Spirit Horses (4 page)

Shane patted Jacob on his shoulders, “Why don’t you
grab the saddle out of the tack room, bud? The girls will finish brushing him.”

Jacob and Tina were expected to be a part of the
whole process from grooming to tacking up. Even though this particular gelding
wouldn’t hurt a fly, Shane and Jen made sure the kids knew how to handle a
horse safely.

When they were done riding, Jacob asked if he could
watch Shane while he worked with the mustang. Jacob loved being with his dad,
and Shane appreciated that the boy wanted to be around him. He realized this
would all probably change once his son reached his teen years. “Jacob, I want
you to remember, you’re going to have to stay quiet and sit still when I’m
working with her, okay?”

“Yes sir.”

As the two headed toward the golf cart, Jacob ran up
ahead to claim the driver’s seat, and as usual, Shane let him drive.

When they arrived at the paddock, Shane looked over
at Jacob, “You know we’ve got to come up with a name for this horse. You got
any ideas?”

“How about naming her Sloppy?”

“Why in the world would you want to call her
Sloppy?” Shane laughed.

“It was Tina’s idea. She said that the mustang was
the dirtiest horse she’d ever seen, and then she started calling her Sloppy
Girl.”

“Well, the name does kind of fit. Sloppy it is, at
least until we think of something better.”

Shane realized how important it was to try to keep
all distractions out of the way during this first session. He was glad it was
quiet here and he knew Jacob would sit and watch calmly on the golf cart as he
had been told.

Shane slowly opened the gate to ease his way toward
the middle of the field. He knelt down in the grass and watched as the mustang
nervously moved from one side of the paddock to the other while turning her
hindquarters to him at each stop. At this point, she would let out a quiet
snort, settle only for a second, then continue her worried walking from corner
to corner. He was very careful not to look her directly in the eye. He had a
small amount of grain in his closed hand, but he made sure not to show it to
her. This food was not a bribe to get her to come to him, but he would use it
as a reward if and when she did make up her mind to come in close. Like any
creature with hooves, a horse is an animal that is preyed upon in the wild.
Their basic instincts for survival are similar to that of a deer, which would
naturally flee from any potential carnivore. Shane knew that once the wild-bred
mustang realized he wasn’t after her for his evening meal, she would change her
fearful attitude. This would take some understanding on his part to change how
she perceived him.

Shane noticed right off that the louder his voice
was the more bothered she became, so he began using it to his advantage.
Whenever the mare was moving away from him he would consistently raise his
voice, saying things like, “Hey, where are you going? You’re gonna hurt my
feelings if you keep walking away.”

As soon as she looked in his direction, he would
soften and lower his voice. “You know you want to be friends. You just have to
trust me first, don’t you?”

She quickly learned that when she faced him, the
bothersome loud talking would stop and immediately soften into a much more
tolerable, pleasant sound. Timing and consistency were imperative in order to
make this work. For now the sound of Shane’s voice was all the pressure she
could handle, and he was using it to draw her attention and mind into him. In
no time at all, the mare made her decision to stop trying to ignore him.
Instead she began standing calmly and watching Shane with curious interest.

“Atta Girl, see I’m not so bad, am I?” Shane
continued softening his tone, still kneeling down on one knee as he rested his
arms on top of the other. Finally, the response he was looking for happened.
The young horse lowered her head, let out a soft snort, and took a timid step
toward him. To someone without Shane’s experience this wouldn’t seem like a big
deal, but Shane knew it was a nice breakthrough. He smiled as he figured,
This is probably the first time she’s
ever thought about approaching a human
.

Most people would now stand and move toward the horse,
maybe even try to touch her. But he knew this would only scare her. Instead, as
the mare stepped in his direction. he maintained his low profile slowly moving
back away from her. This really got her attention, causing her ears to perk up
with curiosity as she moved toward him a few more hesitant steps. Now he was
drawing in her body as well as her mind. Every time he moved back a little, the
mare would take a couple of steps closer. Soon she was close enough for him to
open his hand and let her take the small amount of grain that he’d been holding
for just such a moment. “There you go, that’s what I was hoping for.”

This was the perfect time to end this session on a
good note. Still staying low to the ground, he smoothly moved about twenty feet
away from her. He then stood slowly, careful not to startle her, and walked to
the gate. Shane smiled again as he turned to see the lonely little mare still
standing calmly in the field where he had left her, as if she didn’t want him
to leave. This was a nice change in her behavior, and he felt confident he
would have no problem building on this. The session went well, and Jacob had
watched his dad intensely with all the wonder of an eight-year-old boy with a
bad case of hero worship.

Before Shane turned away from the mustang, he said
quietly in her direction, “You sure are lucky you showed up when you did.” He
and Jen had been looking for a horse he could start training for the kids.
Although she wasn’t exactly what he had pictured, he felt good about at least considering
the mare. Gray in color, she was pretty if you looked beyond her filthy,
unkempt coat. Standing at 14.3 hands, she was small enough for the kids, but
still large enough for Shane to ride when he put in the many hours of training
she would need over the next year. The horse had no real monetary value, but
Shane and Jen liked the idea of saving her, and figured they could afford to
give her a chance.

Shane sat in the golf cart, then Jacob started
driving toward the house. “So, what do you think, Dad, will she be a good horse
for Tina and me?”

