Do you have a horse that makes you laugh? Please let us know by e-mailing (to NLevin at HorseSenseAndCents dot com) or through the comment section of this blog. We may feature you in a future blog post.
This week’s chuckle comes from one of the youngest members of our herd. Our four-month-old Irish Draught Sport Horse filly has been an imp from the start. She’s clever, but generally very cooperative after she makes it clear she is choosing to comply, and not obliged to do so. For the past month or so, she’s delighted in leading her younger (by two weeks) and dumber colt buddy into a small wood-fenced paddock or other areas he can get lost in, then ditching him. He idolizes her and is more concerned about being separated from this brazen filly than he is when his mother is out of sight. She’ll draw him out to a far corner of a paddock on the way to her known destination and then books for the gate and a return to the moms heading to the big digs. Interestingly, she’s a lot faster than her purebred Thoroughbred dupe, who’s also a little on the slow side where brains are concerned. She then delights in seeing him scream and gallop at the fence line adjacent to the large turnout area, unable to find the exit from the area (for the 30th time).
She lost her freedom privileges this past week (she’s been halter and lead trained for months, but we’re lazy and time starved) when she got the entire herd going. She decided it was much more fun to run the 26-acre perimeter of the grazing pastures to incite the various groups divided among the fields, than merely tricking and confusing her best friend. Of course, her mom, who is used to dropping independent and precocious foals, was the least concerned of the group (besides the filly in question, of course). Mom’s sharp, kind and helpful, though, so when called to the gate to help collect her foal, she kindly complied. Once mom got into the mix (she’s our alpha mare) the kid knew the jig was over – or else.
Do you have an equine comedian in your life? Why not share your story?