Bonding (or "It Doesn't All Happen at Once")

Hacking through the fields

Ever since I met Courage last year, I knew I liked him. I admired his brain and approved of his feet. I spent a while in that crazy limbo of "I want to like you, but don't dare get too attached in case something happens". Then he came home with me.

The poor dude was stuck in this crazy vortex of always playing second fiddle to Cuna and getting the leftovers of time, money and attention. I mean, I still liked him well enough, and I had fun with him, but he just wasn't my priority.

Not the best idea ever

I'm a person who makes emotional connections slowly and takes a long time to recover when they're severed. This year has been hard for me on a lot of levels, but the little man has been my constant. He's so reliable, so dependable, so personable. All the things I wasn't able to be.

And then finally I started getting some closure in the non-horse part of my life and C-rage hit a downward spiral. It sounds weird, but I was so glad he waited until I had the emotional energy to deal with it. I was able to really engage with him and it was ok that he needed time and attention. We could work out training and relationship issues at our own speed.

My little man

I feel so much more connected to him now, even while I'm gaining a better appreciation of his strengths and flaws. His ridiculous deer leaping scared both of us, but the challenge of finding a plan to get both of us past that has really cemented the bond that started when I first brought him home.

I think it's really through this process that Courage has finally become "my horse". Not just the cute little bay face I see every day, but the one who sneaks into my day dreams. The one I can't wait to see.

Love this. So much.

We're both a little cocky, a little lazy, and a lot independent. We're finding out how and where we want to fit into the world.

He'll never replace my old man horse, but he's come into his own.