“I don’t know, son. All I can do is put in a lot of
time with her and hope for the best. Even if she doesn’t make a good horse for
you two, I’ll still keep my word to Mrs. Erickson to find her a good home. At
least she won’t end up as meat in a can of dog food.”

“I think she’ll make a fine horse,” Jacob said
confidently.

Chapter 3

The farm and family thrived over the next year. Terry was a dad now,
and had adjusted well to the job of changing diapers.

Shane and Jen bought him a joke gift at a novelty
store�—�A fake gas mask that read across the forehead,
New Dad’s Survival Kit
. Terry laughed
when he unwrapped the thing, and claimed he really did use it while changing
the baby. He said he enjoyed seeing the
disgusted expressions on his wife, Beth Ann’s, face.
 

Jacob and Tina had really grown, and the mustang
mare was
accepting training well. She seemed to look forward to her work, and had become
very relaxed around the kids. The name Sloppy had stuck to her, so now she
responded to it affectionately. By this time, Shane was starting to put Jacob
and Tina on her, and she carried them around with confidence.

It was a warm Saturday morning when Shane took Jacob
on a long trail ride through the plush, green hills and woods surrounding the
farm. He was on a client’s horse while Jacob rode the mustang.

“Hey, Dad, I know Sloppy’s doing real good with her
training, but have you noticed how she stands in her paddock with her head down
sometimes?”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed,” Shane replied. He was
impressed that the now nine-year-old Jacob had picked up on this aspect of the
mare’s behavior. “What do you make of that?” he asked the boy.

“I think that even though she really likes us she
still misses her old herd.”

“I’ve got a feeling you’re right about that. She was
born and raised a wild horse and nothing can take that out of her. She’s very
trainable and getting real broke for you guys, but I can tell she still thinks
about running free.”

Jacob was silent for a while. After they rode a
little farther along the trail, he asked, “You think one day we could take her
back and set her free with her wild herd? I sure would miss her, but I know she
would be happier there.”

Shane felt a sense of pride as he looked at his
little boy who wanted to see his horse content, even if it meant losing her.
“Maybe when you kids outgrow her in a few years, we’ll plan a trip and see if
we can find this herd. Then we could put her back where she really belongs.”

Jacob became quiet, and Shane could tell his young
son was trying hard not to give into his emotions as he thought about the idea
of not having the mare around.

“You know, buddy, it will be a long time before you
two outgrow Sloppy. If we do take her back out west someday, I know it will make
all of us feel real good. So let’s just enjoy having her at the farm for the
time being and not worry about setting her free right now.”

Jacob remained deep in thought as they rode along at
a slow walk. A few minutes later he looked down at Sloppy and patted her
affectionately on the neck. That’s when he promised, “Sloppy, some day we’re
going to take you back to your old herd. I bet that will make you real happy,
won’t it, girl?” Shane smiled as the two of them moved their horses into a trot
and headed home.

When they came within sight of the barn, they could
see Tina was waiting for her turn on the mare. Before they rode too close,
Shane spoke, “Let’s not say anything to Tina about our conversation. I think
she’s a little too young to understand about Sloppy still wanting to be a wild
horse.”

“No problem, Dad. I won’t say anything.” Jacob
hardly had time to get off Sloppy before Tina was trying to climb on her. The
mustang stood patiently while the girl settled herself in the saddle. Tina rode
her off at a trot for a short trip around the field.

“You sure are riding like an old pro!” Shane
hollered. Tina smiled from ear to ear at the compliment.

***

Late spring had now given way to the heat of mid-summer. By now the hot
days were taking their toll on everyone at the farm. Shane and Terry always
lost a little weight and looked a bit more worn during this time every year.
The horses in training were also starting to show the strain. The two men had
to be careful not to overwork them in the high temperatures.

The heat and humidity of summer eventually turned
into the drier, cooler air of fall, which was a change both horses and trainers
were glad had finally arrived.

One afternoon while the two men were taking a much
needed breather, Shane spoke to Terry about something that had been on his
mind. “You know, Terry, you’ve turned out to be a damn good trainer. I’ve
taught you about all I feel I can. I think you’re ready to start your own
business.”

“Whoa, boss, you trying to run me off?” Terry joked.

Shane grinned, “I’d be glad to send you some of my
overflow, so you’ll have money coming in while you build up your own client
list.”

Terry shook Shane’s hand in gratitude. “I appreciate
the opportunity but, for the time being, I’d be more content to stay here with
you and learn. Just knowing I’ll have your support when that day does come
means a lot.”

Shane responded sincerely, “Well, you know I’ll do
all I can for you.”

With the nice fall weather, Jacob and Tina continued riding almost
every day. Jacob was now ten years old, and Tina would be eight in a couple of
months. Sloppy looked forward to the time she spent with the kids. It seemed
they had become kind of a surrogate herd for her because she always perked up
when they were around.

Soon it was the start of December 1998, which also
meant Christmas was sneaking up on Shane and Jen fast. This was always a
favorite time of the year for their family, especially since the kids had
gotten old enough to really get pumped up about it. Shane had been an only
child, and both of his parents had passed away. However, Jen’s mother, Helen,
from Florida, and her younger sister, Abby, who lived only about forty miles
away, spent Christmas with them every year.

December twenty-third came on a Friday this year,
and Terry seemed to be in a holiday mood while he saddled up the last horse of
the day.
 
Shane took the horse’s reins
from Terry, smiling as he handed him an envelope. “Here you go, my friend.” The
hefty Christmas bonus was expected, but in no way taken for granted.