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Horses know when to be gentle!

My daughter and her family came to the barn this weekend. My six year old grandson gave some carrots to Biasini and Biasini took them very carefully from his little hands. Then the Barn Manager Carl, gave the kids a plastic jar of treats and suggested they could give some to my coach Belinda Trussell’s Olympic horse. He likes to have his head out and see who is coming and going. The family was happy to see him and give him some of the treats and lots of pats.

In the photo below you can see that the Olympian horse is taking the treat from that little hand with the gentlest of touches. Horses know. They know when they must be so very gentle. This second photo is a delight to me with my Grandson up on my son in laws shoulders and that little hand at the horses mouth.

I think he enjoyed getting the treats and also being the center of attention. My daughter already knew this horse but when I told the rest of the family he had been to the Olympics in 2016 they were impressed. Horses are wonderful animals and they understand us far better than we think they do.

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anne leueen

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Comments

40 responses to “Horses know when to be gentle!”

  1. rkrontheroad Avatar
    rkrontheroad

    So sweet! I haven’t spent all that much time around horses, but they seem to be very sensitive creatures. My father used to take us to a local park with a race track used for training, and we would always bring carrots, so I felt their gentleness at an early age.

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      I think they know when they need to be gentle and unless they have been badly treated by humans they are.

      Reply
  2. Camryn Avatar
    Camryn

    How sweet!!

    Reply
  3. Maria Avatar
    Maria

    Horses sure do know when to be gentle, I’ll agree to that any time. I four enlarged prints in my daughter’s bedroom, three of them are with horses. One photo is of a wild horse, the other two has her as a baby/toddler in them.

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      That sounds lovely for her room.

      Reply
      1. Maria Avatar
        Maria

        Yes 🙂

        Reply
  4. David Avatar
    David

    It’s great your daughter and her family was able to come visit and have a fun day.

    May I ask if Belinda is going to Tokyo for the Olympics, or staying home? I only ask because the trials for the US team have been going for the past couple of weeks. The large Japanese hospital, Saitama University Medical Center, the docs said they would prefer the Olympics be canceled because they are maxed out with COVID cases. And, with IOC now wanting to have spectators. I fear it would be a disaster if it happens. The vaccines are good, but they’re not silver bullets everyone is making them to be.

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Belinda is not going to Tokyo. She did declare back in the autumn but made the decision not to go to Florida to compete due to Covid. For the Canadians it was necessary to go to Florida to get the scores. There were to have been two CDIs here in Canada in May /June but both were cancelled due to Covid. So the Canadian Dressage team is the three riders who went to Florida : Brittany Fraser Beaulieu, Lindsay Kellock and Chris von Martels with Naima Laliberte and Jill Irving as reserves. I agree about Tokyo. I hope it will not be a disaster but it certainly could be. I also agree that so many otherwise intelligent people see the vaccines as the silver bullets. Look at the UK and their rise in cases of the Delta variant. They were heading for a complete reopening and have put that off now due to the rise in cases.

      Reply
  5. JohnRH Avatar
    JohnRH

    Wonderful, gentle animals.

    Reply
  6. J.W.S. Avatar
    J.W.S.

    Fine animals can help us all gain a fine day.

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      I agree!

      Reply
  7. workinacresnothours Avatar
    workinacresnothours

    How sweet what beautiful family photo memories to have. You can see the horse is using every muscle to be extra gentle, an Olympian in every way.

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Yes he is an Olympian in every way. My horse was given a carrot by my Grandson. I showed him how to hold the carrot ant then to hold it up to Biasini’s mouth. Biasini took the carrot without touching my Grandson’s fingers! I believe horses know when they must be careful with a young person.

      Reply
  8. Tina Schell Avatar
    Tina Schell

    What a fun post Anne, and lucky you to have such a wonderful visit with family. I absolutely love the image of your grandson and the gentility of the horse. They are such amazing creatures.

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      They are amazing. This horse is a very special one. He had an injury before the 2012 Olympics in London and was not able to take part in that. At the time it looked like he was going to be retired. But he came back and went to the World Championships in 2014 in Normandy and then on to the Olympics in Rio!

      Reply
      1. Tina Schell Avatar
        Tina Schell

        Wow – amazing spirit!

        Reply
  9. Irene Avatar
    Irene

    Making memories! Gotta love it.

