The Little Blue Horse: A Short Story Of Horse Training

When he led her off the horse trailer, this tiny mare had my complete attention. Her petite build, her bright eyes, her blue roan coat, and her bouncy blue/black mane - she was beautiful. And she was going to be ours to work with for the next six weeks. 

The story actually started a few weeks earlier when a neighbor pulled into our driveway as I was tacking up Reina. He got out of his truck and asked me a question I wasn’t expecting to hear:

“Would you want to train a horse for me?”

My instant reaction was “Yes!”

I quickly looked to my brother, Ben, knowing we’d be doing this together. He smiles and nods. We tell our neighbor that we’ve only trained two horses before (read their stories here https://theamazinggracesta.wixsite.com/letsride/post/grace-the-thoroughbred-gentle-heart-wild-ride and here https://theamazinggracesta.wixsite.com/letsride/post/the-queen-without-a-crown-reina-s-story). But he was fine with that and asked when we’d like him to bring the horse over. Wanting to finish a few things on our arena and small round pen, we told him we could do it in a few weeks. He tells us about the mare. Standing a little under fourteen hands tall, she’s ten years old and is only halter broke (trained to wear and lead in a halter). She’s been living out with a herd of five or six horses most of her life and hasn’t been handled a whole lot. While ten years old is considered an older age to start a horse in riding, we were too excited to turn the job down. 

“Well, see ya in a couple weeks then.” He said as he climbed back in his truck. 

We quickly got to work to prepare for the little mare’s arrival.

When the day came and she arrived, she was even prettier than I had imagined. She had four black stockings and tan fur around her muzzle.

“What’s her name?” I asked.

He handed me her lead rope. “We’ve been calling her Blue.”

I smile and stroke her face. “Hello Blue."

 I spent the first day just sitting with her. She came over to me. And by the end of the day, she would let me rub her all over and pick up her feet. After working with my big horses - Dolly, and now Reina - for so many years, Blue felt tiny. And I would soon find out that age for her was just a number. While many think that by ten, they can become stubborn and set in their ways, we found Blue willing and eager to please as our training with her began.

After several days of groundwork, Ben and I carried our saddle out to the round pen. We let her see it, smell it, touch it. Once she seemed completely at ease with it, we gently lowered it on her back and loosely tightened the cinch. She stood there, curious, but, for the most part, calm. When we walked her around, she didn’t buck or rear. She only did a few little hops before coming back to where Ben and I stood in the middle of the pen, leaning her head on our shoulders. A light drizzle of rain started, the clouds hanging low in the gray sky above us, and a fog crept up the hills around us. But we continued with Blue, not wanting to cut this important moment short. We slowly got her used to some weight in the stirrups and asked her for more movement so she could get used to the feel of the saddle. When our training session came to an end, we were all wet but happy. She had done amazingly with saddling.

Our next question: how would she react to a rider? 

Each day of her training started early with groundwork and a slow recap on what we’d done the day before. If she was good with this, we’d add something new. Each night, Ben and I would pour over our horse training books and videos. Double-checking our techniques and looking for ways to improve. It was a time filled with learning for Blue as well as for us. As she was learning to wear a saddle and bridle and respond to rein pressure, we were learning how to read her response and how to ask questions that made sense to her. We wanted to avoid confusion for her, and she wanted to please. I’ve never seen a horse so responsive to praise! I mean, every horse will respond to positive reinforcement and rewards. But Blue was so eager to hear those words of praise; you could see her eyes light up, and she’d do everything she could to do it right. So when we felt she was ready for a rider, in that first week, we were hopeful for a good outcome.

I was holding Blue’s lead rope when Ben climbed into the saddle on her for the first time. He didn’t pick up the reins; he just sat there, and we let her think. When I led her a few yards, her steps were halting and hesitant. But as we praised her for doing so well, she began to walk better. She would look at me and then tilt her head so she could see Ben in the saddle. She wasn’t at ease with the whole idea, but she was putting forth so much effort. 

In the next few days, our time on her back got longer, and we began using the reins and directing her from the saddle. When I got on her for the first time, I could feel her trying so hard. She was beginning to move smoothly and actively sought for direction. And we were so proud of her.

That’s not to say we didn’t have some difficulties and close calls with Blue. We did. Though we were all doing our best, horse training is not without its dangers. She reared up twice, nearly unseating Ben and me both. She did buck a few times. And Ben had to do an emergency dismount once, which quickly turned terrifying when his foot got caught in the stirrup. Praise the Lord, that while he wasn’t able to get his shoe out of the stirrup, he was able to get his foot out of the shoe, avoiding the chance of being dragged behind her. It was horrible to watch, and it took all three of us a while to get our breathing back under control. I came off her twice: once bucked off while trying to lope her and again while training her to ride bareback (a rider without a saddle). While Ben and I came out with some bumps and bruises, we were very blessed not to be seriously injured. 

Yet even with these, we were making good progress as the weeks went by. We were now taking Blue outside the arena: out into the pastures, in the yard, and down some close trails. She did great and put forth her best effort. And with each word of praise we gave her, she would try even harder. In those short weeks, she went from never having worn a saddle to taking calm rides down the trail. Blue made becoming a riding horse look easy. When our neighbor came to pick her back up, I’ll admit it was hard to say goodbye to her. But I love that I still get to see her as we drive by her pasture. Blue truly is a special horse, and I’m so happy that I got to be a small part of her life. 

Yes, we taught her, but like most horses, she taught us as well. She showed us how to listen, how to hear her, and how to believe in ourselves. She proved that most boundaries that try to keep us back aren’t real; she showed us that anything is possible.