino to make Roy Rogers envious, was rambunctious today.
The 22-year-old has truly been there and done that quite well throughout the Midwest. But he was on a “high horse” such it took his rider a little while to figure out why.
Always a handful at barrel races every weekend, Cody is calm until it’s time to go through the gate and run. He’s been in thousands of rodeo arenas in his professional career and knows when it’s “giddy up and go” time.
Depending on the day, Cody sometimes walks right into the arena and tears out to beat the clock. Still other times, actually more often, the old horse gets nervous and just doesn’t want to go in.
The longer the horse and rider have been together there has become better understanding of each other. But still the horse is always smarter than his jockey.
A horse friend outside the gate to stand beside Cody makes him more relaxed before a run. If Cody doesn’t head right in, his friend’s rider just coaxes along from the left hip and in he’ll go.
Tough for the old wannabe to keep him under control until the gate is closed before starting to run. Cody generally lunges front end in the air a foot or more and then he’s off to the races.
Without the “too frequent” pilot error, Cody runs fast and flawless. No spurs, no whipping, just a little bit of “kiss and click,” and he’ll soon be back across the finish line.
Running a championship, the “stick” prodded Cody faster, but rider felt guilty for the onetime whack.
Today, Cody was nickering, squirming around, prancing, outsider may have thought a “complete idiot,” although he really isn’t.
Wasn’t too long before the issues at hand became clarified. The daughter’s rope horse and her pen mate burro had moved back home.
Although they knew each other, the horse-burro return home arrival plus the roaring highway repair crew made Cody overly nervous.
Old cautious rider accommodated his mount: “Okay, take it easy, just walk, and this too shall pass.”
Reminded of First Samuel 16:23: “He would calm down and feel better as the moodiness lifted.”
+++ALLELIA+++
XVI–36–10-4-2022
