How Many Horses Does it Take to Make a Herd?

Happy Herd in the morning...

My two horses  are growing up! Yesterday, Ber and Gio merged with Badger and Lacey to make a herd of four.  I can imagine how parents feel on the first day of school, when their children merge with the other kids in a classroom.   How will they get along?  Will they be good to the other horses, get picked on, or be a bully?  Will other horses like them?    Have I been a good horse owner?  

Herd dynamics at the water trough.

We first put Badger in with Gio and Ber.   Tom (Badger's owner) thought that would be easiest since Badger's pretty low-key. But I'd been watching Badger threatening Ber, and trying to "protect" Gio from Ber over the fence, and the intensity of Badger's focus made me think there would be a contest of wills there... Knowing Berhwood well, I figured he wouldn't back down easily, but he also wouldn't be interested in having a battle.   Badger took Ber's number, and rang it a few times. Lots of chasing with teeth bared. Lots of wheeling and threatening.  Then a few solid kicks to Ber's haunches.  Did Ber give up?  No. He kept trying to come in and be a part of things, testing the waters, seeing how close he could get before Badger would erupt. This is Ber's new research project... Meanwhile, Giovanna also put Badger in his place, and reminded Ber of his place.  

Where's Berhwood?  Giovanna and her minions....

Once they had ironed things out, we brought Lacey in.   I had wanted to do it separately, and I'm glad we did.  Dropping Badger and Lacey in at the same time would have been extremely chaotic.  I predicted that Gio and Lacey would need to decide who was lead mare, and they did not disappoint.   The threats built, with Giovanna backing up her threats. They had one serious kicking bout, with Giovanna practically running backward, chasing Lacey while kicking, and Lacey kicking back while moving forward. At one point, Giovanna was turning in circles, backing up and kicking at every horse until they were all in a circle around her, standing at a distance, waiting for instructions.

How close can Ber get to the herd?  He eats a bite, takes a step, eats a bite, takes a step.

When the dust settled, Gio had a herd.   Lacey seems to be fairly comfortable following Giovanna's lead.  Badger walks around near Gio (her right-hoof man), and any time she turns an ear at Ber, Badger chases him away.  They follow her anywhere.    Interestingly, Ber is the adventuresome one, and because he goes up into the trees to eat and explore, Gio follows him, and the herd goes with her. So even though Ber is the outcast, he has a lot of influence on the herd.   When I look out, The three are clustered together, with Ber nearby.      

Badger says that is close enough!  Just after this picture was taken,  Badger ran after Ber and the herd is stirred up.

So far, the dynamics of the herd after 24 hours:  Giovanna runs the show.  Badger backs up her threats.  Lacey is not rocking the boat. Ber is testing everyone to see what he can do, how close he can get, etc.    Yes, he's pushing the buttons. I don't think he's going to get bored for a good long while!  Gio is in her element, with three horses paying attention to every flick of her ear.

Ber is back behind the tree, the herd settles in again.

This morning, Gio had scrapes and gouges along the entire length of the inside of her left hind leg, with swelling along the bottom portion.  Not sure if she got hung up on the fence or a log. No loose wires anywhere, so I'm betting log.  The way she was kicking everyone yesterday, I thought she was going to break one of her petite legs.  Interestingly, she is the only one with injuries. Everyone else seems to have emerged unscathed except for bruises. 

Then, the herd gradually drifts over to where Ber is.  They just want to be together.

This creating of a herd has many benefits, especially for the mental health of my horses.  They need to be in a herd, it's how they are hardwired.    However, one of the big benefits for me is that Ber has better manners, and he seems to want to be around me more enthusiastically, as if I am a safe place for him.  Additionally, being a herd has broken the "joined at the hip" bond Gio and Ber had from all the time they spent together.      It is much easier to take Ber away to have adventures. And Gio seems more secure and stable.

Giovanna explaining that no one is to be in her space.

I know I said last week that this post would be about job prospects, but that will have to wait.  I am continuing to apply and seek work that will be enjoyable and purposeful.  Meanwhile,  I'm enjoying settling into my new home and finding new routines to my life.  I'm cycling every day, and my hip pain has gone away so I've started running again!  What does that look like?  Me running 2 minutes, walking 2 minutes, repeating for as many reps as I can, every other day.  Last night I did 10 reps, so ended up running a total of 20 minutes. I'll keep increasing the running and decreasing the walking, as long as I have no pain. I'm also working on my Spanish by reading children's literature, since I found a bunch of Spanish elementary school textbooks.  :)  And right now, I'm going to set up my little office space and write a cover letter for a job that's right up my alley....

The trio eating.

The outcast enjoying cool water.

Happy 4th!!