Hello my friends, and welcome to another edition of the Gimli Gazette, where I contemplate the mysteries of the universe and explain them as a courtesy to readers of my blog. This is equine wisdom expressed in human terminology for your personal edification.
I got three questions this week from a family attending the current session, so I will devote this entire posting to their inquiries. It brings me joy to see a family bonding over their interactions with me. I have a gift of bringing families together in this way.
The first question is, “Do you like Jireh, or is he crazy? Do you like him and is he nice and happy? Do you like to play with him?” Yes, I am a big fan of Jireh. We have our moments, but overall we get along quite well. Jireh is not crazy (as I wrote about in my last blog, #92), but simply silly. I am learning to appreciate his sense of humor with the passing of each day. He seems very happy and I enjoy playing with him. If he finds anything in the arena that he can fit in his mouth, he quickly picks it up and tosses it to me for a game of catch.
The next question also deals with Jireh. The young lady asks, “I was wondering if you have had to show Jireh who is the boss, since you two are the only boys? Or is Hawke the leader of the herd?” I try not to get into debates within the herd about who is in charge, or who is the lead horse. Since I have seniority over Jireh, I expect a little respect for how things go down around the ranch. Jireh has a lot of youthful energy that he needs to express, so I give him a little space to get it out of his system.
As for Ladyhawke’s role in the herd, she certainly does all that she can to “keep the boys in line.” In many herds, it is often the mares (females) who exert leadership. Since Hawke has seniority over all of us, we will defer to her wishes in matters of ranch life. She and I have met privately to discuss the best ways of guiding Jireh in his developing role at the ranch. We have our work cut out for us, but we are already seeing progress.
The final question is, “I noticed that you have amazing soccer skills today during the session. Have you been practicing?” Wow! That was very observant of you. A lot of my skill on the soccer field comes from natural talent and quality breeding, but I do work out a bit with a smaller jolly ball. You may have seen me at a recent Ranch Family Dinner take down a castle in the arena with a well-placed soccer ball kick. Soccer is just one of many areas in which I excel in. (In fact, I have yet to find any skill set in which I am not fully proficient!). You have a keen eye for excellence which I display every day at the ranch.
Well, that’s all for this week’s questions. I am having a great time working with the children in each session. I hope to be posting more questions from them in the weeks to come.
Happy Trails,
Gimli April 30, 2026