Friday, June 13, 2008

My Boy's Got That Lovin' Feeling

Well goodness, My Boy's perky little ears must be burning right about now because I have to tell you about one more peculiar gelding behavior that I noticed in him last weekend. In fact, I even asked the veterinarian about it when she was out on Tuesday.

After working My Boy in the arena on Sunday, my sister brought in her mare Brandy to do free lunge her. We let our horses visit as we chatted for a minute.
Look at Brandy playing hard to get. Acting like she doesn't see that he's giving her the eye. Typical mare!
My Boy nickered at Brandy and they began sniffing each other.
Before long, they were rubbing their lips on each other's neck in bliss.

Then, My Boy began to get, well, um, how exactly do I say this? A little too excited. We pulled them a part before My Boy got any crazy ideas. My Boy was kept a stallion until he was a yearling. He sired one or two foals before he was gelded. I asked the vet if a gelding would ever mount a mare. She said that when they are gelded late, some geldings retain a learned stallion behavior, rather than act on hormones, but is very rare for a gelding to actually mount a mare. I do not think My Boy would've tried any funny business. But I wanted to spare dear Brandy. After all, she is a bit innocent.
My Boy and moved outside of the arena and watched as my sister free-lunged Brandy, and I snapped a few pictures.

I like the way Brandy's mane looks in this one. My Boy liked it, too, oh yea.
Although this one is a little blurry and almost out of the frame, it shows off her half-Arabian knee and hock action.
After Brandy ran her sillies out, we felt a 12-year old moment coming on. To cool out the horses, we tied the lead ropes to the halters, jumped on bareback, and walked them around the arena. I took a picture of my sister riding Brandy. After downloading it, I noticed something I had never seen before. Sis, if you are reading this, which I know you will, you might want to stop here for a minute before you read any further. And go get a Dr. Pepper and a Kleenex.
My sister was smiling. In fact, she was grinning from ear to ear in almost every bareback picture I snapped of her that day. I have rarely seen my sister smile while she is riding. Don't get me wrong, my sister is a happy person. When she takes her happy pills. Just kidding! But seriously, she is usually concentrating so hard and looks so serious when she rides. How does having no saddle, no bit in your mare's mouth, and no helmet, and therefore, no real sense of security, allow one to relax and smile? Perhaps it was sitting on her horse's warm bony back with nothing but a strap of webbed nylon for control, that brought back those carefree joys of being 12 years old again. In our youth, we were not limited by all that can go wrong. We thought we were invincible, and we enjoyed moments such as this for what they were.

A few posts ago, I wrote about Brandy's uneducated upbringing and my sister's journey with this mare's insecurities and lack of trust. My sister said to me in the arena as she walked around on her horse, "You know, I wouldn't have been able to do this on Brandy a year ago." I think for about ten minutes that day, my sister truly enjoyed a special partnership with her mare that she had never felt before. Don't look back sis, because you and your little mare can only go forward from here!

After we took a few spins around the arena, we hand grazed the lovebirds in the field behind My Boy's pasture. We all enjoyed a little quality time together last weekend.
Mares, geldings, goats, and their humans, we are all one happy, lovin' family on the farm!

20 comments:

  1. I actually did notice I was smiling in the pix when you sent them to me last week. I was shocked myself. I know when I am training I don't smile. You are right, I am concentrating very hard on what I am doing. Maybe I should smile more when I am training!
    Brandy had never been ridden bareback before til that day. I wasn't sure how she'd react to me jumping up on her back with only a halter and leadrope. She seemed a little unsure what to do and she really wanted to trot!
    It did remind me of when we were kids when we always jumped on bareback. We should do that more often! It was fun.
    I am so glad that Brandy and your Boy love eachother! It is better when they all "just get along!" Now if only Fritzy would treat Brandy the way your Boy does (with love!)

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  2. Great story about your sister. She does look really happy and it is so exhilerating to feel connected to your horse especially after all they have been through. Way to catch that joy with your camera:-)

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  3. Awwww, there's so much love in that post! You & your sis are so lucky to have each other, to share those cowgirl moments. Great photos too!

    Whoa there a minute, you mean My Boy sired foals when he was just a baby himself? Isn't that a tad precocious? Sure he's a hunk but still!

    Way back when I was a kidlet I used to ride a paint pony who hadn't been gelded til he was about 8, & had been used as a stud. He was very studly too, most interested in mares & with a thick cresty neck. He was divine, such a powerful little guy.

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  4. Ohhh boy- I have had more geldings than I know how to count who would mount the mares.... Old Jack was a good one for that.... (Not quite a PG story..lol) Very Best Friend's Mustang Skippy also had a way of ummm, "making the ladies smile".

    Paint Gril- its fantastic to see that smile!! Play time is so important isnt it?

    Keep it up Pony Girl- you have got some really fantastic posts on here! (And of course, one mega handsome Appy too) :)

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  5. Nice post. You girls are very fortunate to have each other, but I know I don't have to tell you that.
    One of the best things about riding bareback is getting to go to the store on the way home and show off the dirt stained pants. It's saying, yes I ride and yes I ride bareback.

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  6. beautiful photos! I hope you're having a good weekend!

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  7. Great post and pics as usual Pony Girl. I too used to ride bareback as a kid. When I was a teenager I loved to jump from behind onto my Appy and take off! It was great. Nowadays it is a great day when I can mount via saddle without a stool! But at least I am able to. Gotta be grateful for that!

