A Peaceful Evening

Tough day at work today. A child shared something pretty poignant with me, and it has been on my mind all day. There is nothing I can do to change his situation, but I have felt sad and preoccupied since he spoke with me.

So, I decided I needed a little extra horse therapy, and sat with Abby for a long time while she grazed in the small paddock.

 Nom, nom, nom!

I love how she watched me as she grazed- looking at me out of the corner of her eye with her ears swiveled toward me. She kept an eye on me the entire time!

Occasionally she would poke her face into mine (I was sitting on the woodpile) to see if perhaps I had a treat or two. (I did - candy canes in my pocket!)

 Diablo and Hokey also were keeping me under surveillance.

 Looks like they're planning something.

 Hokey presses against the gate, hoping it will pop open. It doesn't, so...

 He paws at it. I have watched him bring a gate down twice by pawing on it like this. Tonight, however, the gate remained in place.

Eventually Tim arrived and told me to let the herd in with Abby for the evening. They didn't need much inviting after I opened that gate!

I left a little while after that, feeling a bit better from spending the early evening with my favorite horse and the rest of the herd.

The Eyes Have It

This girl has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen on a horse.

Large and luminous. Expressive. Gentle. 

Had I not burst into tears due to her resemblance to my beloved and long gone Amy and dubbed her Abby on the spot when I first saw her, I might have named her Isis or something Egyptian-sounding. She has black "eyeliner" pigmentation around each eye that reminds me of images of Nefertiti and Cleopatra.

Abby Gets a Rubdown

Lisa and Abby had a bonding moment tonight over a horsey massage.

While on our evening carrot run, Lisa began rubbing Abby's shoulder, and Abby immediately began relaxing. In the photo above she has flicked an ear back and her head is lowering as she enjoys Lisa's attention.

 She begins leaning into the rubbing. Both ears are now relaxed.

Eyes are closing and the lower lip is beginning to dangle. (You know a horse is relaxed when that lip hangs!)

 Now a throatlatch rub. Abby lifts her head so Lisa has better access to those itchy spots. I love those ears - she is enjoying Lisa's attention so much!

 Moving to the chest. Abby cocks her head and her eyes are just about closed. You can see that she is leaning into Lisa, too.

She even rests her head and neck on Lisa as Lisa leans down to get even lower. This is one relaxed and happy mare.

I don't have pictures of it, but after Lisa finished rubbing down my girl, Abby turned and ambled over to me, walking just a bit past me, then stopping and turning so her backside was within reach.  She wanted me to rub her tail and hips! She does this occasionally, standing there with her ears down, her eyes half closed, and one leg cocked in sleep position, inviting me to give her a good rubbing. It always makes me smile when she does this.

I have said it before, but I will do so again. I am so glad I was able to buy Abby. I love her so, so much.

Savor It!

Odors really bother me. (The perfume the elderly lady at the table next to ours was wearing last night? Cloying and headache provoking!) And strong smells can be one of my migraine triggers.

But that horsey smell?

Savor it!

(Thanks to my friend, Eve Reiss, for sending this to me!)

So That's Why!!

Lisa and I have wondered why there is always mud around the water trough. We're not overfilling it, and neither is Tim.

 Now we know.

 Diablo practically climbed into the tank! And then she pawed, throwing water everywhere.

 She submerged most of her head and shoved it around in the water.

 And blew some bubbles.

And finally splashed and stirred.

But she's not the only culprit.

 Hokey came and joined her.

 He made his own waves.

 And, per usual, gave a huge yawn. (I have never known a horse who yawned as much as Hokey!)

Still not done!

 Trouble came over. He chose to drink out of the faucet.

Now we know!!

Another BFF Photo

I love it when I catch a photo at the just the right moment.

Such as this one of Abby and Diablo.

The Carrot Line

Carrots, anyone?

Hokey, Abby, Diablo, and Trouble (with Lisa's hand.)

Missed Opportunity? Or Looking Forward?

I am not sure if this was a missed opportunity when I had my knees and hip replaced or if it's something to look forward to.

I wonder if Phyllis would mind if I put a horse head on her scooter for her?