Four Horse Herd is:
Sweetie-Paint mare with nearly no pigment on her face to block sunburn. Sweetie has become best friends with Delta……. Sweetie is low horse in the herd in domination in the herd. Number 4, Sweetie does not let on that she likes or trusts humans until you walk up and pet her. Then she may or may not trust you. I believe she has been a brood mare all her life and has not experienced any close bonds with a human. She did not have any friends in the large herd of horses that she had been pastured with prior to moving to my pasture.
Delta – Fox Trotter bay mare with two back white socks. Delta had been a professional trainer damaged horse in her first life. She came to be owned by a student of Tony and Jenny and over a period of years, brought back to a happy life with people involved. Her trust in humans has to be earned. Delta is #2 dominant horse in the herd
Since moving to my house, Delta and Sweetie have become best friends.
Lucky Star -#1 Lucky Star is the dominant horse in the herd. He runs everyone’s life. Lucky Star is a liver chestnut horse. He loves Delta since they are almost the same color. He usually can be found very near Delta.
Cisco is the #3 horse in the herd. It took him a while to be dominate over Sweetie, but now he wins that challenge every day. He is not allowed to be too near Delta. Lucky does not share his mare.
Now that summer is here, Sweetie has learned to avoid the horrible pain of sunburn by staying in the run-in stalls during the high sun part of the day. Flies are not as bad during the day plus Sweetie’s face remains pain free. She loves that. We have three stalls. Delta and Lucky share the same stall. Cisco and Sweetie stand in their own stall. Everything works. I give them all a little hay during the day so Sweetie will not starve and be forced out into the sun.
Cisco has been boarded elsewhere all winter and has just returned home to stay. Lately, I’ve noticed Cisco and Lucky out in the pasture during the day, eating grass and standing close together. They are swishing flies off each other when close together. Sweetie and Delta remain in the stalls. I believe Cisco and Lucky get tired of the stalls, want to eat more than the little hay I give them and have become a gelding grazing family. Sweetie doesn’t come out and her best friend Delta stays with her. Delta is a loyal friend.
Life is ever changing in the herd.