Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 66518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
He ended up brushing out the entire horse, a little bit at a time, all while carrying on a quiet, one-sided conversation. Whenever Barbie started to become agitated, he returned to the horse’s head to pat his neck, talk to him, and assure him he was okay. It ended up taking a long time, but he was in no hurry. And to think—this was just one of the many animals in his care.
I’d already known Ryder was sweet and patient, but watching him now made me realize how absolutely extraordinary he was. This ranch and all the animals in his care were a living testament to his compassion, his kindness, and his need to help and nurture and make things better. There was so much beauty in his actions, and this place, and in the way he lived his life.
When he finally finished brushing the horse, he jogged over to me and picked up the bag of apples. “I’m going to give Barbie a treat and take him to his corral,” he said. “Then we can go visit my senior horses. If you want to, I’ll show you how to feed them. They’re very sweet and docile.”
My first impulse was to tell him no thank you, and to admit that I thought horses were scary. But this was a huge part of his life, and I wanted to experience it, instead of standing on the outside looking in.
After he finished with Barbie and turned him loose by himself in one of the fenced enclosures, I asked, “Doesn’t he like the other horses?”
“He doesn’t trust them.”
“What happened to him?”
“His previous owner was a rich asshole who decided it would be fun to pretend to be a cowboy. He was impatient, mean, and inexperienced, and he wrongly believed the way to train a horse was by breaking their spirit and forcing them to obey you. Needless to say, that got him nowhere, and like a spoiled kid with a toy, he lost interest pretty fast. Then he stuck Barbie in a stable and all but forgot about him. This guy’s groundskeepers kept him fed and mucked out his stall, but they barely interacted with him. That was how Barbie spent the first three years of his life, so it’s no wonder he’s skittish and distrustful now.”
He picked up the bag of apples and took my hand, and as we made our way to the pasture, I asked, “How did he end up here?”
“His previous owner started dating someone and brought her to the ranch, probably because he was trying to impress her. That totally backfired. She was furious when she saw the way the horse was being neglected, and she threatened to report this guy for animal cruelty if he didn’t let her rehome Barbie. She’d heard of me through a mutual friend, and she called and begged me to take him. Even though I have room for twenty, I’d thought eighteen horses was my limit in terms of time and resources. I knew he'd need a lot of extra time and effort, but I couldn’t say no when I heard his story.”
“Is your goal to find him a new home when you’re done rehabilitating him?”
“That’s what I try to do with most of the younger horses that come through here,” he said, “but Barbie is learning to feel safe for the first time in his life. Instead of uprooting him at the end of this process, I plan to keep him.”
“You’ve obviously got your hands full with all of these animals, and you mentioned Dwight, your ranch hand, only works part time. Have you thought about hiring more help?”
“I should, but I have a hard time delegating. I also wouldn’t trust just anyone with the horses. Dwight’s a friend of mine from high school, and he volunteered here for two years before I finally hired him and moved some stuff from my plate to his.”
I would have asked more questions, except that we’d arrived at a wooden fence, and Ryder called, “Hey Luna girl, come say hi.” A beautiful gray horse with a white mane and tail sauntered over to us, and he patted her neck through the fence’s crossbars.
“There are a few key things to know about horses,” Ryder told me. “First and foremost, never stand behind them, because you might get kicked. Second, try not to startle them. They don’t like loud sounds or sudden movements. And third, remember that they pick up on your energy. If you’re feeling anxious, they will, too.”
“Good to know.”
“Let me introduce you to Luna. She’s one of the mellowest horses at the ranch.”
“She’s pretty.”
“Do you want to feed her an apple?”
I hesitated before saying, “Sure.”
He demonstrated the technique—palm up, hand flat so Luna didn’t mistake a finger for a carrot—and I held out the apple for her. I thought she’d pick it up with her teeth. Instead, she snuffled it off my palm with her big ol’ horse lips while I tried to hold still and act like a grown-up. What I really wanted to do was shudder and drop the apple, because that felt weird as hell.