Rocky is now the surrogate mama for Centella, Erin’s new filly, as well as the gentle and wise herd leader for Salsa. I have video and some great snapshots showing Rocky’s look of contentment: he has a Purpose and it’s one that suits him very well.
I don’t want to post too many of Centella (“spark of light”) until we have a chance to announce her arrival on Erin’s blog, but here is one of Rocky teaching her how to play with a cone (which he brought all the way across the arena to show her!):
Salsa and Rocky do well together in the Back 40, but we can’t leave Salsa in there all the time, because we free-feed and he would probably gain 100 pounds and founder within the week.
Erin and I worked out a schedule this morning. Salsa will go back in his small pen for the daytime, where he can see everything that goes on and have several horses in his line of sight. In the evenings after the Back 40 horses finish all or most of their hay, I will turn him out with them for the night. In the mornings, Salsa can have his bucket on the high line with the others (once I teach or re-teach him how to tie well), and then Leslie will move him to his daytime room before she throws hay in the Back 40. Of course I will play with him as often as I can, and I will bring him into the arena when I play with Rocky. Hopefully this will be a good mix of mental, emotional, and physical stimulation for him.
This is a video still, so pardon the blur, but I thought it was cute. I set up my “mobile office” in the Back 40 to supervise dinner in case of drama, and Salsa immediately had to go check it out. You can’t see it in this snapshot but he turned his head right before snorting, and thus my laptop narrowly escaped a shower. Next time I’ll keep it in a sleeve until I’m actually working on it.
Horsegirl on a Journey 