The Patience Tree

On our little place tucked south of Stephenville, Texas, there is a peaceful, wooded area that is studded with live oaks, cattle pens and tall, soft grasses. It’s a place of solitude, a place of reflection, and a place of peace — unless, of course, we have someone tied to the “tree.”

Our yearlings are starting to get educated, which means we’ve got a fresh batch of unseasoned colts and fillies that don’t know how to be alone. They can’t stand still, they can’t stand quietly, and, honestly, they can’t stand anything alone, so they get to visit The Tree. It’s a big, pretty oak with a long, strong limb that boasts a swivel, a chain and a safe way to attach a halter. There is room to move but not enough to get up any speed or take out part of the tree. It’s close enough that we can monitor the lonely horse but far enough away that the horse certainly feels lonely. Usually, there’s a big bowl carved out below the tie spot from a horse who tried to dig to China in distress, and sometimes the horse tied up gets to paw up bucketloads of fresh sand (just depending on who’s been on the skid steer, of course). But one thing is for sure — a horse that hasn’t ever had to be alone will often whinny, dance, paw, trot tiny circles and worry, worry, worry.

We don’t ever put one out there thirsty, and we don’t leave one completely unattended. If we need to do something else with our afternoon, the horse comes back and will go back out at another time. Little by little, it gets a young horse to grow up mentally and figure out that standing still and being patient isn’t nearly as much work as worrying about what his friends are doing. Once a horse gets to where he or she isn’t bothered anymore (sometimes it takes hours, sometimes months), it’s time for a new one to give it a whirl.

Why would we do such a thing? Well, for one, safety for the horse. A quiet, calm and confident horse is a safer bet than a worried one in a multitude of situations. It’s part of the growing-up process. It also creates a safer environment for his handler or others who might be around. A horse panicked about his buddies creates a much greater hazard than one who is fine alone. Not to mention, it’s embarrassing when you haul somewhere, and your gelding is the one tearing up the ground and throwing a fit because he’s without a friend. Growing up isn’t easy, but at some point, it’s necessary.

To create this situation, one doesn’t have to have a grove of live oaks or even a tree. I know plenty of people who teach their horses to happily hang out solo at a tie rack, a fence somewhere, or even inside of a trailer. It gives the horse a chance to work and his rider doesn’t have to. It takes time, but investing that time now can pay off forever for an equine partner. There’s a lot of relief in traveling, showing or competing and knowing your horse will eat, drink and rest, with or without his friends around.

Yes, that little grove is often a place of solitude, but this time of year, there’s usually some sort of worried whinnying going on.

That, or the lovely sound of our Kubota filling in the big hole that the last horse pawed up.

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