Friends

One thing I really need in my life is friends. I have moved around a lot so I can’t say I have had any lifelong friends, but I always seem to find someone to hang out with. In general, I would say most horses are friendly. You run into the occasional jerk that wants to rule the pasture and gets off on chasing, biting and kicking everyone, but for the most part we horses get along.

When we are first introduced, there can be squealing and chasing until everyone checks each other out, but we settle in fast enough. There is usually one horse that likes to be bossy and once he or she establishes that fact the rest of us fall in line. I was a boss horse when I was young, but it is a lot of work always having to keep everyone in line, so I stepped back from that role as I got older. Now I would rather enjoy a good mutual grooming session and a nap in the sun.

These days, Ginger and I are besties. We are just crazy about each other. Since Oreo came to live here, we have become fast friends too. He is my turnout buddy and we watch each other’s backs. Oreo is super alert, so I never worry about the forest monsters sneaking up on us. At the same time, he would rather eat than run so I don’t get all worked up when we are out in the field.

Mocha, the other pony I live with, is a bit of a challenge. He had a rough start in life, so I try to be understanding. He is very aggressive when it comes to food. This is understandable since he hasn’t always had enough to eat. I don’t get turned out with him because he likes to chase me around too much, but we live next to each other and as long as I don’t get in his face when he is eating, we get along okay. I even share my hay under the fence with him sometimes. I think that has made him warm up to me.

At any rate, if you have a horse, make sure you have some buddies for them to hang with. It is very important to us.