This one is called Vanessa. (Nessie seems to be her de facto nickname.) She started as a Premarin foal, one that was adopted by a horse-lover who can no longer maintain a great big horse. She’s a four-and-a-half-year-old Percheron, and as you can see, rather tall. She has a mane as long as your arm, and her tail makes it clear to the ground. She’s been penned up all her life, mostly in a stable with a blanket on when it got cold. This is her first taste of real freedom, and she doesn’t quite know what to do with it. Karla is steering her out of the front yard before she stomps it to bits.
Nearby part of our herd is checking Nessie out, mostly by biting her, trying to kick her, and in general being their nasty herd-bound selves. I figure in a week or so Nessie will bond with at least one other horse, and in a month join a group and settle down to being a regular horse. That’s what happened with another relatively recent acquisition, Ben. He had a further liability: he’s a mule. Horses don’t regard mules as real animals, certainly not real horses.Who ever said that life on this dirt-ball planet was risk-free or pleasant anyway?
5 comments:
Your wall looks real good. The horses look contented. The snow looks cold. All's right with your world.
Except that we’re out of bird seed.
What an amazing horse. I hope she settles into the herd quickly and starts to enjoy her freedom. And that you aren't snowed/iced in too long so the birds don't starve.
Yes, the century long drought has a lot to answer for. It's causing all the floods in Oz (Oztralia, Pete) y'know.
I ran into Nessa on Sunday during my walk - she was with Zeus and that group. Still taking in her new world, I think, where she gets lots of places to walk to. There was lots of staring off into the distance, admiring the view. Oh wait, that was me.
Er, Nessie.
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