She's Just a Pasture Ornament, and I'm Just A...

... backside scratcher!

Abby loves a good scritch, especially in places she cannot reach. Every now and then, she ambles over and turns her rump to me, hoping I will pick up on her "subtle" cue and scratch her tail, hips, and rump.

 Abby's head is cocked in delight and her eyes are half closed as I scratch an itchy spot on her tail.

 Her ears are flicked back in relaxation as she listens to me talk to her.

 Then she stretches her neck down when the scratching is especially relaxing.

A pat on the back and a tug on her tail tell her I am finished with the spa treatment. Abby knows to head back out to the pasture now.

Rocky Balboa

Hokey was doing his best Rocky Balboa impression this afternoon.

He's bumped his eye on something and it is swollen half shut and weeping. However, Hokey's ability to eat carrots and hang out for scratching are most definitely NOT impaired!

Every Last Bit

Hokey loves his treats. Either that, or he thinks he's a dog and is showing Lisa how much he loves her.

 The last bite of carrot disappears, but...

...out comes the tongue. One broad swipe down Lisa's palm.

  Let's get between those fingers. Maybe there's a crumb or two.

 Fingertips? Wiped clean!

A final sweep over Lisa's hand, and Hokey has gotten everything.

Oddly enough, and unlike dogs, a horse's tongue is quite dry. (Unless it's Abby who often is holding a mouthful of water, so when she opens her mouth to lick your hand, you are drenched!)

Pied Piper of Ponies

Can't find Lisa? Head out to the barn - it's almost a sure thing that she's out there, hanging with the herd. (She went out twice just today!)

She's like the Pied Piper of Ponies - when she arrives, up comes the herd for carrots, some rubbing, and visiting.

 Here's her favorite - Hokey.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

He loves it when she gives him lots of attention and often falls asleep under her soothing ministrations!

Limping

Abby almost always breaks into a trot when she sees I have arrived at the barn. She hustles on up for her carrots, candy canes, and some scritching, nickering as she comes.

Today as she came up I noticed that her limp is back. I haven't seen her limp for over a month and was hopeful that she was all healed after a year of being a pasture ornament.

Sadly, I guess not. She is still suffering from the effects of the neglect.

My heart breaks for her.

Separated at Birth??

Is it possible that Kentucky Derby winner, Orb, and Hokey are twins, separated at birth?? They share several similarities, including their color.

And, a propensity for this:

Hard to tell them apart, isn't it??

(As Tim pointed out, Orb 's halter costs more than Hokey himself!)

Mending Fences

Tim's away, and so I am in charge of the herd. (With lots of help from Lisa.) After work, I stopped by to fill the water trough and see how Diablo was feeling - her feet are tender again, and Lisa reported that she was lying down this morning when she did her own barn run. (Not abnormal behavior, but when you have a horse with sore feet, it's something you watch a little more closely.)

The herd was way out in the west pasture, and since my own car (with my basket of treats in the trunk) is in the shop, I didn't have any sweets to entice them to come up. But that was okay - I didn't mind hiking out to see them. And, I especially wanted to observe Diablo and see how she was moving and if she continued to be tender. 

I walked out to the the wooden paddock and saw this:

One of the top rails on the enclosure had been knocked down.

 The boards are new - obviously Tim has repaired the fence recently.

It's not a critical fence, just one that sets the paddock aside from the pasture, but there were wood screws sticking out of both ends of the downed rail, and those could harm the horses. So, I hefted the rail and worked to see if I could repair the fence.

Not too bad! 

I shoved the screws into their holes and then tied one end with some baling twine that was on the ground. It won't take much for a horse to knock it off again, but it should hold until Tim returns later this week and gets a chance to repair it.

A Fourteen Horse Day

I just had a fourteen horse day.  What's that? A day when, for whatever reasons, you end up spending time with fourteen different horses!

And that makes for a Very. Good. Day.

Mike Shurig, Craig's best friend from high school, is in town for his father's 90th birthday party. He and his wife are staying with us, and Sue just happens to be a horsey girl. So naturally we had to head out to the barn.

That was the first six horses (Dolly is away being bred.)

 Sue offers treats to Hokey and Trouble while Mike looks on.

Leaving the guys back at the house, Sue, Lisa, and I then headed to Brookston to see Beau, Skippy, and Coco at Leslie's. They were our next three horses.

Sue fell in love.

Who wouldn't? He's only the cutest pony EVER!

Our last five were the gaited horses residing in the blue barn on Tim's farm. Their owner is out of town as is Tim, so Lisa and I are horse sitting all the horses on Tim's property. Sue and I helped Lisa water, hay, and grain the horses.

I like fourteen horse days.

Evening on the Farm

The horses were happy and relaxed tonight. It was a beautiful late afternoon, not too hot and not too cold. The horses ambled up for treats, but they really were not in too much of a hurry. (Maybe because Lisa had already spent an hour with them earlier in the day!)

From far left: Mason, Diablo, Diamond, Abby, Dolly, Hokey, and Trouble. Hokey is coming toward me hoping for one last treat.

Cutest Pony Ever

I am horse sitting Leslie's herd this weekend. And she has the cutest pony ever.

See what I mean? And I say that as someone who is not really into cuteness. But Coco is a different story. I see him and just want to hug him. (And I did while I took these pictures.)

Coco is 26 and Leslie brought him home from the Indiana Horse Rescue the same day I got Abby. Like most "old men," Coco grows hair in unusual places.

 He has a fine beard. (I want to braid it!) You can see it extends clear up his jowl.

 "Armpit" hair.

Chest hair (the long, blonde hairs in the upper left hand corner.)

 Long hair springing out from his flanks.

He's a happy boy with about 7 acres to roam and enjoy.

 I found where he had spent the night - a soft grassy bed in the middle of the pasture.

Yes sir, definitely the cutest pony ever!

Derby Day Decorations!

Today is the 139th running of Kentucky Derby - the oldest sporting event in the United States. I watch just about every year even though I don't really follow horse racing.


While I am not going to make a Kentucky Derby pie, I did "decorate" to celebrate the occasion!

Picky, Picky!!

Sorry, Hokey! I'll remember next time that you're not fond of sugar cubes.

(And give yours to Abby instead!)