Scared or Mad/CupCake

I slid back the heavy barn door and the horses bobbed their heads up and down over the tops of their stalls.

They welcomed the bright sunlight pouring across the dirt floor and up the walls as much as the thought of their breakfast.

I loaded up my arms with hay and headed down the aisle throwing flakes of heavy alfalfa into their tubs as I went.The dogs crisscrossed from the feed room to the hay stack, hoping to scare up a mouse or a ground squirrel.

“Yip!” Charlie the mighty rat terrier cried. “Yip!”

He buried his head between two bales and began to dig.

“Get out of there,” I hollered at him, “your tearing up the hay!”

He backed out and wrinkled his lips in an embarrassed grin. He knew he wasn’t supposed to be digging in the hay stack. I grinned back at him, knowing he would be right back at it as soon as I left the barn.

I came down to Cupcakes stall. He looked just like he had when I left him the night before. He stood pressed against the back wall with his head lost in the shadows.

I lofted his hay over the door the same moment he came striking at me like a snake. The hay hit him square in the head and exploded into the air. His teeth clicked just a hair from the sleeve of my jacket. Just as quick he pulled back into the shadows.

I jumped out of range, shaken and stared at him glaring at me. Cupcake ground his teeth.

I went over to my yellow mare’s stall and slipped inside. I gave her a quick scratch on the inside of her hind leg and sat on the floor. She turned and snuzzled my hair, lipping at the alfalfa leaves that covered my head and the front of my coat. I relaxed into the warm stall,the friendly horse and the rhythmic sounds of her chewing hay. My heart slowed and my hands steadied.

I called my boss.“Is she going to geld the colt?” I asked.

“Where are you at?”Rainie replied.

“Hiding out in Madonna’s stall,” I said and told her how my morning had started.

“We can kick him back to her,” Rainie said, “she said she’d run him through the sale if we couldn’t get a handle on him.”

“Well now that just pisses me off,” I said, “there is no way this is his fault. Do we have any history on him?”

“She ducks most of my questions,” she answered, “but she put him in the barn when she weaned him. I’m not 100% sure, but I think he’s lived there since. Nobody has handled him since he was a yearling.”

I felt my energy for the day ebb out into the straw on the floor.

“But she’ll geld him?” I asked again.

“Yes, she will, but I don’t know why you’re worried about it,” Rainie said, “he won’t figure out he’s gelded until well after he goes home.”

“I’m doing it for him,” I replied, “ he doesn’t have a prayer of making it as a stud.”

“Don’t work him until I get home,” she warned, “I don’t want to be cleaning up Janet parts.”

“Fine with me.”

I dug my dressage whip out of my tack box and threw Cupcake another flake of hay. This time most of it managed to get it into his tub. I saw he had put away almost 20 gallons of water since the day before. It made me wonder how long it had been since he had been watered before I picked him up.Whip in hand, I leaned against the door and watched him. He stood bobbing his head, his ears pinned and his nostrils flared back.

“Go ahead, look as mean as you want,” I told him, “I’m ready for you.”

Five minutes later he walked over to his hay and took a tentative bite. I leaned the whip against the door and stepped to the next stall.

“Hello there you,” I sweet-talked Cupcake's neighbor for a minute. The willing little colt flicked a friendly ear at me as he ate.

It was a good thing my other rides were going pretty well, the little red colt interrupted my thoughts all day. Except for Cupcake I had an easy string. My youngsters were all broke enough to not throw out surprises anymore and my show horses were about where they needed to be.

My lesson hauled in and we passed a pleasant few hours.

"Hey,do you mind hanging around for a little?" I asked my student.

"Sure, what have you got?"

Lyn was a good enough hand not to start screaming if things went south and she could dial 911 with the best of them, so I took advantage.

Once I got Lyn safely situated on a hay bale I gathered up a sturdy rope halter with a tie on lead and my dressage whip.

I walked to the stall like everything was cool and put my hand on the door lack.

Cupcake came flying at my hand and I let rip with the dressage whip. I caught him hard enough to stop the attack and he whirled back into his corner.

I opened the stall door and he flew at me again. I let him have it across the head again. He whirled away a threw a quick kick. The brunt of it hit the door and I caught him another lick with the whip on his leg.

"Are you all right in there?" Lyn called.

"We're doing just fine," I said in as normal a voice as possible.

We eyed each other across the stall.

I stood in the doorway and kept the whip in plain sight.

As we both began to relax I carefully set the whip down in the corner, coiled up my halter and rope and held it secure in my hand. If I had to make a run for it I sure didn't want to trip over my rope.

I took a few steps forward and stopped when he raised his head. I tried to keep my breathing deep and relaxed. I stayed ready to bolt, but I sure didn't want Cupcake to know it. We squared off a few minutes and then he relaxed again.

I leaned towards his hip and kept a little pressure on until he moved a step. Then I relaxed. I leaned to his head and when he looked away I leaned a little harder. He flicked an ear and I relaxed.

Inch by inch I worked my way to him. Every time he pinned his ears I stopped, but I didn't back off.

I finally was standing beside him. His ears were back, but not flattened He vibrated with an anger that seemed more fearful and desperate than dangerous.

I gave him one firm and gentle stroke down his neck and backed up a step before he jumped. I didn't look at him.

When his head dropped a little I stepped up and stroked him again.

I stepped forward, pet, then stepped back maybe five or six times before he quit looking like he wasn't going to run me over to get past me.

Finally I stepped up and haltered him. I kept it businesslike and to the point. His head shot up and he froze, but he didn't fight me. I resisted the urge to look him in the eye.

I tied my knot, took a deep breath and turned and walked out of the stall.

I latched the door and finally looked at him. He stood in his corner with a thoughtful expression. He licked once or twice, pinned his ears and glared at me, then went back to his thoughts.

"Phew," I blew out all my air and let my shaky legs plunk me down on the ground.

"How did it go?" Lyn asked.

Better than I thought," I said.

"Are we done?"

"You might as well head out, Rainie should be here any time," I told her.

"What do you still have to do?"

"I've still got to take the damn halter off him!"