joflasher | little bit jealous but of which one?

The Boy decided he wanted to go trail riding with me yesterday. Now he's heard the poinging Tisa/crashing Jo story a couple of times but he said he'd be fine. He said he could stay with her through the spooking even though he hasn't ridden in a months. So I let him. Out to the trails we went, him on Tisa and me on a newish gelding named Junior. Junior was a little unsure about me as a rider but pretty good about the trails.

Tisa? Tisa was perfect. No spooking, willing to speed up AND slow down on command, impeccable manners, no trying to eat, no making ugly faces when we turned down a path she doesn't like, nothing. She was the perfect little trail pony. She did none of the tricks she been throwing at me over the last few weeks.

We get back to the barn after an uneventful (but fun) ride and untack the horses. I get Junior situated in a stall with some hay and come back to find the Boy hugging Tisa around the neck and her "hugging" him back by wrapping her neck around him. She never does that with me. Me, I'm a convient scratching pole (Leslie, think Peppy with the full body scratch). Josh, though, is huggable. Its pretty obvious which one of us my pony likes best.

The Boy says its because he never does anything except trail ride her. He doesn't make her learn new things and constantly push her to do better. He just lets her poke around and do her own thing as long as her own thing is in the direction he wants to go. He's probably right. I've spent most of the winter riding her in the ring and teaching her how to move laterally (various ways of walking sideways and forward at the same time). Being a first rate clutz, Tisa is neither good at nor likes doing lateral movement. She knows that if the Boy is tacking her up, then we're going out of the ring and she's going to have a fairly easy day. So I guess I can see why I'm the mean one. Doesn't mean I have to like it, though.

I still get more hugs from the Boy than she does!