Wednesday, July 16, 2014

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.

23 comments:

  1. Awwww, I love me some Courage! I know exactly what you mean about not wanting to get attached too quickly, but I'm glad you guys are really becoming a team and figuring each other out. I also think his name, Courage, is ironic yet appropriate: he himself has a lot of courage, and also was able to give you courage to keep pushing through the tough stuff. You and your little man are a wonderful story, and will go really far together <3

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  2. This is such a sweet post. :)

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  3. I really love the C-rage nickname, it makes me giggle.

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  4. It's hard to go from having a horse you know better than yourself to a new one. It sounds like you are Courage are coming along in your relationship though!

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  5. Aww, *tear* :') you guys have worked through some great stuff together and it has been amazing to watch and get to help out, looking forward to the future!

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  6. Sometimes those bonds take time, but you two are really growing together!

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  7. I love watching/reading about you two grow your relationship :)

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  8. I'm so happy that you two found each other :)

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  9. this post made me tear up-its so true! Because some come galloping into your heart and right off the bat, where others just quietly work their way in.

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  10. I think the horse/rider combinations that take awhile to bond sometimes end up being the best ones. I'm happy that you two are developing such good relationship :)

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  11. It's hard to find a new heart horse, but I'm glad you did. :)

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  12. <3 horses help balance all those other parts of life. =] nice to take a moment to acknowledge how you've grown together in your bond

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  13. I struggle with this same thing with my three, except that my main man Spider is still with me. Jack and Spots are always in Spider's shadow, no matter how hard I try to not play favorites. But, like you and Courage, as I have spent more and more time with Jack and Spots we have started to bond and they're showing me more and more of their personalities. Spider will always be the yardstick I use to measure a horse, but Jack and Spots are starting to catch up.

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  14. That connection was what I missed most about not owning a horse myself. And now that I've lived without it, I realize just how important it is to me.

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  15. You're right, it does take time. I'm glad you're where you are with him now.

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  16. I wrote about this kind of thing a little while ago: http://uncatchablenumber257.blogspot.com/2013/10/nighttime.html

    I bought O as a sale horse. I never intended to keep her. I hated her for the first two weeks that I had her. I couldn't let Gogo's memory go. But slowly, over time, she inched her way into my heart and now she is all I can think about.

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  17. Aww.. Yay Courage and Aimee! I love this.

    And it took a while for me and Apollo to really bond - I think we really bonded while I was taking care of his leg two/three times a day when I first got him. :) Lots of together time!

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  18. Courage is just so cute. Honestly it has been harder to bond with animals after having a human kid, the level of bonding is just so deep everything else feels weird now. But horses can be persistent in their ability to worm their way into your heart, and what a great thing to love a horse. Glad you are bonding with Courage.

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  19. Yay!!! This post makes me so happy!

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  20. I love this, what an amazing message. :)

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