On pick-up day, Estes was her typical hard-to-get self. She's rather a stand-offish mare and wouldn't let me close. But two can play that game. I just told her fine, I wasn't there to pick her up anyway. My parents were with me, as they had the trailer, so we spent a few minutes giving loves to all of the horses (except Estes who was being a mare).
Boy, was she one ticked off mare when I haltered up Meeker. Estes doesn't like it when I don't play her game and she really didn't think that I'd just turn my back on her. But I did and the look she gave me clearly told me what she thought of me taking her daughter instead of her.
When it was time to go, I lead Meeker off through the series of gates toward the exit gate. Mom and Bill were walking alongside, but started snickering. When I looked back to see what they were laughing about, I saw the horses following us single-file (my God, single-file! We spent an entire summer trying to keep them single-file and here they were doing it of their own accord.), with Estes bringing up the rear, pouting as only she can.
Those nine horses followed us through three gates, all perfectly spaced, in a single-file line just like I was the Horse Pied Piper. Even once we got Meeker through the exit gate and were leading her along the road to the trailer, the herd followed our progress from inside the fence.
Side note: That was the last time Estes was ever stand-offish to me. After I bought her, I went into the pasture to pick her up and she practically haltered herself. Guess she learned her lesson, huh?
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This week's Ride of the Week is brought to us by Bill over at It's A Horse Life. Be sure to join us on Wednesday to hear about his Mustang, Ranger.
5 comments:
I totally love this story! Funny getting a peek into their minds, right?
(I thought I was the only one with a pouty mare? :)
Whoever chose "female dog" as another name for cranky wasn't a horseman. He was just one dumb son-of-a-mare.
Bill
A camera would have been great! My horses do the single file routine here too.
A friend of mine up the road here has fresians, and she was telling me they got out about a year ago. She found them way down the road in a neighbor's pasture, so she haltered one and all the rest followed her. I would have loved to seen that sight--five big fresians in a row walking down the road--much like your day picking up Meeker!
that's adorable!!
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