Haltering Iggy can be a great adventure. Before I can get the halter on he has it in his mouth and starts swirling it round and round. Then he takes off racing around his paddock almost like a victory lap and only when I suggest he needs to stop will he come back so we can finish haltering... you see Iggy loves to play and will play with anything!
... with the lead rope it's the same story except he twirls it like a jump rope, he could easily be the other end of the rope as someone jumps... he also changes direction when asked.
I have given him "horse toys", balls that bounce, barrels to push, large buckets to put and take out his toys. He even has a quilted saddle pad which he loves for you to put on his back, after which he quickly reaches around (his neck can really bend and stretch) and pulls it off only to race around once more with pure joy and delight, the blanket swirling around from his mouth...
... but his favorite item to play with is our home made fly swatter. It is made like a horses tail that swishes to keep the flies at bay when the farrier works on his feet. Despite the tool's usefulness we have never been able to use it with Iggy because it's in his mouth immediately.
Iggy is a roustabout and a bit of a handful at times, but the gift or lesson in all of this... what Iggy is teaching me... is to remember that it is always the simplest things, a stick, a string, a mound of dirt mixed with imagination that really brings us so much joy, and a reason to give thanks.
From all of us at Imagine Childhood, to you and yours...
Happy Thanksgiving!
~Deb
*Last time in Barn Stories: First Snow
