The drive took almost 2 hours because there were so many police out and well, you just can't go 70 with a 20 foot trailer w/a horse in it. By the time we got him to the new stable, Colors was drenched in sweat, his eyes were rolling wildly and he was terrified of everything. He practically fell out of the trailer...it was so sad. After he calmed down sufficiently to get him into the barn, we put him in his new stall and kind of cleaned him up a little and then after it got cooler he got put out into the field with 2 of the mares from the "herd."
Here's where I insert nerdy animal behavior observations...please don't feel obligated to read.
Horses are herd animals. Their instinct is NOT to be alone. They want to belong, but like any large group, the herd has a heirarchy. It doesn't matter how big the boss is, only that there is a boss. Horses will fight to keep that hierarchy and they will protect the ones they feel need protected. So, you really can't just put a brand new horse into a field full of 11 other horses.
SO, like I said, Colors was put into a field w/two of the mares. Their names are Lady and Abria. Lady is the boss mare. She was none too pleased with Colors arrival and immediately herded Abria away from Colors and into a corner and then went back to show Colors that she wasn't going to be having any nonesense out of him. She chased him off and anytime he tried to come near, she would lay her ears back and bare her teeth. Poor Colors just stood there after a while and looked wistfully at them like "please please please just let me be your friend!"
Lady came into heat the other day and finally decided that my pretty boy Colors was worth her time and is now allowing him to join her and Abria. I think Colors feels pretty studly and they spent a lot of time together now.
Since they seemed to be getting along better, the lady that owns the barn decided to put the mares and Colors into the other field with a couple of the other horses. There's a little mare with one eye named Lexie, a retired old man named Wendell and another Mare named Sindell. They were all fine with Colors, but one horse who apparently is not very nice to anyone decided to corner Colors and beat the **** out of him. He's got some nice teeth marks, but the barn owner "Harmony" rescued Colors and put him back in the other field to try again later.
So that's where we stand right now...it's been fascinating to watch their behavior and how they communicate with eachother. It's been a little painful emotionally and physically. It was hard to separate Colors from the other 2 that he was with in Dayton, they'd been together for 15 years and the little girl that lives there now was SO upset that I was taking Colors. And well, the physical part, he definitely stomped on my foot.
3 blessings:
That my rose bushes exploded into a riot of color this week
That he's settling in
That it's not broken
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