Midday is naptime around the barn. Maddy sat up in her private lot when she saw me with the camera.
Eddy was out cold and snoring. You can see his teeth!
I moved to get him in repose from another angle and he didn't budge!
He didn't get to sleep too much longer, because Heidi arrived. She woke him and put him to work!
All of the horses are starting to shed like crazy as the seasons change. Most have rub marks from their coats and Eddy's lost a chunk of his tail. Barbara gave Maddy a once over with the shedding brush and fuzz flew.
The warmer and wet weather has allowed for two things. One, the coats gets to come off during the day.
I couldn't tell you exactly what prolonged it. Was Lilly saying, "Friend!" and Maddy saying "Go away!"? Were they playing tag or setting up the herd order?
Two, there's mud. Once the coats come off the horses go for a roll.
Magic pulled a Two-Face with only one side caked. Ernie, on the other hand...
Ernie made sure to flop down on both sides to be fully covered!
The changing out coats morning and night are extra work, but hopefully the weather will warm up in a couple of weeks to the point I don't need to change rugs twice a day. Most of the horses have mediums and lights depending on the weather.
Lilly only has a light. She developed quite a natural coat in Pennsylvania.
Speaking of which, Carrie gave the okay to put Lilly out in the mare's field. She was happy to trot around!
Thankfully, Abby accepted her fairly quickly. There was a little running around, but Abby didn't act like her position was threatened.
Abby eventually moved to stand near her bff Eowyn while Lilly continued to trot around in delight.
But Eowyn wasn't destined to rejoin the herd. Carrie had me move her to the private lot. Abby's change averse nature was far from pleased.
Eowyn seemed okay with it. She walked around, checked in with the boys, and then went straight to the hay. As long as there's food, she tends to be happy (and eating).
The mare's field got wilder when I let Maddy out. The other girls crowded near her stall and Maddy came out squealing!
She slipped between Lilly and Abby and took off at a run!
General pandemonium ensued.
Horses are herd animals. They feed off each other. Eowyn eventually stopped running when she realized she couldn't get anywhere.
But she did some high energy pawing at the ground to let everyone know she was not okay with the crazy!
In the mare's lot, Abby calmed down first.
Lilly and Maddy kept at it.
I got some good pictures before the girls all settled down, but settle down they did. Maddy's stand offish in general to other horses, so the hope is Lilly and Abby will be buddies and the lot will be calmer with Eowyn in the private lot. Eowyn seems to stir everyone up to run and that's almost certainly how Maddy ended up hurt and on stall rest before.
In some ways, managing herd dynamics and drama reminds me of making seating charts for my classes. Only the kids are much larger, terrible at math, and poop all over.
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