As I stepped out of the house and closed the door, the horses heard me and all three started walking to the gate. Cherish had her head up and was looking towards me as she was walking. I had my notebook in my hand and my jacket on over my t-shirt without being zipped. Once I came from behind the wall, the wind grabbed me before I could zip up my jacket. There were snow flurries reaching down from the expanse of white sky. I paused for a moment to watch them ever so softly land on the ground and disappear.

I grabbed the new 9 foot line that we got from Parelli and took the clip off, deciding to try something. I put it on my halter without the clip to see if that would be easier to ride in. I put my helmet on, telling myself that I didn't have to ride but that if I decided to I would be prepared. By the time I got to Cherish, I had already decided that I would never take the clip of again due to coil tension, which Pat was right about. Even though she put her head in the halter, Cherish was very right brain and inside of herself... So I just stood with her with my head down for a while. After a bit, I started to rub her shoulder. She began to blink. I stepped back and continued rubbing her, around her butt and kept the rope on her back. I slowly slid the rope down over her hindquarters and to her legs, then rubbed it up and down from there. When I added the slightest pressure, she turned to face me and I drew her toward me. From here, she just stood with her head low as did I. I walked her around a bit more, just stopping a lot in between to let her take some mental rests. We didn't go far from the other horses because she was so right brained, but I didn't mind. I took her halter off and she waited a moment before slowly walking away. Sometimes I swear that with her nature and her quietness, it's like she were walking on her tip toes all the time.

She continued to look at me, expecting me to go back and get her. Instead... I crouched down on the ground. After a bit, all three of the girls started looking at me wondering what I was still doing there. I had not moved and I knew that my breath was barely noticeable. Finale walked up to me and nudged my hand (my arm was resting across my knees). I reached up to stroke her neck, and she only made a slight movement away which I retreated for. She brought her head back even more interested and let me scratch her neck and rub her face.

I walked over and stroked Hope's neck, then began to walk towards the gate. Cherish began to quietly walk up behind me, as if whispering "thank you", "you waited", or something of the like. I reached my hand back in an offer and she put her nose in it. So that I would not startle her, I turned around slowly and left my arm in the same place, hanging in the air. She looked at me with a soft expression, and the wind began to howl. I shuddered due to the wind that went straight through my jacket. I touched her nose one last time, turned around and closed the gate. I murmured goodbye to the three of them, grabbed the cat from its place on the small hill, and continued on my way with a fluff ball cuddling in my arms. The key turned quickly in the slot of the tack room door. I set the cat down, then turned briskly again to face the cold. Back to the warmth I went, back through another door, into the house.

......I wonder if I got my notebook.