Little Richard (horse pictured with the halter) was a stallion when he was rescued in December 2009. He was used occasionally for breeding since his lineage went back to Man O' War and Seabiscuit. He was known as a "pacer"; always going back and forth on the fence line, wanting to be with the other horses.
Today, for the first time in many years, he finally got his desire as he was introduced to the herd. The herd consisted of one gelding, Our Man, who always longs for a companion and has been known to be a "pest" to the other horses; he has a strong urge to play with everyone and will intimidate until he gets a response, good or bad. Both Our Man and Little Richard have been kept by themselves for quite some time, but after weeks of being on the same fence line and leaving all mares totally out of the picture, we released Little Richard into the pasture with Our Man. At first, it was frightening because Little Richard took off like he was going out of a starting gate, beelining for Our Man, screaming with his ears pinned back. Volunteer, Mandy Preston was at the other end ready to "break it up", if Little Richard went in for "the kill". But much to our amazement, they bonded very quickly with no blows or contact by either one. They quickly became friends. They even hogged the water hose from each other as Mandy rinsed them off over the fence; both are true "river rats"! They took turns rolling and standing to be hosed off; it was very comical to watch!
We feel good that they both have pasture time with another; after all, horses are herd animals; they thrive when they are socialized and somewhere in a pecking order. While Little Richard is the leader of this herd, one day we hope to place him in his forever home, where he will bond with others and make new friends, but most importantly never be isolated again.
THAT is just too cool !!!
ReplyDelete