Gratuitous foal cuteness

[summer_jackel]

Baby Equinox continues to be brain-meltingly adorable. See, I have pics to prove it.

Bey is still not delighted to have people near him just yet, but after a little while, he got curious and walked up to me on his own. Dear gods, what a sweet, docile little horse. I got a little bitty colt sniff and the opportunity to pet a very, very soft little nose. Yeah, I melted. Meanwhile, Bey and I exchanged a little nonverbal communication in which I explained that I had no intention of catching either of them, but that attempting to trample me would be highly unwise. She and I have an understanding about these things.

Bey was foaled when I was 12 years old, the same year my brother was born. Damn, that was a long time ago. (Bey, BTW, was not a particularly friendly baby. Cute as hell, though). My attitudinous little mare and I have grown up together in...well, attitude and stubbornness, I guess, but hey, we're good for each other. Still, the breathless elation and excitement of meeting one's new foal is pretty much the same emotion now as then. You kind of forget to breathe for awhile, but in a really nice way.

Of course there's a part of me that's groaning just thinking about all the huge amounts of work OMG that goes into rearing a young horse, and man, aren't I just now enjoying the rewards of Dancer the wonderful saddle horse, four years later? But it's so worth it. Raising a baby is pretty awesome. You know any training mistakes are yours and exactly how they were made, you really really get to know the animal, and then on a whole other plane, you get to be part of this:













I love the markings. That white tail is going to be very striking for the rest of his life. But right now, OMG white splashed baby butt.


I has looooong colty legs.


Bey, that's really sweet how you're not kicking the baby. Good girl.

Comments

[yathin.livejournal.com]

? :-)

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

I hit the post button too quickly! It's really up now, though.

[yathin.livejournal.com]

WOW! Beautiful photographs! It's so awesome to grow up with an animal! When growing up, I used to spend holidays on a farm and I always used to look forward for schools to close so that I can go to the farm. We didn't have horses there, but goats, cattle, dogs, cats, ducks, chicken and sheep were all in attendance! :-)

[kynekh-amagire.livejournal.com]

Super-awwwww!

...that's all I have to contribute.

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

yeah, it's pretty much all I have, too. I see the horse, my brain melts into a puddle of goo.

[dreamaria.livejournal.com]

omg baby horses ;___;

Posts like this make me miss being around horses so much

OT, but I finished my half of our badge trade!

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2137708

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

I am beside myself with horse joy.

And EEEEEEEEEEEEEE, I love the badge. You got my purple hair! I love it.

I'm almost done with yours. Sorry, I, er, got distracted by a baby horse---it will get done. Soon. And I need to send your Yule pic when I send it to you. (Sadly, I never got art for Holiday Exchange, and the mods never got back to my gentle queries).

[mooncatx.livejournal.com]

gwahhhhhh...!!! Baby Horse Cuteness!!!!

I love how his butt and tail are white XD ...

me jealous!

mcx

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Oh, I just can't get over the white butt and tail. Too much cute.

[troubleagain.livejournal.com]

Awwwww. Using a new wallpaper pic today.

See, none of the animals I grew up with are around anymore. :-( I've never been around horses, really, until I got to know my SIL's horses. I LOVE Maverick. He follows me around like a puppy dog. :-)

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Oh, Maverick is pretty!!!! <3 What breed is he?

[archteryx.livejournal.com]

So how exactly did you impress on Bey that trampling is a Bad Idea and she should get it out of her equine head? :>

Adorably cute colt, BTW. I have to show the Silver Brumby this, just so he can melt, too. :>

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Well, the exchange in more detail is that I was sitting in the grass a couple feet from them. Equinox came up curiously and sniffed, and Bey came up and gave me the evil eye, tossing her head a bit to get rid of me. I gave her the evil eye back and lifted my chin. Horses communicate a LOT through glares (and soft eyes, in the other direction), and that is how dominant individuals move one another around both in mundane and survival situations. (in the wild, glares and then shoulder, nips and kicks are how stallions and lead mares get the herd moving if there is a predator, as well as in daily social interactions).

At this point, Bey came up to me and nudged at my outstretched hand. She lay her ears back and showed teeth, but didn't nip. I tapped her lightly between the nostrils, a warning on a similar level as her offer of teeth, maybe a shade stronger. Because I was being assertive but not aggressive, she backed down; the ears went up and she gave me her nose. We shared a little breath (a typical horse greeting) and then I pet her. She rubbed her muzzle against my hand and moved off to graze. Baby came up, I petted him and told him how cute he was, and both eventually moved away.

What this interaction accomplished was establishing trust with Bey during this very vulnerable time while simultaneously reasserting my dominant status in her herd. Bey challenges human authority quite a bit and has been boss mare in almost every horse herd she is part of; when not communicated with relatively strongly about things like, oh, taking her worm medicine, she escalates to dangerous behavior, like striking out when someone tries to medicate her. My mom has gotten hurt handling Bey; I am usually fine, but as I said, she and I have agreements about these things. I wanted to respect her boundaries with her baby while letting her know that there is never any time she is permitted to move me with her eyes/side/teeth/hooves, just as a lead mare would have.

Their language can be subtle, but it isn't that hard to learn. :)