As a lead up to The Hobbit: The desolation of Smaug I have been re-watching maybe all of the LOTR movies and of course, the last Hobbit. Funny enough, this is how we came upon naming Hobbs. I saw the first Hobbit around this time last year, and a couple months after I found myself horse hunting. When I got Hobbs his name was 'Rocky' (terrible) and so I was on a war path for a good name. I was 21 years old, and never watched the whole series of LOTR. After watching the Hobbit my boyfriend thought it fit that I emerge myself in the series. We watched all of the extended versions which took about a month! As we were watching them I had moved through the process of horse hunting to horse owning, and there I was trying to find a name. I have a great note of names saved in my iPhone but none of them really fit. I remember wanting to name him Soren and being very keen on the name but going to the barn and finding myself just calling him Brown Pony, because Soren was just wrong. Gollem really does justice to the Hobbit name and I always laughed when he'd say 'Nasty little Hobbits'' and Hobbs pulled a jerk moved on me one day and I thought on my drive home 'Hobbs is perfect' is cross between the Hobbits and the great comic Calvin & Hobbs.
Back on topic here, I've spent a lot of my time in front of my Netflix. There is no cool way to put it. It's cold out, I'm hard pressed to find imagination and I'd rather sink into a Peter Jackson black hole of middle Earth. But this wasn't all a bad thing...
If you've watched LOTR a couple times, or only even once. As an equestrian of any sort, you will notice all of the magnificent horses, and how they aide man in the fight against those nasty Orcs. But there is one pony who stands out, among all the others.
"Shadowfax was a grey stallion and could understand the speech of men. He was seemingly fearless. He could run faster than any other horse in Middle-earth. No on except Gandalf could ride Shadowfax and he was given to Gandalf by King Theoden. He would not tolerate a bridle or saddle, and carried Gandalf by his own choice."
Back on topic here, I've spent a lot of my time in front of my Netflix. There is no cool way to put it. It's cold out, I'm hard pressed to find imagination and I'd rather sink into a Peter Jackson black hole of middle Earth. But this wasn't all a bad thing...
If you've watched LOTR a couple times, or only even once. As an equestrian of any sort, you will notice all of the magnificent horses, and how they aide man in the fight against those nasty Orcs. But there is one pony who stands out, among all the others.
"Shadowfax was a grey stallion and could understand the speech of men. He was seemingly fearless. He could run faster than any other horse in Middle-earth. No on except Gandalf could ride Shadowfax and he was given to Gandalf by King Theoden. He would not tolerate a bridle or saddle, and carried Gandalf by his own choice."
He's the most majestic. But I couldn't help but watch the movie and think of how this is exactly how I want Hobbs to be. I went into this purchase with no immediate plans, no showing, no selling, just a chance for me to use my extra time doing something I love. But when I rode my other horses, it was all about plans, now, I do have plans on a smaller scale, but I ride each ride as I need to (or as I think I do!) and I keep things pretty casual. No pressure on dates or engagements.
But as I've been riding, and changing scenery, I've had a old issue reopen and that is of one of Bravery.
The outdoor jumps were moved indoors at the barn, so the arena isn't quite what it was the other day. In Hobbs terms...
"HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM"
Hobbs doesn't really spook. But he does the plant feet in one spot and pretend to be horribly terrified move. I'm not mad at him spooking, majority of the time I just laugh at him and try to comfort him as much as I humanly can. But the problem I want to face is that I want Hobbs to be brave. I want him to understand as much as horsely possible that as long as I'm around that things are OK. When I do ask him to walk up to stuff, it isn't hard, I have ridden much spookier horses. But you know when you're riding and you can tell that your radar (those two picture frame ears in front of you) aren't quite focusing on the task at hand? That's what I don't want. I don't want Hobbs worrying about what's in the corner or under the window, and that I, personally, have got it mostly under control.
But how does one teach their 1000lb pet horse, to be brave?
I don't know yet for sure, but this bravery will come in installments of great ideas and possibly bad ideas. Last week we conquered scary standards that were in places they were not before, and then afterwards we went for a snow walk in places we haven't been before.
My goal is that when we reach new environments we aren't snorting and hunching our back, but we're inquisitive.
But as I've been riding, and changing scenery, I've had a old issue reopen and that is of one of Bravery.
The outdoor jumps were moved indoors at the barn, so the arena isn't quite what it was the other day. In Hobbs terms...
"HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM"
Hobbs doesn't really spook. But he does the plant feet in one spot and pretend to be horribly terrified move. I'm not mad at him spooking, majority of the time I just laugh at him and try to comfort him as much as I humanly can. But the problem I want to face is that I want Hobbs to be brave. I want him to understand as much as horsely possible that as long as I'm around that things are OK. When I do ask him to walk up to stuff, it isn't hard, I have ridden much spookier horses. But you know when you're riding and you can tell that your radar (those two picture frame ears in front of you) aren't quite focusing on the task at hand? That's what I don't want. I don't want Hobbs worrying about what's in the corner or under the window, and that I, personally, have got it mostly under control.
But how does one teach their 1000lb pet horse, to be brave?
I don't know yet for sure, but this bravery will come in installments of great ideas and possibly bad ideas. Last week we conquered scary standards that were in places they were not before, and then afterwards we went for a snow walk in places we haven't been before.
My goal is that when we reach new environments we aren't snorting and hunching our back, but we're inquisitive.