Horse Sense

The two female quarter horses who had been our pets for some time gave birth in March -- and then there were four. We now have two mama's and two colts grazing in the pasture. Watching the babies mature has been a real pleasure -- they each have their own personality and it seems to mimic that of their mother.

Curly (not his real name, but called that because he had a tightly curled mane at birth), was born two weeks early to Lucy (not her real name either) so he is still smaller then Sampson (not his real name) who was born two weeks late to Belle (and you guessed it, that's not her real name). Anyone who has ever given birth knows that a baby born late will be bigger then a baby born on time. That is the case with Sampson, aptly named for his size and strength.

Curly's mother is the alpha mare, while Sampson's mother is more relaxed and laid back. Curly and Sampson have taken on the personality of thier moms, so while Curly is smaller then Sammy, Curly is in charge, and knows it.

Watching Curly and Lucy boss around Sammy and his mom, Belle, is both humorous and troubling to me. Lucy will sense Belle is behind her and raise her left hind leg to ready it for kicking Belle. Curly aggressively bites Sammy to get him away from whatever Curly feels he should be closer to at the time. The demonstrated behavior is like that seen on a schoolyard during recess. The bully in the backyard needs counseling.......