KBR Horse Net
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| MOVIN' ON UP! |
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We had a couple of rainout days, then we finally had partial
clearing. After chores and paperwork and other drudgeries,
I decided to move Max permanently from Mustang Manor to the
"main cell block." He had learned about the electric fence
wire from his previous visit and he would stand to be haltered.
The day was calm and the sun was peeking through the clouds so
so now seemed to be as good a time as any.
Big mistake. I was off doing chores while Max was exploring around the paddock. The sky was growing increasingly darker but it was a gradual process which I didn't really notice until the first thunderclap and the rain mixed with hail started beating down. Mikey, Starfyre and Keno were loose grazing in the stable. Mikey and Starfyre high tailed it to the cover of one of the arch barns. Keno had found a good patch of grass and wasn't going to be deterred by hail and a thunderstorm and continued to graze. Max, who at first didn't really like the cover and confinement of the paddock stall, quietly wandered in and stood just on the edge of the wooden floor out of the maelstrom. The storm grew in intensity and lasted about an hour. (The local paper ran a photo of people rowing down the streets of Antioch, a few miles to the west of us.) The rain and hail pounding down n the metal arch barn sounded like chains being thrown against it, but Max never lost his cool. Later at feeding time he had fully explored the stall area and seemed quite settled in. The next day we put Max in the round corral and let him stay with us while we did maintenance. He flinched a little at occasional loud noises but stayed pretty curious and calm. Afterward we did a little round pen work as well as groomed him and combed out his mane (with spray) with no halter and lead rope. Then we decided to let Max out into the riding arena for about an hour. Max just poked around and explored until I went in to take him out. It was at that point that Max, who had been in small pens for at least the past nine months, realized that he had room to run and run he did! He bucked and played and blasted around like nobody's business. When a confined wild horse gets to really run for the first time I'm always afraid that he will be hard to catch in such a large space but after about ten minutes Max had gotten it all out of his system. I walked up, asked him to target the halter, put it on and led him back to his paddock. During subsequent "play times" Max would storm around until he got it out of his system. He would literally be tingling when he was finally ready to target the halter and be taken out, but he would target the halter and lead lightly. |
Only a horse can get dusty
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