The Adventures of Longhorn

Sunday was a pretty exciting day for Longhorn. I still need to get pictures. Maybe tonight!

I've had Longhorn separated from the ponies from day one. He's been near them but never with them. I've had a cattle panel and a corral panel separating them. Every time I go to feed the ponies and Longhorn the ponies whinny and Longhorn does a quiet "heehaw".

I spent last week trying to coax him into letting me touch him. No go. I didn't even come close. So Saturday I brought out a lead rope and halter and left it hanging in his pen so he'd get used to the smells. He did come up and sniff the halter but then backed away. I took it as good progress and left it at that.

I also moved the apple flavored lick toy in between the pony and donkey pen. Longhorn went up to it but he hasnt' shown any interest in it since that first encounter.

Sunday moring I did chores like I normally do and then went back inside to do some housework. I came out later and noticed something just wasn't right with the ponies and Longhorn.

.... Longhorn was IN with the ponies!!!!....

How ever did that happen?!! I figure he'd been hanging his head over a low spot between the cattle panel and a wood fence beam. He must have got it in his head to jump it. The cattle panel is slightly bent so I figure that's how he got in. There were no other places that he could have gotten out. He's lucky he didn't get his front hooves caught on the fence. It could have been disasterous.

I was surprised that he would want to be in with the ponies. Skippy bites him when they stand next to each other. Tommy has a death wish and charges him even with a fence/panel in between.

Poor Longhorn looked really stressed being in with the ponies. So I climbed in and moved the corral panel so that I could trap the ponies in one pen and Longhorn in the other. Of course with all the rain I'm doing this in mud.

The ponies see Longhorn's uneaten hay and go right for it. Longhorn follows. I put the panel back and went back for the halter/lead rope. I opened the panel back up and Longhorn walked right up to me like he was planning on walking right past me instead of being spooked at me.

I put the lead rope over his neck and he didn't do anything! I moved out of the way and he kept coming in to the pen with the ponies. I finally got the halter on him and started petting him. Unfortuantely right then Tommy decided to charge Longhorn. I had to let Longhorn go and wasnt' sure I'd be able to catch him to remove the leadrope but he let me get near enough to catch him again.

I was totally shocked! I decided to leave all three together to see how it went. Longhorn must be lonely. I did feed them in two separate locations this morning so hopefully Longhorn will at least get a little bit of hay before the monster ponies take over. I'm hoping to fiddle a little with Longhorn and see if he'll let me catch him and touch him again.

I'm hoping the ponies have a good affect on him. I've been hugging the ponies and playing with them so that Longhorn gets the idea that being manhandled isn't a bad thing. We'll see how tonight goes. But getting the halter on was a total breakthrough!