I learned something today, something very specific. I had plans made with Tommy and Wanda Graham and Evelyn Mills to ride on the Buffalo from Pruitt downstream to the VanDeven place. But Magic would not load. I called and told them my problem and to go on without me. I would catch them if I could. Magic’s original problem was that he would not load so I could get him home. We took our time (months), we were persistent, and we got past the problem. I have previously built up to the day we would need to travel by practice loading for a few days in advance. I did not prep this time. This morning was fresh, clear skies, cold front and lots of wind. I don’t like dull horses and Magic was not dull this morning. The wind would swing the gate around and Magic thought loading was just not the best thing this morning. Since our Loading Course, I had hauled Magic to Sherrie’s to get shod and he had been reluctant to load to come back home. What I remembered from that instance was that Magic would respond to pressure and load when necessary. What I did not remember was what kind of pressure but I was not thinking about it and so it was not bothering me. So I applied a little pressure this morning. I used the “tap them on the rear with the whip until they move forward, then release the pressure”. (Even though a “whip” is used in this procedure, it is nothing like “whipping a horse”.) It usually works and the horse learns to move forward. Magic reminded me “that don’t work on me”. I now remember when Magic does not want to go forward, the more I tap, the bigger and more obstinate his eyes become and he actually becomes much less likely to move forward. It just does not work. After about an hour and half, Magic and I were still friends but we were a little further from the trailer that when we started. So I put him up, went and got some cattle panels, and set them up behind the trailer to build a pen that I could make smaller and smaller. Magic looked at this, then looked at me (by myself with no help) and must have smiled at my efforts. I could not figure out how to get him in the pen and then shut the gate (panel). So I put a rope on it so I could pull it shut from the other side of Magic. I pulled the rope up after Magic crossed it. Then Magic decided to back up like he had been doing all morning. And he backed into the rope. And I pulled on it. He moved forward. Bingo! Now I remembered that was the exact pressure he responded to at Sherrie’s. I got another rope, tied about a five foot loop in it and slipped it over his rump so I could pull it from the front and put pressure on his rump. I asked him to move forward, he refused, I pulled the rump rope, he said “whoa, what’s that on my rump?”, and moved forward and we walked to the trailer. When we got near the trailer, he pulled up and back. I pulled the rump rope. He stepped up into the trailer. That is all there is to it.
We were almost two hours late when we got to Pruitt. I saddled and we rode down the trail. The trail was close. If it was not sandy, it was rocky. There were lots of flood deposited logs across the trail. It is very, very different riding a new trail by ourselves with no other riders and horses. Magic is an unusually brave horse. Today alone on the Buffalo River Trail is the first situation that has tested his confidence. This was only his second ride on the Buffalo. It is a national park but the horse trails are challenging. Crossing the water was no problem. There was an unbelievably spooky bent piece of shiny black plastic about the size of a log. Right in the middle of the trail. Lots of wind. The rain and hail last night made the trail slippery in places. Then we came to the notorious rock spook. It is a grey limestone rock big as a small car with smooth holes going in and out set in the trail to block vehicles. It has blocked lots of horses from going down that trail. Magic spotted it, stopped and looked carefully, approached carefully, then walked on past. Then we came to the blind drop off. This is the second river crossing downriver from Pruitt. The trail approaches the crossing on top of a cut bank maybe 15 feet above the river. The trail descends to the river in a steep slot. We could see about ten feet down the trail. It dropped 6 or 8 feet. We could not see anything past that. It was just a blind drop off. I said “Look Magic you can see where the other horses went down.” Magic said “Yes John, it is obvious from the tracks that they SLID down. And from all you know they are all lying down there dead.” I listened to Magic. We turned around and went back to the truck. I am sure Magic, when calm and confident, could negotiate the drop off trail safely. But a nervous mishap can make good horse loose confidence.
We ate lunch at the truck. We rode the upstream trail to the highway. Then we rode back downstream to meet Tommy, Wanda and Evelyn coming back. I made note that there were more spooks going down the trail the second time. I wanted Magic to see the other horses. He had enjoyed it so much the last time and not much good had happened thus far on this trip. We were almost back to the drop off trail when Magic stopped, looking forward. I saw movement and thought well, there they are. But then I realized it was not horses and riders. It was three deer hunters, dressed in camouflage carrying all manner of strange looking archery stuff. They made no noise and were walking directly towards us. Magic stood very, very still and it seemed like he was getting bigger and bigger under me. I jumped off and that seemed to help the situation and I got the hunters to say something. Magic did not explode. After the hunters left we waited an hour for the riders. Magic relaxed for the first time since 7am. We may have napped just a bit. When the riders showed up, Magic was happy to see them. Somehow he knew it was them and not a spook coming on the wind. He arched his neck and pranced a little. Evelyn said “Goodness, what a beautiful horse.” All of a sudden, the day seemed worthwhile.
On the way back, Magic was calm and cool. He carried his head low like a working horse. When the other horses spooked at the rock and the plastic booger, Magic paid no attention, kept his head low and made a point never to even glance at the spooks. It was all old hat to him. Back at the trailers, Magic was the first to get in his trailer. He started to pull back but I slipped the rump rope on him and he jumped right in.