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“I see you have an open layout for everyone,” he commented on our way back to the stables. “Do you keep your horses that are harder to work with out of the way so they don’t get caught up with your clients?”
“He’s just as much a part of my facility as the rest of the animals here,” I told Cole. “I don’t use him to work with any of the clients who come through, but I can tell you right now, I’m not going to lock him away out of sight so no one knows about him.”
“I’m just saying it could be calmer for the horse to get him away from the rest of the action, especially if he’s shy or isn’t too keen on having strangers all over him. Not that you can fault an animal for that,” Cole said. “Or a human, either, for that matter.”
“None of the horses here have to have people all over them,” I said. “Equine therapy isn’t about having people all over you. For the client it’s not about being overly friendly with horses. It’s about communication and understanding. A lot of the people who come through and see these animals do not realize how much trouble they have in their own lives. I use the animals to help them.”
Cole nodded, though I got the impression he was being dismissive. I tried not to take his attitude personally, but he just managed to get under my skin in a way that no one else had in a long time. I started to hate the fact that I needed help with Romeo. From what the site said online, this was the guy I needed. After meeting him face to face and getting this chance to talk to him a little bit, I wasn’t sure I wanted to need him for anything.
Still, I continued to walk him to the stall where Romeo was munching on his hay.
As usual, the horse made it clear he didn’t want anyone to come near him, not even to pat his neck and see how he was doing. He pawed at the ground and kicked at the side of the stall, so I gave Cole a questioning look.
Cole, for his own part, seemed to make me and the rest of the world disappear. I watched the way he talked to the horse and was surprised with how Romeo responded. It wasn’t like the horse was fixed by any means, but just the little interaction the man and beast had showed me that there was hope here.
And that made me happy.
“What do you think?” I asked. “I want him to be able to work with anyone in the facility, but if he’s for those who are more experienced, that’s fine.”
“It’s not a matter of what you want, it’s what the horse is willing to do. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this animal doesn’t care what you want or how much you’re willing to pay me to ask him to do it. When it comes down to it, he’s going to have to learn that people are okay, and that’s going to take some time.”
“And I’m paying you to make sure he gets that message,” I said. “I’m paying you a lot of money to make sure he gets the message.”
I didn’t mean to sound as though I didn’t care for the horse, but I wanted to make myself clear to Cole. He was here to do a job, and I was the one with the money to pay him to do that job. I wasn’t quite sure how to handle the way he was arguing with me so far, so I felt the best thing to do was to establish some level of being in charge.
“Is he the one who needs to get a message here, or is that you?” Cole asked me.
“I want what’s best for him and for the clients,” I said. “And I want you to make that happen for both of us. I have faith in you, so I hope this doesn’t disappoint.”
“I’m sure he’s going to be fine,” Cole said, but it was impossible for me to read his tone.
“I’ll take you to your lodging now?” I asked.
“That would be great,” he said. “Thanks.”
I kept my comment to myself as I took him to a room by the barn. It was a place that hadn’t been used for a while, but it was clean and quiet. The perfect place for him to stay as far as I was concerned.
“I’ve stayed in worse,” he said.
“Good to know,” I replied. “I look forward to working with you.”
“Likewise.” Cole shook my hand, and I was relieved when he headed back to his car. He moved around fine with his broken leg, so I couldn’t fault him for that. But there was still something that made me wonder about this entire idea. I hoped he’d have it in him to help Romeo.
But I had to admit, I was skeptical.
