Using a Scrub Route

It is incredibly flattering when my mare Madie wishes to engage with me during evening checks. It is especially flattering when she does this after I have skipped our training session earlier in the day because it feels like she missed our time together. One night on such an occasion I told her she should walk to the barn with me, and she did, traversing a quarter of a mile and interacting with me along the way, including helping me up a steep hill. Her foal wasn’t too pleased about being second priority!

But at temperatures close to zero (-17 Celsius) one evening, I just wasn’t interested in doing anything but getting done with my checks and back inside. Madie can be very persistent, following me for great distances to convince me to interact, so I needed a strategy to discourage her interest. I laughed at the idea that came to mind.

When I need to distract my mind from my to-do list, I like to listen to sports. This time of year, I enjoy college American football (I don’t enjoy watching as much because violent hits really bother me.) There is a strategy in the game called a scrub route where a player runs downfield with a defender in pursuit, and the offensive player runs close to a fellow player to ‘scrub’ the defender off the pursuit.

In the picture here, you see Madie’s ears; she is requesting interaction. You can also see a trail up the hill to the right. Just after I took this picture, another pony, Honey, appeared at the top of the trail and descended a few strides. Madie is subordinate to Honey. I instantly realized I could scrub Madie off my trail by walking up past Honey and then continuing out of sight because Madie was unlikely to attempt to pass Honey on the hill.

It worked. I was able to walk up and away from the herd with a focus on getting to someplace warm. Sitting in the warmth of my house telling this story, it feels a little unfair to Madie that I scrubbed her, but in the end I know it was not only best for me but it was best for her, too. In the cold I was far from being in an playful state of mind. I look forward to warmer weather next time!

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022