Summer "Moon"

"When I dream about the moonlight on the Wabash..." goes the famous song about Indiana. Well, I saw some of that moonlight this afternoon, and I wasn't even down by the river!

I was filling up the water trough and turned to take a last look at the herd. What I saw gave me the giggles:

 It seemed the horses had decided to moon me! 

The more I watched them graze like that, the more I smiled. Perhaps they were turning their backs on me in a snit, possibly because I only give treats to Abby.

But in reality, I am not being shunned by the herd. In fact, when I arrived and called, Abby came right up to say hello.

 She hustled up so quickly, she left the others behind!

 She had her ears up and was making soft little nickers as she approached.

We had a lovely visit, and she licked and licked and LICKED my hand when she finished her sugar cubes.

It was only then that she meandered off to join her pasture buddies and participated in the "summer moon."

New meaning for a beloved song.

Horsey Sounds 101

Abby is quite a vocal little mare. She's now to the point that, when she sees me, she calls out a greeting of some sort. This evening she nickered over and over to me during our visit. What's a nicker? Here's a handy list of sounds that horses make:

Nicker - a low and gutteral sound, often used as a greeting

Neigh - a loud, high pitched cry

Whinny - to neigh

Whicker - a sound softer than a neigh but louder than a nicker

Snort - a brief inhale of air in through the nose

Blow - a loud exhale through the nose, an alarm sound

Squeal - a short, high pitched sound

Tonight Abby's nickers were quiet and low in pitch. Gentle. Done with her ears pricked up while her eyes were fastened on me. In fact, she nickers to me far more now than she neighs or whinnies.

It's a companionable sound and it means she knows me and is happy to see me.

And, I, too, am happy to see her.