Ranch Horse in the Making

Bombay has an active mind, so I have to give him a job to do every once in while... something besides going in circles at different paces, taking walks along the road, and desensitization exercises. When I was riding him on Saturday in the round pen, I noticed that the horses had managed to bust the fence, probably while itching themselves on it. I was exhausted from riding my bicycle and mucking manure, so I didn't want to have to dismount and walk over to the fence to fix it.

Instead, I rode Bombay over the to gate of the round pen and maneuvered him this way and that to help me open the gate. As soon as we walked out, the girls trotted in, so Bombay helped me shut the gate from the saddle and lock them in the round pen where they would stay out of our hair. I then rode Bombay over to the first fence post that needed fixing, stopped him, and worked on pounding the cap back into place with my hand. Once that was done, I urged him forward a few steps to the next fence post, and he waited while I pounded down that cap. We continued in this fashion until the top rail was secured.

I was surprised, yet not surprised, that Bombay knew just what to do. I had never asked him to help me repair a fence before, but he understood just what he needed to do to get the job done. Of course, he received lots of pets and pats and praise for his bright mind. What a guy!