Love the One You're With

Courage has a bit of a reputation, as it were.

i'm sure it's a first level move

In fact, while talking with friends the other day, it was possibly indicated that on an anxiety scale of 1-10, riding him in the open is an 11 for some people. And those people have very legitimate reasons for saying that.

And yes, while my hot horse was completely losing his shit at our last horse show, I had a moment of wishing for some dumb, giant, fancy warmblood thing because somehow in my mind, that would be easier to deal with. (Someone get Marissa a plane ticket so she can come smack me for that thought.)

But here's the thing: 

Courage and I are coming up on three years together and while I could probably link you to 15 or 20 blog posts in that time where things were so rough that I would have been totally justified in selling him just to be rid of him, things are different now. In some inexplicable way, things just clicked for us this spring. 

code for: outfit needs more sparkles

I can't really pinpoint when or why or how, but I have a better understanding of how to ride and work with him to be successful and he has a better understanding of what I want and how to communicate with me when he needs something. 

I'm sure I'll be compiling hilarious fail pictures for years to come. I acknowledge Courage's fails and flails and opinions and emotions are completely over the top and ridiculous, and yet I'm comfortable with them. He's not trying to hurt me, he's really not mean, and honestly, most of it just makes me laugh.

also we're both devastatingly attractive have nice asses

On a deeper level, Courage and I have a lot in common--we're sensitive stoics, right up until we aren't. We're willing to work our tail ends off for a silly cause as long as it's for a friend, but we cannot be bothered to blink on cue for someone we don't like.

Courage knows how to push ALL my buttons and from time to time, he does it (I also know how to push his buttons, but I'm usually enough of a grownup/value my life enough not to try it). That's becoming less often though as I figure out how to communicate with him.

one step at a time

He's not an easy horse and he doesn't choose to go well for a lot of people. The way to get through to him isn't generally the shortest, most obvious, or quickest way. I love the challenge of explaining something to him and I really love when he actually gets it and then prances around in his usual victory-dance-look-at-me-I'm-the-best sort of way. 

best at... this

He's not for everyone and he doesn't have to be. He's my horse and I'm lucky to have him.