Little Steps in a Big New World
Things are finally drying out here and the turnout paddocks are usable again, so everyone is getting back in to a normal routine.
For Aiden, this means establishing a routine.
When the barn owner gets round bales again, Aiden will be out in the group turnout 24/7. Until then, he’ll be out with the group during the day and out with Ro at night, so I can feed them both extra hay.
Since the arena dried out more quickly than the paddocks, Aiden and Ro have already been turned out together and get along fine as far as that goes.
They are still adjusting to night turnout a little.
Ro believes all the hay is hers, even though it’s spread out in half a dozen piles across the entire paddock.
Aiden thinks hay is hay, and he’d be happy to cede any pile to her that she wants, but he’d appreciate it if she would make up her mind instead of chasing him off every pile he stops at.
They are figuring it out. Ro is chasing him off fewer piles before she settles down and starts eating. I honestly think that half the problem here is that Ro desperately wants to be the boss, and Aiden could care less who the boss is. He’s not challenging her, but he doesn’t seem entirely convinced that she’s as bad-ass as she thinks she is.
Meanwhile, Aiden was also introduced to the group turnout on Saturday.
He’s been out in the arena with the most likely bully, and they got along fine together. He’s met most of the horses over the fence.
And on Saturday, all but one of the horses were out being ridden. I put him out with the remaining horse. She is aptly nicknamed Goldfish, due to her total lack of an attention span.
They checked each other out and Aiden ambled around, and that was about it. I was hoping to see them play a little more—I’ve seen Goldfish play tag with the goat before, so I know she’s in to games—but they pretty much ignored each other.
Then the other horses were turned back out.
It was like a switch flipped on in Aiden, and he started cantering circles through the group, trying to get them to play. Goldfish obliged this time, but after a few minutes, the boss mare had had enough and chased Aiden off.
He retreated to a far corner of the turnout and stood there thinking.
This was not a defeated, outcast pony.
This was the class clown, sitting in the corner of the room, trying to decide just how mad the teacher was and whether or not he could risk flying a paper airplane across the room.
Nothing very exciting happened while I was watching, but I heard that later on he managed to get everyone cantering around with him.
I am thrilled to see a little bit of a trouble maker coming out in him.
He has been a total pocket pony, soaking up any attention people want to send his way. But he’s also sort of just… watched and waited. Sweet but reserved? Something like that.
It’s good to know he’s coming out of his shell, and I think the group turnout will give him plenty of chances to play—and plenty of lessons in herd dynamics from the mares.
And Ro. Poor Ro. I’ve seen her with Aiden when she thinks no one is looking, and she’s not nearly as witchy as she wants everyone to think she is. I suspect that she’s remembering that having a turnout buddy is more fun than not having one.
Marlene says 6 March 2012
Yea for Aiden!!