The soft nickers and nuzzles, the majestic beauty and speed – The private comical antics are an envious treasure indeed.
It has been at least three years since Dallas resided on my farm. He was a gorgeous retired show horse who didn’t know how to be a horse. He had to learn how to make friends and respect the social order of the herd. He had never been allowed to play with other horses in order to keep him from getting any injuries or marks on his perfect coat during his show days, so he was a little slow making friends at first. He had always been a “hot house flower” and got the best care. This included the best food, hay and treats – and he got them often. This fact is what made him very popular very quickly. It didn’t take long before the others figured out that when we called “Dallas” that it meant something good was coming and no one wanted to mess up a good thing. Although the treats and extra servings of feed were earmarked for Dallas, I always felt guilty about showing favoritism and made sure everyone got a couple of bites of something good every time he got something. The others all wanted to be his best friend and get in on the goodies. In a very short time, when I called “DALLAS”, the entire herd would come thundering over the hill and race down to the gate.
They come running.
Dallas was eventually moved to another state, but the tradition remained. All I had to do to get the entire herd down from the pasture is to call out “Dallas” and they would come running. The funny thing about this is that not only the do the horses who were here and experienced the benefits of responding to that call run to the gate, but the information has been passed along to the new horses who have come to live with us since Dallas has left. Somehow, it has been communicated to them that when we call out that name, it means dinnertime. To this day- and it has been years now – that is how I call my horses.
Knowing Horses by Heart 