This morning I was able to haul Lynx to Chris's family farm to ride, and I was given permission by the neighbor to ride Lynx around his cattle. My goal for today was simply to have Lynx see, smell, and be in the same area as the cows. Especially since it was just me with Lynx and he didn't have a buddy horse to show him the ropes, I wanted this to be a really boring introduction to cows.
I'm happy to report we had great success! First we cruised around the farm a bit to look at the the old farm equipment and see the old buildings. Lynx handled everything like a pro, even letting me grab his ears to squish deer flies that landed on them. At one point I wasn't sure if a wire gate was open or not, so we started down a little narrow trail and then saw it was closed. Lynx was great, I asked him to back, and he just maneuvered his way backwards out of the little trail and then we turned around.
We then rode in the fields in the vicinity of the cows, so he could smell them and get a good look. At one point we were in a field next to the cows with some trees and a fence between us, and the cows were wallowing in a pond. As we approached, not one but FOUR great blue herons took off. The flapping and squawking startled the cows who began lumbering around and sloshing through the mud to make their way out of the water. Lynx did his "big spook", which is when he kind of hops in place, putting one foot in each direction, just in case. He then just stared through the tree branches and assessed the situation. Deciding it wasn't an emergency after all, he resumed his walk through the field.
When we eventually made our way into the cattle's field, I had to dismount to get us through a wire gate. I don't like to do wire gates from horseback because of the hazards of wire around horse's legs. Lynx was fine with this, and was very mannerly about going exactly where I gestured so I could refasten the gate behind us. I then remounted from the ground, and that was the first time Lynx has been mounted without a mounting block. Again, no big deal, he just waited for me to get situated and then we carried on. I normally like to use a mounting block because it's so much easier on the human, the horse's back, and the saddle, but when trail riding like this it's not always possible. So it's a definite bonus to have a horse that can be mounted from a block or from the ground when necessary.
Once we were in the field with the cows, we walked along the edge of the grass until the cows and Lynx noticed each other. Initially Lynx walked and watched, and the cows leisurely wandered away from us. We never got too close, again because I was aiming for a boring introduction to these livestock. At one point, though, the cows got curious about us. They all gradually turned as one to face us, and began walking towards us as a giant black mass. It was right about then that I could feel Lynx's heart start pounding. It's a funny sensation when a horse is truly on alert, because you feel the horse's heart beating almost as though the girth and saddle are vibrating.
https://youtu.be/8B3dDKqmFkI?si=R6hxAyiKk6Ui76L4
When something has the potential to really scare a horse, I try to make sure I continue talking to him throughout the experience. This is for a couple reasons, the main one being that I don't want him to forget he has a human he knows riding him. It could be much more exciting than anyone wants if the horse forgets he's being ridden, I move, and then he panics thinking that a predator has somehow gotten onto his back. I continued talking to Lynx, and he listened to me and never did get too anxious. Ultimately he took a step or two towards the cows, which caused them to all slowly turn around and move away from us. That was all Lynx needed for reassurance, and he calmed down to watch the last of the cows and calves trot by to join the main group.
We then proceeded to go back out the field the way we entered, again dismounting and remounting and of course closing the gate behind us. We toured a few more fields on our way back to the main house, and then went down the driveway over the wooden bridge to where I'd parked the horse trailer.
Lynx sure did well for his first time riding at this location, first time seeing this much farm equipment and old buildings, first time seeing cows, first time walking over a bridge, and doing it all on his own with only me for moral support. No dogs, no other horses, he just trusted me to keep it all in hand and we had a great time.
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