You know the scene in movies where people are fighting over a valuable object? They all pull it in a different direction until finally it slips out of all their hands and flies in slow motion up into the air. All the people stop and stare as it turns end over end and then crashes spectactularly to the ground and smashes into a million pieces. That actually happened to me yesterday. It wasn’t in slow motion though. I was sort of disappointed.
The day before I needed to catch the horses after they had only been out for a little bit. To make this more appealing for them I brought out the horse peppermint treats. Prize loves peppermint treats. Spirit doesn’t like them and Rosie had never had them. Rosie thought they were pretty good though.
So, yesterday I needed to catch them again before a thunderstorm so I grabbed the peppermint treats. Prize ran away when she saw me so I figured that peppermint treats or not this was not going to be as easy. Then Rosie realized what I had. She came running full speed towards me from the other side of the pasture. I was a bit concerned about her stopping powers but she slid to a stop with her nose in the container of peppermint treats. Apparently she really liked them the day before. She’s never showed that much enthusiasm for me before.
I got her haltered and went after Prize. She saw Rosie eating so consented to being fed treats and getting her halter on too. I ignored Spirit since he was ignoring me and peppermint treats have no hold over him. I knew he’d follow if the girls were leaving.
Then I tried to walk to the barn. Here’s the scenario. Holding Prize’s lead in my left hand, Rosie’s in my right, and the container of peppermint treats with both hands to keep it in the middle of my body. It had to be in the middle because if it went to one side or the other the horse on the far side was convinced that she was being denied treats. But when it was in the middle each horse was trying to get it and impeding my forward motion. We got all the way to the gate and through it before the fighting over the peppermint treats got too much. The container went flying just like in the movies and spilled treats all over the ground. I used my best imitation of my mother and sternly informed them that, “No one gets any now!” But even after putting them in the stalls they were reaching their necks out as far as possible and begging for peppermint treats like junkies needing a fix.
