08/31/10 I Didn't Lose It

R was out shredding the pasture, and lost an item while sitting aboard the tractor. When I got home, he had a metal detector in-hand, and began walking pasture bit by bit. I knew I could try to help, but had a better idea than just looking by foot.

Romeo!! Hey Romeo! You wanna be a big boy & help Momma out? Good! Get your rump over here, and wear this saddle. It's time to be a working pony!! Romeo, his western saddle & western bit, and I, started walking.

And we walked.
And we looked.
And we walked.
And we looked.

While we didn't find what we were looking for, I learned a few things, and had a spooky fun moment.
# Romeo follows my head, and my seat, better than I ever realized. I caught us a few times, I'd turn my head, hands wouldn't move, and his head & body followed my head.
# He neckreins a whole lot better than I give him credit for. We were scouring the ground, looking all about, and a few times, I recognized that I had one hand on the reins, the other on my leg resting, and he was following every cue
# He'll go wherever I point, so watch out for low hanging limbs. *giggle* Thump!
# He still handles spooks the same as always...

Spooks! We got away from the barn, in the thick trees & brush, and wandered into a small clearing. Suddenly, Mo stopped hard with a little shake. A doe and her fawn scampered out of my pasture, into the neighbors, obviously scared. The baby ran and ran, stopped hard, looked back at Momma, and ran again. Momma, however, stood, tail flagged, and watched us. Realizing we weren't a threat, she walked off calmly. Romeo and I took a few steps down that fenceline, and I resumed my looking, cautious. Just then, the neighbor's one big dog, and two little dogs, came bursting from their yard, towards the doe, big dog leading the charge. The doe took charge. That dog wasn't getting her, or her baby. She reared up, kicking at the dog, and then chased the dog. The dogs were all barking nuts, the little ones approaching big dog in some effort to "get" the doe. That doe hasn't having any big of it. Not one little teensie tiny bit. She charged the dogs multiple times, backing them up in fear nearly to their little back yard chain link fence. Big dog finally got a little more aggressive, and chased her just a little ways across their pasture. She turned back, and charged big dog one more time, before big dog retreated, and ran back home.

During that whole event, I was up on Romeo (of course), watching. They were probably a couple hundred yards off, but with all three dogs barking hysterically, and that doe charging, Romeo never spooked, never startled. He, in fact, took a few walk-on steps, like he was annoyed I was asking him to watch the dogs. As we finally marched back on course, the doe glanced up at us, and went back to grazing quietly. The dogs found a new target to chase, Romeo. We kept on walking, they quickly realized there was a line of their owner's barbed wire fence between us, and went on back home.

Romeo is Romeo. His little tiny spook, squirting maybe 3-4", then halting, is just about my favorite thing about him. When he spooks, he doesn't run off, he squirts just a little, then stands, facing the spook, whatever it is. It's exhilirating, and comforting at the same time.