Musical Pastures

I've had Alex in the round pen since he was weaned, with a few exceptions. There's no shelter out there, so if it's raining (or lately, snowing) I have to bring him in, or keep him in if it's morning. I also feel bad because he doesn't have a lot of room to stretch out and run, and the horses I've had out with him are either old or aren't interested in playing with him. So yesterday I decided to put him out with Never. I though they would both like the company, and Alex would like the chance to actually run.

It started out well. I put Bahim in the round pen so we could get Alex in Never's pen without hassle (someday I'm going to have better access to all the pastures!). I tossed in some hay, and watched Never sniff Alex all over while Alex made the 'don't hurt me I'm a baby' face. I watched them for about 20 minutes or so, felt everything was going well, and went to work. I popped out a couple of times during the day to see how they were doing, and they seemed fine, grazing with the occasional gallop. At feeding time, though, everything went to hell.

Oh, at first everything was fine. Jac set up the feed buckets and supplements, I doled out hay and filled water buckets, and everyone came in without too much fuss. The problem turned up when we went to feed Alex and Never. Never, apparently, wanted Alex nowhere near him while he was eating, and was very clear about it. Poor Alex, I felt so bad for him. I took his pail of feed out to him, and tried to get him to eat, but Never followed me out and chased Alex right through the space between the gate and the shed! I felt nervous that Alex was now in with Bahim, but apparently Bahim was more interested in his food than a spotted weanling.

I got to the barn as fast as I could, and coaxed Alex through the gate and into his stall. I think he looked relieved, and ate his hay and grain quietly while I looked him over for blood and scrapes. When I was satisfied, I said good night and went to relax and try to figure out what to do.

This morning I turned him out with Tassel again, as I know she's calm and he knows her pretty well. I think I'll just have to keep him out in the round pen until Never is gelded and can be turned out with the others. Then, I can put Bahim and another horse, maybe Tassel, in the shed pasture, put the old mares that come in the barn at night into the pasture that Bahim's currently in, and the bossy younger mares can have the bigger pasture. I'll put Never in with the bossy mares, and either put Alex in with the older mares and have him come in at night, or put him with the younger mares and put his mom Willow in with the older mares, as she has a toe crack that needs regular care in order to grow out properly. I don't know, I'm still working things out. *sigh* We'll see how things work out, I guess.

Weaning

Yesterday I got a call from a neighbor who was driving by:

"Christel, one of your horses is in your hayfield. I think it's one of the young ones."

Well, needless to say I was out the door in a flash, with horrible thoughts of the fence down and mares running all over (I'm glad I finally got the perimeter fence finished). I walked out around Never's paddock and let out a little of the breath that I was holding. No mares running all over, just Alex, grazing and keeping an eye on his mom on the other side of the fence.

I breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to Alex while trying to figure out how he got there. I pet him for a bit, then the herd moved. He followed, then *scoot* under the fence he went! He figured out that I hadn't electrified the second strand. He was back with the herd, so I went and cut the power, spliced the second strand into the rest of the fence, turned it back on and went back to working.

I took a break later in the afternoon to mow the lawn. I finish up and go to park the mower, and who do I see? You guessed it, Alex the Great on the wrong side of the fence again! By this time, I've done the math and figured out that he turned 6 months on Tuesday and Willow hasn't shown any desire to completely wean him. So, I get his halter, a lead rope, and Jac and go get him. He didn't want to be caught at first (I think he was a little surprised that the fence 'bit' him this time), but Jac and I finally calmed him a bit and got his halter on (which finally fits!).

He tried to walk off after the halter and lead were on. He got to the end of the rope, discovered resistance, and proceeded to do his best impersonation of a giant marlin. He dragged me around for a little bit, then settled down. I caught my breath, steeled my nerves, and started walking him to the barn, away from him mom and the rest of the herd. He got 'stuck' a couple of times, but he did well for the most part. I put him in the round pen, watched him for a bit to see if he'd be okay, and then went to the house to fix supper.

After supper, I went to do horse chores. I lead Alex to his stall, and he only tried to bolt once. Of course, Willow lead the herd into the barn, checked on her baby, then went to her stall to eat. I let everyone else in, fed and distributed hay, and then let the younger mares out. Willow went right out the gate without a word, thinking her baby would be right behind her as usual. I closed the gate, turned off the outside light, and started to walk away. Suddenly, Will is at the gate calling to Alex.

*sigh*

In the end I gave her and Alex treats soaked in Rescue Remedy. When they settled a little, I turned off the barn light and went to bed.

This morning, I get to the barn and Willow is still camped out by the gate. I feed all the horses that stayed inside, then make a decision. Tassel is 30 and pretty calm and easy going. I put her in the round pen, then go get Alex. He walks through the barn like a old pro, outside and right up to the round pen gate. There he balks a little, but after I shoo Tassel away he comes in. I take the lead off and he starts trotting and calling for his mama. His mama hears and calls back. Tassel just goes back to grazing. At one point, Alex tries to go to Tassel for comfort, but she half-heartedly kicks at him and walks off. I give him a few treats, then head to the house to get some work done.

I've been checking on him every 15 minutes or so, and he seems to be relaxing a bit. The neighing has stopped for now, and he's doing a little grazing, but mostly he's walking round and watching as the herd grazes across the paddocks. Tassel still seems not to care, but she's letting him get closer now. I feel bad, but he's 6 months old now and a big boy, he's more than old enough to be weaned. I'm glad the early lessons in haltering and leading have stuck with him, or else this might not have gone so well for either of us.