I missed joining you for several days while I was in KC. We were preparing for the big Thanksgiving holiday.
While in KC I was lucky enough to go to the American Royal horse show. I watched the USEF saddle seat equitation finals. Spectacular. There was also a full docket of saddlehorse and pony classes. The old show bug bit pretty bad!
Technology has hit the show ring. I rented a receiver with an earbud that I kept while watching the show. There was a live feed into my ear from very knowledgeable people as the class was being shown. For a horse show junkie who has been way out of the industry for a long time, it was like being part of the old action. I could hear all the ins and outs of the show horse, the rider, the owner, and other pertinent facts about the class. For novices, the monitors discussed what the judges were looking for. Apparently, a person could subscribe to a webfeed of the American Royal horse show and log on to watch every class over the Internet. Subscribers could also text and email comments to the people announcing the play-by-play live action to my earbud. It was very interactive and made me feel like I belonged back in the old groom days.......the good old days! Very fun and nostalgic.
I barely got my suitcase into the house when I zipped over to the jungle to visit the herd. They are sooooo happy to see people during the winter. Since we stopped trailering twice a week to the fairgrounds for classes, the horses are quite willing to come see you at the jungle. Of course, we only have a few remaining from the old fairground days. That's another story.....
The horses all got a little grain treat. I was particularly interested in how Misty was doing. When you last heard, Misty was struggling to fit into the herd. She has been with us three full weeks.
We first met Misty at her home. She lived in a barn lot joined to a small pasture. Every now and then she and her herd went to a wooded pasture. I can recall seeing three other large horses and one pony in her herd. One of the horses she shared home with was her mother. Apparently, Misty had lived with her mother for her full five years. Misty maneuvered within her herd without concern. She did not yield or dodge the movement of any other horse. She pushed her way through or led all the other horses to their destination. Her main concern was getting to the front gate to greet the three new people who had come to see her. Misty didn't seem to concern herself with the fact we had come to see her. What was important was that she was determined to see us. She did not threaten the horses in her herd while she negotiated her way to the front gate where we were. She popped her classic Haflinger face over the gate and her big eyes both implored and demanded that we come see her. She welcomed our pats on her face and neck. She didn't show any jealousy to the the older gelding getting his share of the pets. She didn't try to drive him away from us.
Following her evaluations we returned Misty to her herd. The following day she embarked on a new adventure when she was delivered to the jungle. Our herd is very balanced. We have no individual that is a chaser. We wouldn't keep one. A chaser seems to have some vindictive need to run and run and chase a new horse and give them no welcome and no rest. The chaser usually doesn't even offer the normal courtesy of a nose sniff prior to being hostile. Chasers can go for days, giving the new horse no rest. Knowing that none of our guys would chase Misty, we turned her out to the usual meet and greet. Handshakes and introductions are nose sniffs and nervous trotting. Occassionally, a hoof will strike and a snort is herd. The One Heart herd didn't even snort or strike. There was alot of looking and neck arching and trotting. Every ear was pivoting rapidly, sorting through all the non-verbal imput of horse social introductions. Within minutes the herd settled and went about their business of eating. Of course, attention was still directed to Misty but everyone was settled down. One horse waited. The horse that didn't trot, didn't snort, and had not yet greeted Misty. This was Rosa, the herd matriarch. Rosa, at age 27, was the boss. She never looked at another horse, shifted her weight, pinned an ear. She was the boss. It was never challenged, never contested, and no other horse seemed resentful. Rosa led the herd from location to location. She decided when it was time to graze and time to rest in the shade. Young and old, geldings, mares, big and little defered to her decisions.
One horse waited for Misty. When all the trotting and sniffing was over. When the rest of the herd was settled and grazing, Rosa found Misty. Rosa stood still and quiet with her ears forward. She didn't sniff or nod. She didn't look at the grass or at us. She waited like a gentle, relaxed statue for Misty to come straight to her face. Misty bowed her neck and aligned her nostrils to Rosa. Misty was nervous but did not paw or squeal. Misty turned away first with her ears twitching back and forth. Rosa did not reach toward her and did not move away. Her ears did not twitch. When Misty moved a step away, Rosa turned with a calm manner and walked back to her knoll to oversee the herd. Misty had been welcomed.
We continued to watch Misty closely, but from afar. We trusted the herd to teach and socialize Misty into the herd like a real horse, without her mother, and without us sorting or selecting or sequestering horses for her to live with apart from the full herd.
It was worrisome at first. Misty was never with the herd. She was nearby but not in contact. Although it seemed that the other horses totally ignored her we knew that they were aware of her. They neither chased her away nor made efforts to include her. The herd expected her to keep up without special consideration. During the first two weeks there was always a geographic barrier separating her from the herd. The creeks run deep and cold through the jungle so we figured that Misty was unfamiliar with crossing a creek. For a pony who had lived on solid ground the shifting, sandy bank leading to the water crossing is worrisome enough. Once in the creek, the rushing water over her knees could be alarming.
For the first ten days, Misty would sometimes be in visual contact with the herd, but very often would not. The old donkey found her and seemd to keep with her. The donkey is 29, slow, steady, and has no social status with the herd. The donkey will attach to the horse on the lowest social rung. It gives each of them a friend. Sometimes the horse seems to resent the donkey's attention. There is no close interaction, just a steady presence of the donkey. So, Misty would be seen with the donkey, sometimes within sight of the herd, sometimes not.
We waited. Finally we could see Misty just opposite the herd only divided by the creek. Later in the day, Misty would have crossed the creek and was on the far outskirts of the herd. When the herd shifted across another creek, Misty would be left for several hours until she negotiated the creek on her own terms.
This went on for days. At last, yesterday, Misty was with the herd and seems to be following with the herd in a timely fashion. When they cross the creek she goes with them. When they duck their necks to follow the "goat trail" under the low hanging tree branches, she keeps up. When they cross the bridge, she stays with them. She is now part of the herd.
It was fun to interact with the herd and the grain bucket. Rocky and TJ follow on the heels of the bucket carrier with the attitude of "it's nice you finally got around to bringing out a bucket, now deliver the goods and get going". Shane and Kyle waited to avoid the heels of TJ and Shane even allowed Peanut to sneak his teeny muzzle into the side of the feed tub. Meanwhile, Rosie trots around the perimeter tossing her head trying to convince the herd that she is the favorite and should get first choice at the tubs. The herd ignores her. Bri waits patiently, inwardly glowing at the prospect of the sweet treat. She is not challenged but stands at "her" tub and waits delivery. Donkey follows the bucket at a distance relying on the person to provide for her and not depending on the herd to allow her an eating space.
Misty was in a terrible delimma. It was the first time she had "competed" over the treat bucket. She was torn between diving for the nearest tub the herd would allow and finding the bucket carrier to be petted. She did not demand the grain for the sake of a treat. She really wanted to have the person pet her. I respect a horse that shares a love of grain with the need to be petted. It's a pleasure to know that you hold [nearly] as much pleasure for the horse as the treat. Misty is still low on the social scale but she is above the donkey! That is how the world is supposed to be. It was important to also see that Misty didn't show power over the donkey out of frustration for not being able to attack anyone socially higher than she. She showed fairness to the donkey. Good adjustment.
For those of you who know the herd and follow this blog you will realize that several horses were not mentioned during the treat fray. I will get to this in later blogs.
It's nice to be back for awhile, but I will be gone again during Thanksgiving.
Walk on!
Kris
MK, Are you reading?
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