Monday, March 25, 2013

Happy Birthday Mr. Personality

  "Through The Years"
"Mr. Personality"

On March 26, Blue will be turning sixteen.  Time flies.  I can remember when we first met him; he was a handsome four-year-old horse with his own unique personality. I should have known then how much I would admire this guy and come to love him. On the ride across L.I. Sound which took over an hour he was on a rocking ferry in a trailer with people he didn’t know and he never blinked an eye or made a fuss, but took it all in stride.  Typical Blue, of course--never expend more energy than absolutely necessary.

Blue is the most distinctive horse in the herd and not because of his paint coloring or his blue eye.   Paint horses have always had a special place in my heart because of our first horse Lifeguard and his very individual personality.  Lifeguard is the horse who taught me how to ride, to be gentle and think for myself while giving cues; he would not tolerate it any other way. We still miss him and remember him fondly.

Blue has always had the capacity to make me laugh.  He is one of those rare horses who knows who he is and is very comfortable with himself.  Being one of the smartest horses I’ve ever known, his antics are nonetheless very comedic.  I sometimes wonder if he pulls these stunts to make us laugh. He may not think so, but any horse who will climb into the manure dumpster and stand on top of the pile surveying his kingdom majestically is just downright funny.  One time he was at a show and needed to be braided. Unfortunately for the girl who did the braiding, Blue was taking a nap and refused to get up.  She pulled up a chair and braided his mane while he stayed lying down. Blue has been known to actually hide behind the run-in shed when he knew he was going to be ridden, occasionally peeking around to see if he was spotted.  He’s very seldom bothered or upset by any disruption to his day even while being ridden.  It brings to mind the time I was starting back riding after months off for knee surgery and took him for a walk along the fence line.  Halfway to the backfield, no less than seventy-five or so very loud motorcycles rode past on the road right next to us.  I was a little apprehensive but he never even looked at them.  Now that’s a horse you can trust.

Just last week the rest of the herd decided it was a good idea to spend the night outside.  Not Blue.  He came to the gate and insisted on being brought in.  It was cold, his feed, hay and warm stall were calling to him.  Blue likes his comforts and his sleep time.  He will often be seen grazing off in the distance alone.  So you can never accuse him of being herd bound.  Though, as our resident locksmith, if he feels like opening a random gate, like, say the gate out on the trails, and exploring the neighborhood, and some friends are willing to join him for the escape, he's also happy to take them along for the ride, as we found out one morning this winter when my daughter looked out the window to see some of the herd galloping gracefully over the neighbor's hayfield and across the street.

Some of the herd might crowd the gate waiting to be first to go in at nighttime.  If that happens he bides his time and comes in when it’s all clear so he doesn’t have to deal with the riff-raff. But if he looks around and sees no one is heading for the gate he’ll make eye contact with you and almost nod his head as if to say,  “I got this, do you?” and he’ll trot up to the gate to be first.  What can I say?  He's a complex guy.  There’s no way to put all of his personality quirks in a short post so this will have to do for now.  Suffice it to say Mr. Blue is one very cool horse.

Until next time

Quote for Today
The love for a horse is just as complicated as the love for another human being...If you never love a horse, you will never understand.

30 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great guy. Happy Birthday Mr. Blue.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cindy,

      Thanks, he is a great guy and he knows it too.

      Delete
  2. Blue is a cool color....so he is cool. Happy Birthday sweet and talented and smart and clever boy.

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    1. Hi Lori,

      I'll pass on the well wishes to Blue and let him know you think he's as cool as he thinks he is.

      Delete
  3. Happy Birthday, Blue!

    I love a smart horse with loads of personality.
    His blue eye looks really cool in the photo.

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    1. Thanks Val,

      Sometimes he's too smart for his own good I think.

      Delete
  4. What an excellent horse! I love his video - great theme song. (I noticed there were only two pictures where he was moving faster than a walk. ;D)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C,

      I'm surprised you found two! Blue doesn't go anywhere in a hurry.

      Delete
  5. You just described my experience with Paints in general. He's a real nice horse. You're lucky to have him.

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    1. Hi,

      All the Paints I've known have been very cool too.

      Delete
  6. I love Blue's style. :-) Happy Sweet Sixteen, Beautiful Blue! Smooches from Canada!

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    1. Thanks Wolfie I like his style too. He's such a character. I'll give him an extra smooch from you.

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  7. Happy Birthday Blue! You have a winner there, but you already know that. What a special boy!

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  8. Happy Birthday Blue! What a great horse he is. The visual of him peeking out from behind the shed to see if he's been spotted had me laughing. I love reading about all the different personalities horses have.

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    1. Hi Carol,

      Blue is a horse with personality to spare that's for sure. It's amazing out of a herd of seven and so many more in the past each one has had a different personality. Keeps you on your toes figuring out what works best for each one.

      Delete
  9. Great Quote .. and I watched the entire video - what a dream horse AND dream barn you have. He sounds like a horse that is much loved :) And he is gorgeous. :)

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    1. Blue is much loved by all of us here at the farm and he has a special spot in a lot of others hearts he's met too.

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  10. Awwww! I so loved reading about Blue's antics and personality. What a great guy!

    Happy Sweet 16th, Blue!!

    ~Lisa

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    1. Thanks Lisa. Glad you enjoyed reading about Mr. Blue. He is a great guy.

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  11. Happy birthday to Blue! We have two March birthdays - Cody turned 10 on the 20th, and Salina turns 30 on the 27th. They are in good company with Blue - I have always loved reading about his escapades. :)

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    Replies
    1. Happy to Cody and Salina! I hope she continues to do well. Thanks for the happy wishes for Blue.

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  12. Happy birthday to a special Blue boy! Love all the stories about him!

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  13. Thanks Kate. He is a character.

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  14. Happy Birthday Mr. Blue! He sounds like a wonderfully complex and fun horse! I had to chuckle when you said that he never wastes his energy, and even refused to wake up for his hair braiding. Now that sounds like our Harley horse! He too, has absolutely refused to get up several times and enjoys taking time to smell the roses...how funny! Come to think of it, I have that in common with these horses. :) Loved getting to know Blue a little bit better.

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    1. To know Blue is to love him. He just makes me happy and brings a smile to my face most days. I think the girl who braided him that day was just as happy to sit for a while as she was expecting, so maybe he thought he was doing her a favor.

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  15. Happy Birthday, Blue! Gotta love a horse with character!

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  16. That is a great description of a horse full of character! I love the image of him hiding behind the run-in shed. Happy birthday Blue.

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It's so nice of you to take the time to visit. I appreciate your stopping by and commenting on what I've written. Even though I sometimes don't have the time to reply to each comment, I do enjoy reading them.