It’s been 13 days since we threw our herd together. It’s gone amazingly smooth, especially once the girls came out of heat – geesh! Hormone City… Most of the time there’s peaceful energy surrounding our equines. They graze and walk the 5 acres then graze some more. They rest in the shade of trees or in one of the sheds where fans can cool them. Life is good.
There is but one tiny hitch – Becca and Sam seem to have a love / hate thing going. One minute they are happily next to one another…
and the next they are biting, squealing and kicking! None of it is terribly aggressive or we’d have worse injuries. After days of observing them we’ve come up with a few theories. They’re both young and a bit full of themselves. Becca thinks she’s all that and Sam knows he is so conflict is bound to happen. Both have limited experience being in a herd situation. Cass and Tanner are more mature and know how herds work so they mostly keep away from any ruckus. They know what’s important – grazing.
Tanner waits for the girls to head out before following, making sure the all clear’s been heard.
Sam is taking the brunt of the kicks Becca is dishing out…
And Becca is taking some bites from Sam…
Thankfully, she’s a fast healer. The bites have hurt I’m sure, as have her kicks to him. But, that’s what horses do.
Part of their dispute may be over Cass. I’ve said before how she evokes feelings in others they themselves don’t understand…I mean, just look at her!
Cass and Sam have a strong bond from our original barn 2 years ago. Sam was beside her in the barn every night we awaited the birth of Becca. They traveled together to Leslie’s for training and found friendship when both were unsure in a new place. Now they’re back together and enjoying one another. Becca is the rare horse who’s known only a few months away from her mother. They are extremely tight. So, some of the problems between Becca and Sam stem from them wanting to be with Cass. I’ve seen both run the other off away from her. Cass is waiting (as are we) for them to work it out.
The donkeys hang with all of them. They do their best to stay out of the way when any crazy running is going on. Clementine loves to help in the barn when we’re grooming or doing chores. Her momma, Mathilde usually stays a little away. She just isn’t quite as brave as her daughter.
Therese and Tanner are motivating both Gayle and I to get back in charge of our training. He’s such a great example to have around and we hope his wonderful manners are rubbing off a bit.
See, Becca’s already learned to ground tie again. I’ll admit I’ve let her get away with a lot.
She’s almost as breathtaking as her momma. I’m so glad she’s healthy and well-adjusted. Becca is a rarity and I hope I do her justice as she grows. We have a lot more firsts to accomplish together.
Cass asked me to tell Gayle, “thank you very much for cleaning the water troughs…
our mom’s not the best housekeeper sometimes.” 🙂
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