An Eye for it. Edit, Aye.

Sigh
Double-sigh, PDF Alert.. 
 Some people look at things with their eyes, I look with my body, I think. My eyes correlate/corroborate something else inside what I'm looking at. Scares me, how well I can see sometimes.

Then I must think of Andalusions of Grandeur, our old friend, Emily, a woman without that gift so many take for granted. How gifted she is, and how well she sees. And how different we are, with our eyes! Everyone sees the world a little differently, with or without their eyesight.

It is impossible for me to put blinkers on, I guess, is what I'm saying. I can see happiness or fear or sadness or joy, in most living things. You all know what I look at, day after day.

The neglected but shiny nightmare has had his feet done, after five months. Great education the owner is getting, on the government nickle! AND he's got clean bedding! AND he has sweet feed and crunch, left open for the flies and rodents! AND, this is a good one, he still has to practically strangle himself on the panels of his cage, to reach his hay!! sigh.. No, of course he isn't getting out, and no,of course he still has no air flow in that oven. But hey! Feet AND bedding! If only he got the basics of life all at the same time, but I guess that isn't part of our mandated laws. I'm asking too much! Next thing, I'll want him braided and ready to show!
No. I would expect ANY animal to get food, water and sanitary shelter and exercise. But, as we all know by now, you do not have to exercise your animal, ever. Even if that animals' physiological well-being depends on movement. Och, what do I know? It's all in what I see.

ANYway, enough of the bummer stuff.

Let's pull out a big old light bay.

GoLightly's Lessons

I'll let you enjoy getting him groomed and ready, he's such a funny guy. He'll be watching you carefully, one longer ear mindful in case you're an idiot, but as your soft, steady movements reassure him, he starts to relax and tell jokes. Did you hear about Revel, chasing DuhDave out of the stall? Snicker, snork, tap on the crossties. Revel just put his ears back at DuhDave, like this! and snort...snort, snort. GoLightly likes to count the cross-tie chain-links with his lips. Then drop them with a clatter. That's hilarious! GoLightly likes to laugh,  must be the Irish in 'im.

(GoLightly ideas of funny, really were. He'd get bored with flat work, if I was droning on about something, and he'd look up, and fart, just as loud as he could. Only if I was droning, though. If I was really into what we were working on, so was he. I couldn't do anything with a perfunctory/bored air. GoLightly disapproved of that attitude.)

Anyway, you'll curry and polish him, and gently soft brush what little hair he has, thin-coated old bugger he is. Never touch his tail! He doesn't have any! Well, he does have one, but you really must leave his alone, at all costs. He really doesn't have a lot of any hair, at all. The crest of his neck is so thin, pulling his mane is a breeze. And with no white on him anywhere, he really is an easy groomer:)

You have to be careful tacking him up, he's built uphill, and his saddle needs to start out a little forward. GoLightly's massive shoulders really needed the leather device which has completely left my brain, not a crupper, the Other way. GAhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Ahem, the device was needed when he was jumping big, or his saddle could slip back. BREASTplate.
No wonder I couldn't remember, I've never worn one ;)
Well, I did, but only for a week or so, when I was 11. Flatly refused to ever wear one again. I'm glad Mom had the sense to skip that argument..

I'll be blathering aimlessly so you won't be too intimidated when you finally clamber on. GoLightly is 16.2, he's big, and long, and a lot of horse. But as you ask him to move off, you're immediately struck by his long, easy straight ahead strides. You swing along, mouth open, agog at the easy forward power you have beneath you.
I laugh, and warn you about flies.
Somehow, your leg just feels right, and you don't have to struggle to maintain a comfortable position, legs hanging easily down his sides. It really doesn't matter, exactly where your legs end up, as long as you go along with his fluent forward motion.
(ETA, NCC is clinging to his side at this point, and he stops and puts his lip up, this is the equivalent to him ROFLHAO.) I remind NCC that her legs should stay on either side of the horse, and she should not attempt to cross them, while riding. I have never told anyone this before.
;)
First Times for Everything, I guess:)
NCC & I discuss side-saddle, but I don't have one, and I'm not sure I could ask GL quite that much, at once.)
If your legs (amazed at their own length) slip forward, or back, out of balance with his going forward, he stops, or speeds up. GoLightly does just exactly what you are telling him to do. A truly great schoolmaster always does what he's told. Unless you're doing it all wrong, of course. You are no beginner, you've been up there on a horse before. One of GoLightly's best features is his ability to adjust to his rider. As long as you don't bang him in the mouth (a cardinal sin, which he'll wrinkle his lips & nose in disgust at), and allow him to go on, he's a happy camper:)


To be continued...

OH, really cool link..If Horses Could Speak

To All Our Nuchal Ligaments!