Horsing Around

The mares' field has been the quiet one.

The boys on the other hand...

I shooed the boys off from playing bitey-face when I hopped on the mower. When I got back they were at it again.

This was the result.

You'd think these muzzles were supposed to be disposable at the rate Carrie's been repairing them!

Sam's not only on the receiving end, by the way. 

Ellie bought a new fly mask for Magic. She was surprised when he came in from the fields with an ear missing from it.

Can you guess where the missing ear cover was?

Carrie turned the ear sleeve into a pouch for treats! You gotta make the best out of whatever is dealt!

Carrie tried to put a muzzle on Magic to level the playing field as an experiment.

There were more shenanigans.

I'm not really able to judge the severity of it. The boys move and posture a lot, but I've only seen Sam kick once or twice when really pushed and I've never seen (or heard) a connection. Is it mainly playfighting?

It feels like they both think they're the boss. Magic seems to instigate more. He's more likely to run across the field or pop up on his hind legs. Sam seems more chill about it, but he doesn't back down when Magic runs up.

The muzzles put Magic into overdrive and I saw a new behavior: Chest bumping.

Sam and Magic would bump chest to chest and then try to get under each other to go for knees.

It's hard for me to judge, but it feels a lot like play fighting or siblings trying to establish who's boss. They press each other, but neither one really seems to be out to hurt the other and they end up eating side-by-side.

Carrie only put the muzzles on for an afternoon. Magic's not on a diet! Ellie bought him a cribbing collar to help, but it hasn't gone on him yet. It should make it harder for him to play bitey-face yet still allow him to graze unhindered.

Meanwhile, Carrie is still looking for creative solutions. Her current creation works.....so far. She connected the muzzle to a halter.

Early signs are promising, but we'll see if it survives further horsing around.

What can I say? With horses, crap happens. 

Even on the go!

Sometimes the crap is the fertilizer life needs to spring up in all sorts of unexpected places.

Sunday was a new experience for us: Someone trailered in to have a lesson. I think Carrie charged $10, but I couldn't tell you if we ever collected.

The woman was the friend of Alex. Alex rides Sam once a week for a lesson with Ellie.

I found this picture funny: It took one person to handle the horse and two people to handle the child!

Ellie's daughter, Landie, is only the second person to come into our house in forever. Landie and Loki were both thrilled!

Landie's dad was supposed to pick her up, but he was running an hour behind and Ellie had two students to teach. Carrie allowed Landie in since it would be easier on everyone.

Shane acted like he really didn't want to play, but of course he did. He's good with little kids. Poor Loki got roped in!

Carrie went out to watch the lesson while I stayed in to keep tabs on the kids. 

Landie's dad, Steve, showed up a little bit later and Landie went off with him. "Maybe I can stay longer next time," she said!

I'd be fine with her coming in to play again. I was happy that she was there to help Carrie loosen up some about visitors. 

It was good to have someone trailer in to see how traffic flowed. We're supposed to host a riding clinic in late June. People will be coming in one or two at a time to have lessons with a trainer in our arena. 

Yup, the horses keep us busy and that's only going to continue. It's feels like the normal for us at this point!