My Mare Makes Me Melt

Abby trotted without limping today as she came up to see me this evening. Her trot is so beautiful, and she even broke into a canter briefly. Lovely, lovely gaits.

Of course, the entire herd came along with her, all expecting some sort of nibble from me. Abby got hers, and then Mason, Trouble, and Hokey. Diablo, who is the alpha of the herd, made the boys leave so she could get her treat. To my surprise, Abby walked right up alongside her, and the two mares stood companionably together as I petted them.

Then, Abby pinned her ears at Diablo. Diablo did not get the message, so Abby actually nipped her to chase her off! This is the first time I have ever seen Abby be the dominant horse, except for her very first day when she put Trouble in his place when he got too nosy. Apparently Abby did not want any other horses hanging out with me tonight.

I have no idea how long the herd had been away from water, but they were not close to the trough when I arrived. So, I was surprised to receive a gusher when Abby opened her mouth to get her first carrot. And as I watched her throughout my visit, she continued to dribble water periodically, to the extent that I started watching her a little more closely. It is not normal horse behavior to carry that much water. I began to wonder if she had a sore tooth or something that was causing her to drool and which I was mistaking for water.

But her mouth did not seem sore - she chowed her carrots down with gusto. I also offered her some peppermints I'd gotten from various restaurants and had been saving for her. I'd never given her those before, but it was obvious someone had! She snarfed them right down and then proceeded to lick both my hands clean (er, as clean as they can be after being licked by a drooling horse.)

And then my little mare did something that melted my heart. Instead of going back to grazing with the rest of the herd when the treats were finished, she stayed and hung out with me. I began rubbing her neck, and then her jaw, her ears, and her crest. She would move her body so I could reach different places to scritch. She even turned her hips to me and was ecstatic when I rubbed her backside and the top of her tail.

My arm would get tired, and I'd stop for a moment. Abby would take a few steps, circle around, and present another part of herself for rubbing. I worked on her neck, her chest, her flanks, and her belly. More tail and backside rubbing. More circling around and coming back for some gentle rubbing.

It's times like that that your cares melt away while your heart melts with love for your mare.