Many Misadventures is stuck in “end of the term research paper hell” so I thought I’d entertain y’all with my cute pony story of the day (Misadventures mom here aka MyLittlePony ). Some of you may not know, McKinna is actually my horse. I shared her with Many Misadventures for her senior year of high school. She had sold her thoroughbred and planned to go away for college so we thought the best course of action would be to share McKinna. Of course, she ended up going to school here (we have a perfectly good University here you know) and buying Pandora.
Since I prefer to keep most of her feet on the ground when we ride, McKinna’s life is not nearly as exciting as it was when the Many Misadventures of McKinna was created:
So now she just gets to do mostly dressage and only two or three days a week (ok, or less sometimes). So to compensate she occasionally likes to run around like a wild woman.
It’s especially funny because she’s such a cute sweet little horse. She is rather “my little pony” like (hence my screen name). She’s 14.3 hh, white (grey), soft and has a long fluffy tail and an adorable face. She's a QH/Arab.
Anyway… she and Pandora have spent the last month in a nice sized dirt paddock, which is a great improvement over their winter months where they spent most of their time in their box stalls (that’s a story for another day). Even better than that though is the eight acre mare pasture which they got to venture out into yesterday, for the first time this season. They will soon be out there 24/7, but yesterday and today they only got to stay out a couple of hours - being introduced to all that grass slowly.
Today, the lady who brought them in (boarder, working off some fees) told me she had a heck of a time catching them after their first day out partially because McKinna started them all on a run around the pasture. Did I mention there are eleven mares out there? The lady is capable of handling the horses, but is just a bit on the timid side so I figured they were just messing with her. I offered to help her out by bringing McKinna and Pandora in before I left.
So first I head out and give them some love. Here they are: 8 acres to choose from and nibbling nose to nose.
So first I head out and give them some love. Here they are: 8 acres to choose from and nibbling nose to nose.
After giving some scritches, I left the field, did a few chores and went back out with a halter. I decided to bring Pandora in first so she could munch some hay while I hosed McKinna off (notice in the pics McKinna is getting PLENTY to eat). She didn’t even protest being caught, but was antsy, trotting back and forth, after I put her in the paddock because she could still easily see everyone else was still out in the field. So I walked out to get McKinna. I wasn’t paying attention at first, went through the gate and headed out - looked up to notice McKinna had just cantered over to the shelter - she was warming up. As I got closer she stared at me intently. I talked to her a bit - she’s friendly and usually easily caught. Watching me, she suddenly took off at a full gallop. I swear I have never seen that little mare run so fast in my life. And not only did she take off, but she let out some sort of half whinny half squeal sound. I got the distinct impression she was calling to the rest of them. It was a joyous sound and a wonderful sight. My little mare is more of a wild woman than a prissy pony. I could see the delight in her eyes.
I did not think fast enough to get a picture. Here’s one with a couple of her gelding friends from another day that gives you an idea of her playful spirit, although they are clearly not running all out:
By the way all 9 remaining mares stopped eating, looked up, and then took off after her. To be honest, it’s just a little scary being in a field with 10 galloping horses, but they gave me a wide berth. Actually, most people at our barn don’t like it when they run. It worries them. They fear they’re going to hurt themselves mostly, but I don’t see it that way. I see the delight in their eyes and the beauty and ease with which the cover the ground.
Mercifully, their run ended up near the gate. From there I was able to tempt McKinna with a little grain. Running is excellent, but food is better.
Posts
4 comments:
What a silly pony! And I'm glad she values food over running. LOL
"Actually, most people at our barn don’t like it when they run. It worries them. They fear they’re going to hurt themselves mostly, but I don’t see it that way. I see the delight in their eyes and the beauty and ease with which the cover the ground."
Story of my life! Whenever a horse in our barn does more than three strides of trot outside, someone always comes running for a staff member, shrieking about lameness and popped splints and lost shoes and old suspensories and whatnot. Actually, my horse went tearing around today like a nut, and they came running to me expecting me to bring her in.. and I just watched her for a few, went out, tossed her a flake of hay, and that was that!
"What's in it for me? Please tell me it's food." I'm sure that's the motto of my horses. No matter how little they want to do whatever I have in mind for them, they'll pretty much do anything for food.
Andrea - an event horse that likes to run? Imagine that!
Every horse we have owned has been at least half thoroughbred or arabian so, as you can imagine, ours like to run and play.
And yes, McKinna LOVES to eat. It's a shame she is such an easy keeper. She's got a bit of a belly right now. We struggle to get enough food into Pandora to keep her weight on. She's McKinna's boss, but she's a nice leader and after a glare or two graciously shares her food with her. Wonderful.
Post a Comment