Other People's Children

I went to the farm to see Jaz & Daltrey. They were out in the pasture, but came a-running when I called. Both horses have started to drop weight and look good from running the whole 30 acres.

Daltrey's wound is oozy, but looking good. He has a few more owwies just from being introduced to a large herd. His eyes are irritated and I'll have to try a fly mask. Not sure how that will work, considering what they did to the fly collars.

It was still way too wet to ride after all the rain we've had, so we had a mini spa day instead, after which I closed the main gate and let them "mow" the area around the house and barn.

Poco came up to the fence and I gave him an alfalfa cube. They put him out in the main herd a few weeks ago, just before Heather's accident. I don't think they intended for him to be out there for so long. If you are a long-time reader, you may recall me mentioning that Poco doesn't know he's not a stallion. The very first time I took him up there for training, we tried to introduce him into the main herd. He immediately challenged all comers, and started pulling out mares. He turns into studly macho man when he's around mares. That's why we always kept him penned off with the geldings or by himself. But it makes sense that it's a lot more convenient for them to be able to turn him out like all the other geldings.

My first clue that Mr. I'm-All-That-And-A-Bag-Of-Chips was getting way too big for his britches is that he wanted nothing to do with Jaz and Daltrey. Oh no, now he has "his" girls, and it figures he'd be hanging with the bat-shit crazy ones: Jason's mare Dee, and squirrelly Arden (Daltrey's dam, who is much better since she had him). He also likes Nazar the Belgian, and Hex the Clydesdale, after they returned to the herd following their date with O. Nazar and Hex aren't crazy, but they also aren't broke, nor are they particularly people-oriented.

As I was petting him, I noticed Poco wearing a loose mantle of silver winter coat that's still hanging on. I thought I'd pull him up and include him in the spa day. He took one look at the halter and lead rope and put mares between himself and me! Lather, rinse, repeat. I tried for a minute or so, then blew it off. I had no guilt whatsoever not chasing after the win across 30 acres. If I still owned him you can bet your ass I would gotten that win, too.

I really hope I'm around to see it when they pull those mares up to disband his little harem. At that point, they'll handle him more or less like a stallion, isolating him in a catch pen to allow him to have the massive hissy fit we all know he will. Heather will work his sorry, proud-cut ass into the dirt until he starts thinking with his brains again. If I happen to be there, I promise video. When my hands are free from clapping and cheering, that is.