Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - Packing and Settling In Day

Woke up early even without the alarm,worried about the horses getting acquainted with a new herd. Rain had come in about halfway through the night, and was running steady ever since. Everything feeling damp. No activity at the barn so I went back to sleep after doing a little work on the computer. Eventually I went back to bed and slept for another hour or so, then I got dressed to check on things. I noticed the cavallero who was bringing in the horses, feeding them, then letting them out again, was just about done, he’d obviously waited until the rain let up slightly before releasing them. I walked down to the barn, and discovered that Clio and peacefully gone off with the mares, made friends with a big white horse, and was grazing quietly at the far side of the mare pasture. Meanwhile, Apollo had completely missed the fact that a herd had passed him by, he was pacing back and forth along the fenceline between the two pastures, or hanging his head mournfully near the fence, whinnying to Mama, who was, surprisingly, paying no attention to him whatsoever. It was just the opposite of what we thought would happen! We figured it would be Mama who would suffer the most anxiety, but she seemed quite happy to let him run around. I gave him some treats and walked him back up to the herd he was supposed to join. When I started to walk away, he whinnied at me, then was answered by another gelding in the herd, who quickly came over and nuzzled together, along with a third horse that did the same. Apollo then settled down after a few minutes, returning to grazing for awhile. Several times during the day he was back down at the corner though, tyring hard to figure out why Mama wasn’t looking after him. It rained all day, so he was not a happy camper on many different levels, poor baby. What won’t kill us makes us stronger, though, right? They really needed to be separated at some point, and this seems like a fairly kind and gentle way of doing it, if there is a kind and gentle way of separating a mother from her son after 15 years! Anyway, Hubby and I spent the day packing and getting ready for our trip, it promises to be hectic and strenuous, and I’m hoping for a better night sleep tonight in preparation for it. We also disconnected the RV and moved the truck into their out-barn, and spread the bales of hay around so that it would dry while we were gone. Relaxed to a very enjoyable movie, Burlesque, with Cher and Christine Aguilera, lots of fun even though musicals aren’t really our favorite genre, though it’s not a musical in the traditional sense. Who cares if she’s had some work done, Cher looks great for 65! As I was getting ready for bed, I heard Apollo very nearby whinnying. I decided to check on him, so I went out with a flashlight, grabbed some treats and found him right next to the fence where we were parked, wet and shivering, which concerned me, but I saw other horses in the nearby run-in shed so I knew he’d make his way back there. Gave him about a dozen treats before heading off the bed. He seemed happier and a bit quieter after that. He’s such a Mama’s boy, except he has two Mamas to get over once we leave!