Miss Misunderstood
The lovely gray is a very special horse. She came to me with baggage at the tender age of one year. While I'll never understand the logic of this the breeder didn't want her. My friend was Mis' first guardian angel, taking her to her farm. Soon learning that the young Lippi had no ground manners, was not halter wise. She wasn't on our property a week before she had her first royal fit; a temper tantrum that was as spectacular as it was ineffective. My husband soon thought I was crazy. In truth I watched her airs above the ground display of white hot temper & thought, "look at that!"
I would soon learn that all the light of my excitement at finally acquiring a Lipizzaner would soon have to be hidden under a bushel. Mis wouldn't have it. She hated us, our place, the accommodations and if any kind of trailer came down the drive she was all but doing equine gymnastics of excitement hoping they were coming to take her back home, to her guardian angel's place where there were more of her own kind to cavort with.
One of the early lessons from my Grandpa was that a horse should be proud. While some animals are born proud of themselves, some needed help. Lipizzaner horses are royalty & the know it, they are born knowing it. The problem was Mis had endured bad handling from her start in life. So she was angry & ready to defend herself, often times misreading my intent. In my opinion this young filly, at such a tender age, had already seen the good, the bad & the ugly of humans. She wasn't taking any chances on what we were.
An animal who comes to you & submits willingly is forever trustworthy, an animal forced will eventually die inside or let you down when you're counting on them most. To my way of thinking, the old ways are the best in this instance. It took a full year of ignoring her & working with the other horses before one day when I went to halter my gelding, I had a rope halter full of Lipizzaner head! Once she made the choice to work with me, she was a good student.
She always had problems getting along with other horses. And one day when she was nearly a four year old she did something that nearly stopped my heart. I was about to work with my little short stocky Quarter mare. The next thing I know I see a full on frontal attack by the gray; teeth bared, hooves pounding the ground. The Quarter Horse turned, taking me with her blocking me with her body. I got out of the way just in time. The herd boss came galloping up & the three of us drove the gray mare away. I'm sure we looked a sight, three of us breath heaving as we glared at the gray. In that moment I was sick & tired.
Was it time to give up? Was it time to just admit that either this horse was too damaged, too unwilling to make effort? Was I simply failing the horse? Failing to communicate, to make her understand, to prove to her that I was not like that previous was the lowest of the low in my eyes but I was out of ideas & I thought the mare was attacking me. In my eyes, what I thought I saw was Mis coming for me & Gunny blocking me from harm. And fortunately I have come to have friends around the globe who are willing & able to help. Perspective is everything. And I couldn't get the expression on the mare's face during all of this. Her expression had been that of frustration. The real question came down to what I might be missing.
I learned long ago never to act in anger or emotion but rather to put the time in thinking on the matter. I don't do regrets. So before I do something in haste that I can regret in leisure, I put in the time so I can live with my decisions. I'm glad I did, one of my friends (she knows who she is) asked if I was certain the gray mare was coming at me or was she perhaps trying to protect me. From Mis' point of view she'd never found Gunny to be worthy. So I did the thing I've done for a lifetime, I dwelled on it. Thinking back to that day, to that expression on her face I wondered could it be that my friend was right?
Over the weeks to come I would put in a lot of time on Mis. Sure enough, Mis spent most of her time trying to guard me from my other mare. For a time she was quite grumpy with me but I couldn't blame her. In Mis' eyes she's doing the equine equivalent of 'danger' signals & I was treating her like the dangerous nutball. I began to exaggerate the safety precautions I was taking. Gunny wasn't a bad mare nor was she a problem horse. I believe she could have been a problem for me because of the spinal damage I have & Gunny's speed. That little mare was a Quarter Horse version of a Ferrari. I don't think Mis trusted her to take care of me.
And one night when we'd ironed out my misunderstanding, I waited until we were alone. And taking a page from my Grandpa's book, I slid upon her back & let her go where she took me. She walked as careful as if she were carrying fragile glass on her back, her walk was slow & steady without jostling me even a little. Miss Misunderstood would not be able to stay with me for a lifetime. She was destined to move on but for the right reasons. She's simply Mis now, no longer misunderstood.