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Exactly! Thanks Irene.

      Reply
  10. dprastka Avatar
    dprastka

    I’m pretty sure I left a comment and am wondering if it went to spam folder?
    I’ll try again as I love this so MUCH!! Having family and your grandson there and in person, it’s all so special!! ❤️🐴

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      I checked and it did not go to Spam. It must have been waylaid to the Great Ether! I am glad you tried again. It was so much fun to take them to the barn and have them meet some of the horses, including Biasini and the Olympic horse. We also went up to the big paddock on the hill where there are two retired horses and a companion pony that my Grandson has ridden a couple of times two years ago. He still calls her “my horse”. She actually belongs to the barn manager and his daughter rides her. A great day and fun was had by all.

      Reply
  11. doar nicole Avatar
    doar nicole

    What an interesting detail, in fact not a detail at all. Yes, I always noticed, mostly in movies, how people give treats to horses, but never actually tried it myself, wondering if that is safe, if you have to know how to do it… So nice now to find out that horses themselves know how to be gentle and such. Lovely post, altogether too! 🙂

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Most horses are delicate about taking treats. The thing is they should be offered on a flat hand. Then the horse just wiffles them up with their upper lip. They are not able to see down their nose to see where the hand is.so you put out your flat hand with the treat on it up to them and they take it. If you have a carrot you can hold it in your fist with the end sticking out and they will take it from you. My little Grandson gave my horse a carrot like that and it was fine. Horses know when they have a young and small person and they react accordingly.

      Reply
  12. Emma Cownie Avatar
    Emma Cownie

    What lovely photos.

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Thank you Emma. I told my daughter I had to run and get my phone when I saw they were with the Olympian horse. My favorite is of my Grandson on his Dad’s shoulders holding out his little hand with a treat. I hope your move is going ok.

      Reply
  13. Subbashini Meenakshi Sundaram Avatar
    Subbashini Meenakshi Sundaram

    Lovely and different day for the family, good to see.

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Thank you Subbashini. They loved seeing the horses and giving them treats.c

      Reply
  14. Lesley Avatar
    Lesley

    Lovely photos of togetherness. 😊🐴💖

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Yes. A family together with a kind horse. Thank you for this comment.

      Reply
  15. allysnotebook Avatar
    allysnotebook

    Nice photos of family feeding the horse. Just a question Anne – if someone is tense and frightened when near a horse does the horse sense it and also become tense ? . I had a terrible experience when I was a child , got chased by a horse and have never really got over it. I do know that horses are beautiful animals.

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      If a person is tense and nervous the horse will pick that up and will think that the person is nervous because there is something dangerous. Then the horse will become nervous as well and be looking for things to escape from. I am sorry you had a bad experience with a horse. I can understand that you would not get over it. They are big animals and they can be dangerous. Usually a horse that has a mean streak has been badly treated in the past and does not trust humans. That is a sad outcome.

      Reply
      1. allysnotebook Avatar
        allysnotebook

        Thank you Anne for explaining that to me. It is sad that I never got over my fear. If I was a lot younger (am 70) I would consider doing a desensitization program. I am happy to admire from a distance and even do sketches of them 🐎🐴🙂

        Reply
        1. anne leueen Avatar
          anne leueen

          I don’t think there is anything wrong with admiring horses from a distance. I think it is nice if you sketch them and can enjoy that.

          Reply
  16. Michele Lee Avatar
    Michele Lee

    How wonderful!

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Thank you Michele.

      Reply
      1. Michele Lee Avatar
        Michele Lee

        🌻

        Reply
  17. dprastka Avatar
    dprastka

    AWW, this just melts my heart!! I’m soooo happy you were able to have the family visit the barn and give some treats! The horses do know, and they are so kind and gentle. Love the photos and your grandson is so adorable! Warm hugs to you and your beautiful family Anne! ❤️

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Here is your earlier comment. I have had a busy day today and did not get to approve all the comments that came in. Thank you for this one. Hugs to you to Diana!

      Reply
      1. dprastka Avatar
        dprastka

        Awww, no worries Anne! Well, I guess I was a little worried. Thank you!

        Reply
  18. popsiclesociety Avatar
    popsiclesociety

    A beautiful day for all 🐴😉

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Yes it was. Thank you Ribana.

      Reply

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