<< I can't imagine riding a blind horse
up those granite steps and along that drop-off above the lake.
>>
Hi Dorothy,
Thank you. You can see a photo of us on one of the bridges by Sterling
Point on the webpage (www.wildaboutcats.org/mojo2.htm) I sometimes
think that there is an advantage to the blindness in animals that
are instinctually flight-based. Technically, we don't want our
horses to take any step that we didn't dictate, but with the luxury of
their own vision, they sometimes decide to think for
themselves. Mojo is putting his life in my hands with every step and,
even though sometimes I forget, *he* never forgets that. I have the
ultimate in control with Mojo. The kind of control that we all dream of in
our horses. That they would put every body part where we want it when we
ask. Believe me, that trail is not as scary on him as it is on many a
sighted horse. Mojo is exceptional and well-suited to his blindness
because he has a sensibility and self-preservation instinct that overrules
everything. If spooked, he would never think to bolt of move anywhere
without my help. His rider is his eyes.
There was a pivotal point in his training and the development of trust that
seemed to click with him and us (two of us were working with him then). We
broke him to ride and he had whoa and walk and trot down. But he'd never
cantered or used that third gait and was afraid to when we'd ask. We'd be
in the arena for months, trotting FAST and asking for more and he'd just trot
faster. One of us mounted and the other would be chasing him with a whip
tickling his ankles trying to spook him into a canter so that we could instantly
reward him and tell him *that* is what we wanted. Finally when that
worked, he immediately figured out the gait. But the funny part is
this. That is when all the doors opened for that horse. He suddenly
seemed to understand that now he could do things *with* us that he could never
do alone. That was when we started taking him places, on trails, in groups
and shows, socializing with other horses, fun things, running fast, etc.
All stuff he'd never experienced in his life. He'd dive into a bridle with
anticipation, because when we climb onto his back, he is no longer blind.
