It Takes the Herd, Ltd

AKA the hidden joys of sharing your life with critters

I was a little early to the barn today, a full 60 minutes early to be exact. It’s going to be a warmer day, with lots of wind, and rain, and I never know how Stanley (the 19 year old Appaloosa gelding) is going to react to high winds. Susie (the 26 year old mare) does not mind any sort of weather. She acts annoyed when we tell her it’s time to go in for the night, regardless of whether or not it’s -26 or she’s covered in snow. But Stan, he likes things calm, and he doesn’t like weather surprises. And after all this wind, rain, and warm weather, the Weather Network tells us there will be a flash freeze. Surprise!

I am surprised at how having horses forces one to watch the weather, to watch the environment around us. It sometimes heightens my anxiety a bit to always be wondering what the day will bring. In other instances, it reminds me of my days in the military, on deployment, when you really needed to be aware of your surroundings. Maybe that is the source of my anxiety. Regardless, I find myself checking the weather app a couple of times a day, peering out to the pasture to see how the critters are responding and whether or not I need to intervene. If there are any experienced horse-people in the listening audience, they would likely reach out to tell me that I do not. The critters will be just fine.

So today as I opened up the door to Stan’s stall (it opens from the outside), I was treated to a wonderful calming site. Stanley was stretched out in his stall, covered in wood chips, and he looked at me as if to say, “really, this early?” He didn’t even get up right away. He continued to watch me as I started to do chores, and then he stretched out his front legs and did a great stretch. It was almost like he was saying, “if I must.” It always looks to me like he might not be able to get those thin legs under that large body, but he always does, and he always makes it look effortless. I finished the chores, both horses left the barn, and I now am at my desk in my second story home office, getting ready to turn on my work computer. I’ll spend the day working and watching the pasture, watching the weather, to see if I can tell whether Stan is comfortable outside, or if the wind is picking up a bit too much for his liking. And if so, out to the barn I’ll go again.