Day 2 - Joining the herd!

Day 2
So today was the morning after the day before, and I was on my own as Michael was sound asleep in bed.

I popped everyone’s headcollars on, and turned Tommy and Tilly out first in the front paddock. Faith got a little worried about being left, and started doing some mini rears in the stable. I clipped her leadrope on, gave her a bit of carrot, and coaxed her out on to the yard. She was still a bit looky going into the barn, but I just walked slightly in front of her, and she followed me through calmly.

Once in the field I led her to a spot where she could see the other two, and took her headcollar off. I was hoping that she would settle, but for the next two hours or so she paced the same piece of ground in front of the gate, and didn’t even look like she was going to graze.So I bit the bullet, and took the executive decision to open the gates and let them all in together. It was a distinct anti-climax at first. Faith wouldn’t step into the sand pit that divides the two paddocks, and Tilly and Tommy were too busy stuffing their faces to notice that the gates were open.

Then the sweetest thing happened. Faith neighed to Tommy, who neighed back to her, and spotting her predicament, he strolled across the sandpit to meet her and encouraged her to cross back again with him.

Then it all went a bit pear shaped. Tilly decided that she had had enough of this little strumpet getting pally with Tommy, and started to chase Faith around the field. Cue the next half an hour of all three doing passable impressions of Cheltenham Gold Cup winners as they ran around each field and back again, over and over again. Tilly kept turning her bum on Faith and lashing out, she wasn’t attacking her, but just encouraging the filly to keep her distance. Poor Tommy, who isn’t the most streamlined horse in the world was struggling to keep up with his ladies, and was puffing along with his eyes popping.

Eventually they stopped at the top of the back field, so I closed the gate to the sand paddock and switched the electric fence back on.

Since that moment peace has pretty much reigned. As long as Faith keeps a respectful distance, and doesn’t get too close to Tommy, Tilly is quite happy with her presence. By 11am Tilly was content just to move the filly around at a walk, rather than chase her off, and now Tilly has just started to let Faith graze a little bit closer and closer.

The weather has been absolutely appalling though. It has been blowing a gale, and although it is nice when the sun shines, the wind is bitterly cold, and bringing with it short, sharp showers of rain and even hail.

Even though peace and harmony reigns in the herd, today was far from peaceful for Faith. We are doing an awful lot of work on our land at the moment, and we have had tractors with trailers, and tractors with huge hedge cutters buzzing about the place, not to mention the sound of hammering, chainsaws and general destruction. Oh and to cap it all off, the local shoot decided to put in an appearance a couple of fields away. Was Faith bothered? Naaaaaahhh!

I have to say Tilly and Tommy are worth their (considerable) weight in gold in this respect. Faith could not ask for two more unflappable and steady field companions.

So tonight when bringing them in, Tommy came in first. As I put him in his stable, I heard an angry squeal, and I guessed that Faith had got a bit too close to Tilly. Then Tilly came in next, and for the ten seconds that it took me to get Tilly into the stable, it was like Faith’s world was coming to an end. She ran into the gate and started rearing.

Now I don’t know if it is the thing to do, but in these situations, I choose to ignore the behaviour, and just carried on as normal. I do believe that Faith will eventually work out that she won’t be left out on her own forever and ever, and the ten seconds it takes for me to get to her will seem less like an eternity.

So I went into the paddock with her, gave her a carrot and put on her headcollar. She led nicely into the barn, and didn’t try to barge or rush. Then while putting her into her stable, I made two silly mistakes. Firstly I expected her to walk past me into the stable (forgetting that she is still wary of going from light concrete yard onto black stable mats), which to her credit she eventually did. Mistake number two was forgetting that I was dealing with a baby horse, and flicking the leadrope over her back as she went past me.

Understandably this freaked her out a bit, and she flitted from one side of the stable to the other in a tiz. I realised my mistake, and slid quickly into the stable. As soon as I was next to her she stood still, and I took off her headcollar and leadrope without any problems. That just brought it home to me how much I take for granted with my other ponies, and hopefully is not a mistake I will make again. Having said that, there was no harm done, and we had a lovely groomy session with me paying a lot of attention to her itchy spots.

So lots achieved today I think. Faith is now part of the herd, and she and I are both the happier and more relieved for it.