Monday, rainy Monday

Raining yesterday, Monday. No work. We just caught them out and fed them.

They didn't come up when called - there were people next to the fence further down, and all the horses were hanging about there. Ours thought about coming up but it seemed they preferred to try their chances where they were - lazy sods.

When we got down to them, Ellie caught Orion, and I talked to the people for a bit. Then I turned to catch Darcie and ALL the horses (apart from Orion who was walking with Ellie to the gate) caught stupidity and ran around snorting for a bit. I thought Darcie was going to be hard to catch for about the third time since she arrived with me.

The first time was when she'd just arrived and had found a place to get out, and was spooky and weirded out in a new place. That time I just eased up on her and kept her calm and caught her. The next time, I had been too blase about putting a headcollar on her. She was normally so quiet and cooperative that I forgot she wasn't all that handled. A bit, but not heaps. So she pulled back and silly me tried to hold her with the lead rope around her neck, when she'd not been trained to it. So that time I got her over it by just catching, rewarding, and releasing her. It didn't take her long.

So this time I was walking towards her and she was heading off all snorty and head in the air, and showing a better trot than she normally has. (Her trot is functional but would NOT attract the attention of a dressage trainer.) But it turns out she was just playing, because then she circled around and came back up to me, stopping at the distance I prefer her to stop (not running into my space) and just stood there, still a bit head-up, while I went up and rubbed her head and put her headcollar on. Then she just led up to and out of the gate as quiet as you would want.

Another good thing happened while they were eating. They have hard plastic feeders that hook onto the fence. Orion sometimes scoops his with his nose when he's done, and it flies off the rail. It did on this day, and it flew over and landed very close to Darcie's hind feet. Just forward of them and to the side a little. She didn't even flinch. She just looked over at it and then put her head back into her bin and kept eating.

Wart is getting more comfortable in the big paddock. He was still quite near the gate, but he and Banjo, who seems to be his new paddock buddy, were away from it a little more than last time, and in the trees.

Banjo is brought out by his owners for food most days and he likes to hang near the gate, but gradually was found further away from it, with horses. I think he was looking for company which was why he was often with the herd that has Trigger, Scotch, Nigel, Chalky and the others in that group. And Darcie when she was in there. I preferred that herd as they are in the main older and quiet and sensible horses. The other herd runs about a bit more, and the horses in it don't have as much done with them.

So if Wart and Banjo both like to hang near the gate, they might like being near-the-gate paddock buddies.

In some ways, I like having Wart near the gate, as it makes finding him easier than if he could be anywhere in the 150 acres. But on the other hand, I put him in there partly so that he would get used to the area, which he won't do if he just hangs out near the gate. I guess I'll see what he does as time goes on.