It's a guy thing..

This past Saturday while my husband diligently did some house chores, I loaded a couple horses up and went riding. The horses left behind gave me lots of pitiful looks as the 'Chosen Ones' got a snack in their stalls, then loaded in the trailer with full hay bags to keep them entertained. It was all self pity, they had all gotten breakfast.

Sunday my husband came with me to ride, and as it was close to breakfast, we decided to just halter the horses we wanted, and bring them in rather than bring the whole herd into the barn. My husband went to get his MFT gelding Mithril, who after being snubbed the day before, was having none of it. He kept walking away, and avoiding being caught even though my husband had cookies. Meanwhile Cricket the Morgan was following him around saying Me! Me! pick me! I wanna go! and practically putting her head in the halter. So he haltered her, brought her in and groomed her. Making Cricket a very happy girl. (yay, attention!) Then he put her in her stall with a flake of hay to munch, pulled my horse Shadow in (Shadow comes when she is called, esp with cookies) and put her in her stall, leaving Mithril alone in the pasture. He then got Duncan, the draft from the other pasture and groomed him.

Meanwhile Mithril is looking in the barn seeing his girls happily munching, and Duncan (hated yet feared rival) getting attention and cookies. We put everyone up except for Mithril, then hubby went to the gate and called him. Mithril stood about 25 feet from the gate and turned his back on him. He wasn't coming, no matter what. Even if everyone in the world was in a stall eating, and cookies were being offered, he wasn't coming. My husband refused to leave the gate, insisting Mithril come to him. It was a standoff. So I went in the pasture thinking I would tell Mithril to 'go in the barn' a command he knows well, and as he is wary of me (boss mare in his eyes) he usually obeys very quickly.

I tell him to go in the barn, and even use my hand motions to shoo him along. His head goes up, he skitters a bit, but never once turns towards the gate. I walk up to him, grab his mane and nose, and try to lead him to the gate. Nope, he is not moving. He refuses to turn. He is determined to NOT go to the gate, because then my hubby would win! I told my husband 'You will have to come get him.' He walks over, and Mithril never moves while he puts the halter on, and leads perfectly back to the barn.

Mithril is still King in his pasture. It was totally a guy thing.