BFFs?

A strange question popped into my head out of the blue the other day. "Would you be friends with your horse?" The obvious answer is "Yes, I am friends with my horse, I love him/her." But I mean, if your horse was a person who had the same personality traits as yoru horse.... would you hang out with them? Again, when I asked myself this, my inital repsones was "of course!" Mostly because I didn't want to think about it too much and find out the answer might be no. I mean, what kind of person would I be to say I don't want to be friends with my horse. But because I'm over analytical and like to think about stupid unsignificant crap like this I started thinking about all the horses I've had and if they would be my friends. The answer is yes.... and maybe not.

I've had horses with a range of personalities... from docile to stubborn to smart to nervous. Combine that with the fact that I have a rigid personality that only lets me really get along with a handful of people I meet, the likelihood of me liking all my horses gets pretty slim. Let me clarify something... I'm not a raging bitch that hates everyone I meet. I get along with most people for a certain period of time. But the people I call friends are those that I genuinely enjoy being around, can talk about anything, and can handle me even in my worst moods.

And just because I may decide me and my horse may not be human friends doesn't mean I don't love them and appreciate them. I do, I've loved every horse I've owned, and all for different reasons. The fact of the matter is you pick your horses with different criteria than your friends so a good friend might not make a good mount and vice versa... another reason why this whole question is moot, but we will go for it anyways.

First off is BeeBop, my first, beautiful blonde gelding. BeeBop was sweet, docile, willing to try anything and in general a good guy. He lugged me around and let me do all sorts of silly things like slide off his back. He was the best first horse a girl could ask for. As a person, I see him as the laid back, go with the flow guy. And to be honest a bit of a push over. BeeBop never really had an opinion and I'm afraid I'd end up walking all over him. Sorry darling, I love you forever, and maybe we'd be buds at work and share stories but don't see us going off on any long bonding retreats.

Then came LE (short for lop ears). LE was stubborn, opinonated, but still smart and hardworking. She'd do pretty much whatever you asked but would let you know how she felt about it with a little hop or a grind of her teeth. LE would be that friend that doesn't hold back, she is going to tell it to you straight and not spare your feelings, and I can get along with that. I think me and LE would be great friends. I find the people I am closest to are the ones I can go to for advice and aren't going to just tell me what I want to hear. Granted LE might get on my nerves every now and then when she got into one of her moods, but I'd just throw the honesty right back at her. :)

My sweet Gunner. Gunner was the first horse I bought all on my own, with no trainer or parents to guide me. He was a sweet boy that would follow you around the ring and the pasture. One of my favorite things to do with him after a ride was just walk around the arena and have him follow me, I'd run, he'd run, it was the cutest thing. Because of that I imagine Gunner as a cute boy with a little crush. But... Gunner was timid. He was afraid of anything new and anything that moved in general. And for that sorry buddy but I don't think we could ever get seriously involved. I need someone a little more adventurous. But I'd certainly keep him around, who doesn't love a cute boy vying for your attention.

And lastly, my Dexter. Smart, funny, willing to try new things but a little apprehensive. Throughout our training, Dexter has tried to figure out what I want, he gets frustrated some times and sometimes he decides he's not in the mood and throws a bit of a fit. But I can tell he's trying and thinking. Plus he does some hilarious things some times, stuff that just makes me laugh out loud. Dexter would be one of my good friends. I think he'd be the smart funny one trying to make sure everyone is having a good time. But he'd have his own ideas too, not just go with the crowd.

Well, that was fun and pointless. I'm sure it would be much more interesting to read for those who've known my horses, but maybe it will get you thinking.... would my pony be my BFF? Maybe, maybe not... does it really matter, they are all so special anyway.