She's so Glad I LOVE her Mother!

Lacey. Ohy, vey. Is she so glad that I LOVE her mother. Did I tell you all that mares weren't my favorite in the horse world? Before anyone starts to worry, she is fine. And so am I.

First for me - I don't know what hit me. I came home from work on Saturday afternoon at 3 pm and went to bed with chills but no fever. Only got up twice to pee. Didn't get up like a human being until 6 pm on Sunday! Missed Christmas with the in-laws (or is that out-laws:)! No, no I would have had a great time. Age, and time, does mellow things, fortunately. I really did wish I had been up to going. Went back to bed at 10 pm and didn't get up until the alarm was screaming and my daughter was nagging me at 8 am Monday. So much for my posting every day. Oh, well.

Now for Lacey. The MARE. The twitchy, witchy, dark bay, gorgeous mane and tail of luscious black ,wavy, long hair, Morgan mare. Who has taken down a good section of the fence. Not once, but TWICE... to get in with the bbbboooooyyyyysssss! (Bleep) And she is SO very proud of herself. Came prancing and dancing right over to me to show me what she had done. TWICE. Ok. I'm not fighting it if it is working. Everyone still has all their hair on their butts, no one missing pieces of their necks, no one is the worse for wear.

Elias has only been here 4 weeks. I try to transition everyone really slowly as there is less chance of seeing fur fly, and heels fly and having to slop on goopey, neon yellow ointment to cover the teeth groves in necks and butts. And vet-wrap front legs. But this time, it seems that everyone made it unscathed. (Crossing everything that I can that I haven't made a statement in haste!)

There have been many changes here since October. Aba has passed on to greener, warmer, non-snowy pastures (did you all remember that I hate snow!), Aspey has come here to stay, and the latest turn in the horse world outside my back door, Elias has come home. The pecking order is being established. Re-established. Who was on top, isn't. Who may want to be, may not be. Who may think that they rule the roost, doesn't. I realize, I do, that there have to be some scuffles in order for things to settle into some sort of routine. But I truly do hate getting out the goey, neon yellow stuff. It does work wonders, though, especially during fly season.

So, for the past two nights we have had the usually mellow file in through the back door routine all befuddled up. Trying to organize and sort and file through in order - Lacey thought she wanted to be in with the BOYS until she had to wait until LAST to be let in because she won't let anyone past HER stall with HER food in it. THEY might just sneak some when she isn't looking and trying to bite them on the BUTT while munching at the same time!

So we are learning *patience* Sigh, yeah, right. Patience my ass. Actually, she did make a motion like she was going to bite my ass, but somehow the manure fork was there and she bumped her nose into the tines. Oops! So tonight, she danced and flattened her ears and jigged in place, but she did let Elias in before she scooted into her stall and stuck her nose in her bucket and, I swear, swung out her front leg to cover where her hay was, as if to say, "even though I have my face in my bucket, eating my grain, I still don't want you to get my hay!"

Now, part of the problem is that Elias is still learning the barn and is still hesitant about walking the aisle without someone there in front of him. My horses go in and out, one at a time, by themselves, with me opening and closing doors and encouraging them to get their butts out and stay out unless they want to come back in for the day. Most days, they get to the door and off they fly, for a great run around the pasture. Elias won't go out in the morning unless he is following you. He's the last in line to go out in the morning, so it works well. Then, once he is sure that there is no one hiding outside the door, he's off with the rest of them. (No lead rope, no halter, just wants to follow you like a puppy - a VERY LARGE puppy!)

So, it's rather like a one-armed paper hanger (sorry, if there are any one-armed people out there reading this - I think you are amazing to do with one arm what I can't accomplish with two most days) trying to get Elias in and keep Lacey out, while my boys, Smokey and Buddy, are munching down in their stalls, wondering what all the circus is about.

And people wonder why I treasure my geldings. They are so much less hormonal that Lacey ever considered being. Yep. Geldings. Yep. Love my friend. Ohy, vey. Mares!