Mares and Pastures

After two or three days of trying to get out and walk a fence line, I said the heck with it and just dumped the  mares in to the pasture and kept my fingers crossed that the fence line is at least half way up and secure.

I put them out in a different pasture (usually the one I have reserved for fall) for a couple of a hours last night. I don't think they moved more than 10 feet the entire time. I'd pulled Mayhem first from their drylot and that started a bunch of whinnying. Of course that set off Rabbit to calling back. And who should come trotting up to see what all the commotion is about....Junior. I don't think he liked being separated from his mares (although he's passive he still considers them his best friends).

I had a meeting last night so I left the mares in their new pasture and let Junior standing at the fence watching the mares. When I came back, I was heading out to call the big herd in and they came up on their own without me even calling. I'm afraid it was the  mosquitoes that drove them in but I'll take it.

I put Junior in the barn to let him have his grain ration. He takes SO long in eating that I've given up thinking he'll get his food done before I'm done with chores. I also decided to pull the mares out of the pasture. I'm still a little leery of putting them out to eat 24x7.

Instead of taking them back to their pen, I opted to stall them. Mostly it was a laziness issue on my part (both in that it's a long walk when pregnant and dealing with a horse that walks faster than you can, and knowing that morning chores would take a lot longer and I'd be drug along by a horse to get to the pasture first thing in the morning). But the mares were happy to get back out on pasture (the big herd had to wait and they were most displeased. I pulled Junior out and put him in with the mares. That's where he's the most comfortable, so that is where he'll be as long as the pasture holds out. Everyone else is paired up in the big herd and Mayhem flips back and forth between her mother and Junior. So it all works out. I need one more horse so that there's an even number and everyone can be buddied up with another one. :-)

Last night when I pulled the mares out, the big herd was already up. When I pulled Mayhem out, Rabbit went to whinnying and that set the rest of the herd of whinnying. I haven't heard so many voices whinny at the same time in a very long time. I'm sure no one knew what was going on but they were all talking. I just wish I knew what they'd been talking about.

Tonight I hope to get the ponies out on grass. It's going ot be challenge because I'm not sure where to put them. They need to work up to eating grass but I have a perfect spot for them. I may have to rearrange some temporary fencing so they can get out ASAP.

And speaking of temporary fencing. I've lost a pasture because the small drylot fencing fell down and we haven't been able to fix it yet. I don't see getting it fixed any time soon. So I'm either going to have to sacrifice the dry lot or not use the pasture. Neither are ideal. I'm going to have to come up with some type of solution in the very near future. Wish my brain was working better to come up with a good solution.