Today Brian and I drove out to the new place in the afternoon. Things seemed pretty good there, although the herd is definitely a bit restless. There is more movement in general, and more horses shooing other horses out of the way. I am sure the adjustment phase will be easier since they are all together, but still you can tell they’re a bit unsettled.
There is also a baby in the herd again. She’s a three-week-old Morgan, and she and her mom joined the rest of the pasture gang mere days before the move. The baby is adorable, and all the adult horses seem to take quite an interest in her, shepherding her around and “protecting” her from one another. The baby, however, has taken quite an interest in Steen and whenever I take Steen from the pasture now, she wants to come too.
However, Brian and I have some experience with clingy foals and we successfully navigated Steen through the gate alone. Once outside, Brian and I strolled with Steen up a little gravel road to the side of the machine shed to see where that went (nowhere) and then back to the pastures and down a long grassy slope between the pasture and a corn field. I have decided this strip of land has potential, and really hope they start mowing it. It is long and narrow and potentially great for a gallop…
Steen was good today. He was a little excited and curious, but he followed along willingly, mostly minding his manners the whole time. At the end Brian did just a bit of groundwork with him, in the leather halter with no stick, and Steen was very good, though the filly got a bit upset watching and started tearing around the pasture. We returned Steen to his herd, then we went and visited the “stall” horses, and headed home.
The baby, being a baby.