A Cowboy Lesson – August 25, 2020

The day got off to a pleasant start, in the usual way.

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This afternoon, I had the opportunity to watch Dennis Cappel work with Betsy’s horse, Lindy, on loading into a trailer. It was incredible to watch a master at work. My first mentor was a cowboy, Rich Shelton, and long ago I watched in awe as he taught a difficult horse to “load up” on his command. It has always been one of my great interests, teaching difficult horses to get into a trailer. It goes against a horse’s nature, to some extent, but is a necessary skill for a horse.

So, in the middle of this hot afternoon, Dennis arrived and set to work. Lindy knows how to load in a trailer, but he has been naughty for Betsy, and she wanted him to have a reminder from an expert. Lindy wore boots for protection, and Dennis started working in the pen, reminding the horse of lessons he has had in the past. Dennis wants the horse to move for him, and never to crowd him, or get into the human’s space. “Distance is your friend”. The horse must be respectful and keep his distance.

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Out to the trailer, and Lindy decided to test Dennis a little bit by refusing to load into the trailer. Dennis stays calm. Emotion ruins communication with the horse (perhaps with humans, too!). There are repercussions, though, for failure to get into the trailer.

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Dennis is the most laid back person I have ever seen work with horses. I aspire to be less emotional in every aspect of my life, but especially with horses after watching this session.

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After showing us all how it’s done, and taking a short break in the shade, Dennis handed Lindy over to Betsy to load. In short order, Lindy was doing exactly as he was told by Betsy. It was a great lesson for all!

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Afterwards, Lindy was turned loose, and went ballistic in his pen, uncorking all the stress of having to behave properly. That was not acceptable, the horse was disrespecting Betsy as Dennis watched, and Dennis stepped in for another reminder.

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Finally, Lindy was again a civilized horse, and Betsy left him to relax and think over all they had learned today.

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It was a hot, but rewarding afternoon, and brought back good memories of Rich from long ago. The wisdom of cowboys perseveres into the twenty-first century and I feel incredibly lucky to have had such exposure.

Home again, Marianne had done the barn work, and all that remained for me to do was feed the cats and turn the horses out for the evening. Marmalade is still untouchable, but definitely part of the family.

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Stay safe, stay well, keep learning.