    BTW my gelding reacted the same way when my mare first came home. I finally met his first owner at a local auction barn (another story) so I asked him if he was proud cut or if he had been bred prior to being gelded. He said he had not so I guess some are just more "manly so to speak" than others. Now though when she goes into heat he couldn't be bothered. She flirts and all that crap and he usually bites her on the ass!

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  8. You know Paint Girl-I have the same problem...When I am saddled and "training" I get so focused that I know I NEVER smile. But when Megan and I jump on bareback or are just going for a stroll in the pasture there is a lot of smiling and laughing. It's just a mindset-goals vs. relaxation.

    Pony Girl-you sure can capture great moments in your photos. Maybe you missed your calling as a photographer?

    And those darn geldings? You bet they will mount a mare. All of ours were cut as soon as their little boy toy parts dropped(mom says we are NOT in the business of raising stallions-Yay mom!) and we still have some that are overly friendly with the girls. One gelding(who never got to breed and was cut immediately his yearling year) will even round up the mares and act like a herd stallion.
    Geldings can even get ummmm...."aroused", but I have never seen them maintain it long enough to ummm...you know..."get the job done"(Trying not to be too graphic cause I know you have a varied group of readers). Now a Proud Cut gelding can. But still cannot produce a foal.

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  9. BEC: As soon as I win the Lotto, I plan to have a ranch and become a photographer and writer! ;) I love taking pictures and think I am improving in my skills, but, I would like to get a nicer camer to help me out a little.
    And, ha, "aroused" was the perfect word I was missing to define My Boy's excitement when I wrote that post! I do think he treats the two mares as "his mares", I can sense his protective instinct kick in!

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  10. Great post and pictures Pony Girl! Like the story of your sister and her mare. I like happy endings! Even at my age I hop on and go for a ride bareback, very slowly mind you! lol!

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  11. I do carry a knife - in my back pocket as soon as i get home from school - administration kind of frowns on visible pocket knifes from teachers, especially with all the drama in schools now a days.
    love the post. great smile and beautiful horses!

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  12. He! He! We just went through that "Hey you're a GELDING!" Bit! It does get a little hard to explain to the kiddos!
    You are lucky to have a sister! I have all brothers, they never were too interested in riding horses!! What great times you must have!

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  13. Brandy is beautiful and it is so nice to see a rider smiling from ear to ear and enjoying their horse and a special partnership. My Boy is also a very handsome boy and I think he knows it, that's why he is still quite the ladies man in his own head. Sounds like everyone had a great day.

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  14. Ahhh... I miss riding bareback - that was the best thing about riding little hairy ponies when I was 12 - we would ride them to the field bareback andd canter all the way. More often than not we would slide off he side, but at the time, that was part of the fun!

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  15. Beautiful pictures of a fun day! I am told we are all supposed to ride bareback from time to time to improve our riding. But my TB has ouchy sharkfin withers that go halfway down his back, and my mountain horse is round and slippery. (Or could it be my riding is not good enough?!)

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  16. Great post and pics! I agree you have a way with the camera!
    Bareback is the best! I love to do it! Ride touching the horse and then stop and lay back and savor the moment! I have mastered swinging up barback, but have a huge bruise on right knee to prove I can't do it with my saddle on her! LOL! Dang cannel is too tall!
    I agree with BECG we kept a friend's gelding that was proud cut and he tried to mount a mare that we used to have. It didn't end well, she kicked the poop out of him! He didn't seem to get the picture, so I had to have her come and pick him up. Hard headed suckers! (sounds like typical males! LOL)

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  17. Loved it! The pictures and story were just great! I love "my boy." So cute.

    I can't wait to see your pictures you'll take on your own ranch.

    BTW, jealous of that beautiful, green grass I see all over your pictures. We only have dirt out here in NM. :)

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  18. Such happiness exuding from that pic of your sis. As you say, don't look back.. and don't blink, because time flies by so quickly.

    Oh, and my gelding tries to mount our mares, he is not tall enough to get the deed done and gets frustrated, but then follows them all over and keeps tryin over and over again. The mares just put him in his place of they need to.

    Those two horses sure look like they are in love, how sweet!

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  19. Beautiful blog post and photos, Pony Girl! Everything just gave me those warm fuzzies. My Boy and Brandy had such a loving and gentle look in their eyes and in those soft nibbling lips. sigh.
    How romantic!

    And your sister's huge joyful smiles. I could just feel the freedom and happiness. Beautiful!

    You did such a amazing job at capturing those special moments from your wonderful day together.

    But I do feel called to comment on that last photo....after the earlier photos and dicussion of My Boy's 'arousal'
    ....Um.....yes, there is a goat in the photo...but...er, My Boy's big handsome butt and his...er...boy parts take up most of that shot!
    C'Mon admit it now, you just could not help yourself! hehehe

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  20. My very first horse was a gelding that love to mount mares. I had to keep him seprate from the mares when they were in heat!! Men!! LOL!!
    I love to ride bareback too!! I am just not as good as I was back in the day! I laugh the entire time because I am trying hard not to fall off!! LOL!!

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I love hearing from my readers!! I truly enjoy all of your feedback, advice, helpful tips, and stories. You all make me laugh and I learn so much from you, too. I will try to post replies to your comments as often as I can.

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