Some of the most misunderstood in humans, horses & dogs would gain a lot of ground & understanding when we take the time to listen, to understand & make an effort to make a difference.
I would soon learn that all the light of my excitement at finally acquiring a Lipizzaner would soon have to be hidden under a bushel. Mis wouldn't have it. She hated us, our place, the accommodations and if any kind of trailer came down the drive she was all but doing equine gymnastics of excitement hoping they were coming to take her back home, to her guardian angel's place where there were more of her own kind to cavort with.
One of the early lessons from my Grandpa was that a horse should be proud. While some animals are born proud of themselves, some needed help. Lipizzaner horses are royalty & the know it, they are born knowing it. The problem was Mis had endured bad handling from her start in life. So she was angry & ready to defend herself, often times misreading my intent. In my opinion this young filly, at such a tender age, had already seen the good, the bad & the ugly of humans. She wasn't taking any chances on what we were.
An animal who comes to you & submits willingly is forever trustworthy, an animal forced will eventually die inside or let you down when you're counting on them most. To my way of thinking, the old ways are the best in this instance. It took a full year of ignoring her & working with the other horses before one day when I went to halter my gelding, I had a rope halter full of Lipizzaner head! Once she made the choice to work with me, she was a good student.
She always had problems getting along with other horses. And one day when she was nearly a four year old she did something that nearly stopped my heart. I was about to work with my little short stocky Quarter mare. The next thing I know I see a full on frontal attack by the gray; teeth bared, hooves pounding the ground. The Quarter Horse turned, taking me with her blocking me with her body. I got out of the way just in time. The herd boss came galloping up & the three of us drove the gray mare away. I'm sure we looked a sight, three of us breath heaving as we glared at the gray. In that moment I was sick & tired.
Was it time to give up? Was it time to just admit that either this horse was too damaged, too unwilling to make effort? Was I simply failing the horse? Failing to communicate, to make her understand, to prove to her that I was not like that previous was the lowest of the low in my eyes but I was out of ideas & I thought the mare was attacking me. In my eyes, what I thought I saw was Mis coming for me & Gunny blocking me from harm. And fortunately I have come to have friends around the globe who are willing & able to help. Perspective is everything. And I couldn't get the expression on the mare's face during all of this. Her expression had been that of frustration. The real question came down to what I might be missing.
I learned long ago never to act in anger or emotion but rather to put the time in thinking on the matter. I don't do regrets. So before I do something in haste that I can regret in leisure, I put in the time so I can live with my decisions. I'm glad I did, one of my friends (she knows who she is) asked if I was certain the gray mare was coming at me or was she perhaps trying to protect me. From Mis' point of view she'd never found Gunny to be worthy. So I did the thing I've done for a lifetime, I dwelled on it. Thinking back to that day, to that expression on her face I wondered could it be that my friend was right?
Over the weeks to come I would put in a lot of time on Mis. Sure enough, Mis spent most of her time trying to guard me from my other mare. For a time she was quite grumpy with me but I couldn't blame her. In Mis' eyes she's doing the equine equivalent of 'danger' signals & I was treating her like the dangerous nutball. I began to exaggerate the safety precautions I was taking. Gunny wasn't a bad mare nor was she a problem horse. I believe she could have been a problem for me because of the spinal damage I have & Gunny's speed. That little mare was a Quarter Horse version of a Ferrari. I don't think Mis trusted her to take care of me.
And one night when we'd ironed out my misunderstanding, I waited until we were alone. And taking a page from my Grandpa's book, I slid upon her back & let her go where she took me. She walked as careful as if she were carrying fragile glass on her back, her walk was slow & steady without jostling me even a little. Miss Misunderstood would not be able to stay with me for a lifetime. She was destined to move on but for the right reasons. She's simply Mis now, no longer misunderstood.
Some of the most misunderstood in humans, horses & dogs would gain a lot of ground & understanding when we take the time to listen, to understand & make an effort to make a difference.