Shedding season has begun in earnest, and today as I was not in the mood to carry all the tools out to the back paddock, I groomed him with my pocket Speert comb. Also did a little more work on his front frogs.

Brought him over to the biggest fallen log to mount, and was clumsy, and he stood there completely still, until I was aboard. He did not even move off as soon as he felt me seated. He amazes me.

Walked serpentines across and along the berm, rotating, opening the inside rein and supporting with the outside rein. Practiced backing up; we are both getting much lighter. Worked on my own self-carriage. Never too tall or too wide, as Sally Swift says.

Got off and did some groundwork: dump truck, squaring up, moving sideways— which he has become unaccustomed to. I forgot to remember what Rachel was telling me about Manolo’s approach. I will review the notes, talk with her, and reapply myself!

When I was hanging out with him before leaving, the mare Midnight came over, and they sniffed. No squealing, no ears back. Nice.

Weekend ski trip to Yellowstone. Learning to x-country ski, and can’t do those beautiful telemark turns yet, but my oh my, what gorgeous country.

Mailed a card to a friend today, return address “Helena Who’da thunk it” Montana. It still feels unlikely to be here, but Apollo is well settled, even to this herd.

I can feel how much he trusts me — though I doubt that trust would run to being around bison, elk, or bighorn sheep, as I contemplated when passing a livestock unloading point at Yellowstone last weekend— and I return that trust, and although that sort of relationship may be commonplace among people and horses, it is still special to me.

I have seen plenty of relationships between people and their horses that are clearly based not so much on trust as on dominance. We use their instincts in order to dominate them, quite explicitly stated, and dominance is a temptation to the corporal-punishment mindset. I have seen that temptation casually given in to, and then the dominance transmits aggression.

Wonderful quote from Temple Grandin: “nature is cruel; we don’t have to be.” So let’s not be cruel.

Yes, I accept the role I have taken as the one-who-decides, but it is nurturing dominance— responsibility, rather than who’s-on-top.

So: I am deeply aware of his trust in me, and I love how completely he gives over to my care of him and to bodywork. His tail is soft and supple, his back seems good, and although I see the tightness in his hind end, that too may be the least I have seen.

The current foot project is trimming his frogs, which have gotten… lavish.

Here he is with Dash, exploring an icy puddle.

I’ve been doing tail work every time I see Apollo, and whether or not it is affecting his confidence and therefore status in the herd, he is liking it. Especially (lately) the tail craniosacral hold.

Dash and Midnight visited while I tended to Apollo.

Today and yesterday Apollo was lying flat on his side napping when I drove up. Yesterday, Nicholas was standing guard next to Apollo, and today Nicholas was on his side napping as well, close by, but on the other side of the fence between front and back paddocks.

Nicholas stayed in the back paddock even after Apollo had his bowl and I opened the gate again. I wonder if Apollo and Nicholas are changing places in the hierarchy, and Apollo is now second from the bottom.

I am so relieved that he is truly in-the-herd now. I doubt he would be lying flat on his side among the others if anyone in the herd was picking on him.

Drove for the first time since the snowstorm, out to Jefferson City and then back to see the boy. His foot feathers were full of snowballs, and he liked it when I worked them off. Next time I will bring scissors.

Brian was there, and we talked. He does that same know-it-all thing that so many horse people do. And he’s a bit of a chauvinist; guess he doesn’t know any better. For some reason today that all got on my nerves. But he does take good care of the herd.

Lovely walk today out by Jefferson City, with a friend and a little black and white poodle, who mostly rode in her arms. Sunny, no wind, and 20 degrees warmer than in the valley, even though it is higher up.

Got about 18 inches of snow over two days. Shoveling!

When I came today, Apollo and the black pony were together in the back paddock. Hard to get a good picture of the black pony, because he has an oddly wide face, but here we are getting acquainted.

If the bowl were big enough, they might both eat together, but as it is, Apollo gives way to the other.

Pretty cold, but it was sunny, so I couldn’t resist going. Did the hello and body check, cleaned his feet and did releases on his front legs, then did some massage on his left shoulder, which for some reason he really liked. Big sigh, lots of licking and chewing.

Dash of course came running up. I get the idea she bores easily. Said hello to her, and to Penny, who also came up, and then Red. Both Penny and Red are receptive to energy work, and zone in right away.

Even had a moment with Miles, who came over and nuzzled my hat. When he got a little pushy, I did a mere suggestion of the turn-butt-as-if-to-kick thing that Jilli showed me, and Miles moved right off. Not alarmed, not frightened, but moved off and stood.

A good day, in spite of my blues. For the first time since Apollo moved here, he was standing close to another horse, the young black pony who was gelded in November. I hope they become friends.

Brought Apollo back to the big log, and after a body check and hello, did his feet slowly, stopping often to check in with him. I concentrated on the hooves of the hind feet and on the frog and toes of the front.

Took him for a little walk, up and town the berm, did some circles, paying attention to how he was stepping, watching for breakover. It seems to be just under the front of the toe, which makes rounding the toe make a whole lot of sense. In fact, his movement, front and rear, the way he was picking up his feet, looks better to me. His step has a spring in it, and it is clearly down to the breakover.

I remember how he used to stab with his front feet, and how his hind feet did not come under him. Now they do, all the way to where the front feet were.

Then I brought him over to the largest log, and he stood very nicely for me to climb on. We walked around the paddock a little bit, practicing backing, stopping, and moving sideways (don’t know whether we were doing shoulder in or haunches in, I’ll ask). He is getting very light backing up and halting.

I am working on learning how to turn. I trust that he mostly does what I am asking, so that when he is not doing what I think I am asking, I must be asking incorrectly. Lifting the inside rein, supporting with the outside rein. Remember! If I get a sigh while riding, and feel his back fill up even a little, I am thrilled.

I did bodywork before and after riding, spending more time on his tail, as Linda Tellington suggests tail work for confidence. I am hoping it will help him in the herd. He likes his tail pulled, leans away from it, lowers his head, blows, sighs. Nice. Did the somatic tail lift also. This time last year his paddock was icy and movement difficult. His tail was tight, and he was holding it stiffly to the side. Much better this year.