Yesterday my friend Katherine accompanied me to the stable. She was curious to meet Steen and excited to get out on such a nice day, so we took the scenic route out there and then I showed her around. She hasn’t been around horses much since her childhood, but Steen was very polite and clearly on his best behavior. He stood like a dream while she brushed him, took carrots from her like a regular gentleman, and when I showed her how to do basic leading exercises, he followed her along perfectly – all willingness and relaxation.
I rode him as well, and he remained extremely calm and responsive the whole time. He’s getting better about understanding that leg pressure means turn, not go faster (at least when he’s not distracted and excited) and he’s continually showing greater interest in people in general. The farrier really liked him because every time he stood up, Steen had his face right there asking for some pets. When Cathi was watching me ride on Sunday, even though he was acting up a bit, switching leads constantly on the fly, and never engaging his hindquarters, she said, “I think you got a really good buy.”
Yesterday, I rode for a while, explained to Katherine potentially more than she wanted to know about horses and then we did another brush-down before returning my noble steed to the pasture. All in all, it was a far more gratifying experience then the last time I introduced Steen to someone. I stayed in the saddle, Katherine seemed to enjoy herself tremendously, and Steen certainly didn’t object to the extra carrots.