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           Horse Sense   cont....

This produced immediate and enormous chagrin on my part. I pulled much harder on the right rein and, truth to tell, a little harshly.

Mary stopped dead. Otherwise she did nothing. Not an ear twitched. Her head pointed forward, it was neither higher nor lower than in the seconds before. I'm sure that, if I had looked her hooves would have been neatly together.
Motionless. We were becalmed!

As someone who was accustomed to some authority over my fellow humans - that of course did not, and does not, include my children, I was momentarily at a loss. Shouting "Help" did not seem appropriate. There was clearly a need for man to show his superiority over a mere animal. I pulled the right rein quite firmly to reinforce my intentions. This obliged her to turn her head a little. To my great surprise that rein went slack in my hand as she continued turning her head far enough to fix me with her right eye for a good long look. This said only one thing "You've got to be joking." After this she tossed her mane in the air and resumed her sculpted pose. I do give her full marks for tact though. After all she could have commenced grazing, if she had wanted really to rub it in!

Now, in some mysterious way I did things which she recognized as competent horsemanship. I pulled both reins to the right, leaned into the turn that I hoped to make and gave a couple of simultaneously sharp digs with my heels. Her head went up sharply and she turned towards the slope and took a couple of steps over the rough ground.

Here she stopped again. This time with an enquiring glance over her shoulder. I patted her neck and said "Go on then"

And she did.

END

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