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Monday, October 26, 2009

JJ: Cut-Ups

Cutter was quite a teacher. He and I had a few episodes when we disagreed, but I usually won. He was better looking, smarter, stronger, and maybe even stubborner, but I was meaner. My testosterone level exceeded his. He dumped Bec unexpectedly and left her crying on the ground. He was trotting off happily to return to his interrupted grazing when I caught up to him. After a short discussion and my fist visited with his nose I took him for a ride and he was as obedient as a guide dog. I rode him over a wood pile and forced around and into a lot of places he didn't want to go, and when I turned him back over to Bec the good behavior continued. Cutter had three ways of unburdening himself or humans. One was classic head down, back arched, rodeo style bucking. One was a cute little trick of dropping his left shoulder and spinning to the right, which usually left the rider in midair wondering where the horse went. The third was probably the most dangerous -- he'd tuck his left legs under him and fall over onto his left side. That was a little hard on the rider's leg. He did that to Bec up in Dower Draw, but it was in soft snow and she got up before he did and laced into him with everything she could grab. He behaved for a while after that . . . I found him wedged in the gate out of the pasture one morning, the little one for the exclusive use of us two-legged critters. He'd worked the latch open and tried to get out to graze but didn't make it. He took a look at me and gave a massive shove backward and tore free before I could grab him, probably a good thing because I was upset at him. I guess we called that one a draw. Cutter was an escape artist and an expert at getting through or over fences, opening gates, and nuzzling open latches. We kept him at a neighbor's place for a while where we visited him once a day and watered and fed him. One morning I found him back in the far corner of the pasture straddling a fence. He'd pushed over a post and got his front legs over the fence but he high centered and couldn't get his back end over. There he stood in the mix-up of barbed and woven wire, calmly waiting for me without a scratch on his legs or body. He was too smart to struggle and going by the pile of manure behind him he'd been there since the previous day, so I guess he was patient too. He imitated a statue till I got everything cut away or pried away, then trotted over to the trough and drank for a long time. I guess escaping is thirsty work. Cutter considered himself to be top dog and didn't take any guff from any of the other horses. Dani had a little colt that we had to keep until it was weaned. Cutter gave the colt a lesson when it tried mounting him one too many times after it started to mature. He nailed it in the chest with both rear hooves when it was trying to climb aboard, and the colt backpedalled twenty feet before it was able to get its front feet back on the ground. He was a little more cautious after that. P.S Actually, it worked the first time he did it which was in the snow. He tried it again somewhere else, and she saw it coming and stayed on the top as he rolled. He got the tar beat out of his underside and got back up quick with her still on. THAT was the last time he tried that. TBC (Me)

1 comments:

Feral Medic said...

Actually, it worked the first time he did it which was in the snow. He tried it again somewhere else, and she saw it coming and stayed on the top as he rolled. He got the tar beat out of his underside and got back up quick with her still on. THAT was the last time he tried that.

 
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