Short Relief

I am a bit of a high strung person. I look ahead and weigh situations. I rarely sleep fitfully. Is this relevant? Of course. I like Becca. I understand her. For all her silly fits and worries I do not think she is dangerous. She is horribly herd bound. But as she paces and hollers she pays attention. She thinks about where her feet are going. She never loses control enough to hurt herself. She respects space. Even in her most worried state she respects her handlers space. I love that about her. She knows where you are and she knows where she is. She may lean toward you for confidence. But, she never touches. She never pushes. And she gives to pressure immediately. She's sensitive- no matter if on the ground or under saddle.

Becca is low man on the totem pole. She needs others to tell her how to act. She has no confidence left to her own devices. Priss, on the other hand, is solid as a rock. She is tough and she knows it. Not so sensitive- on the ground or under saddle :) I'm not saying she doesn't know her manners. She is just different.

Becca poses a challenge. She has health issues- metabolic and accidental injury related. Pasture situations have caused recent concerns. Ideally she should have a pasture buddy like herself that requires minimal grazing to give her confidence and peace of mind. Realistically, I do NOT need another mouth to feed. And, my fences are not nearly complete enough. Patience. The horses are safe inside an electric fence with less than ideal perimeter fence (which they have no access to). That is my peace of mind.

Becca survived turnout for the last day in a grazing muzzle. I let her out of the round pen last night and left her muzzled until I got home today just as soon as I could. Good news. I feel short term relief. The odd looking torture device left no rub spots or blisters. Thank goodness. She does not fight it or try to remove it- even stands patiently with her head down in acceptance while putting it on. I brought her in to the round pen this evening for 4 hours. She paced and hollered. I call it her evening exercise. Get that metabolism going. And then I let her out again. She calmly led back to the pasture and rejoined her buds. I hope this works out. I can't wait for the day I come home and she's not wearing it. Twenty acres makes for a tough hide-and-go-seek. I have several back-up safety snaps just in case.

Before bringing her in this evening I led her over to Priss for a quick "checkover". They immediately began grooming each other. What a sight! Becca couldn't figure out how to massage through the muzzle. She gave up and let me do her job for her. Both were reluctant to part. For all her crabiness, Priss really does love Bec. I just really wish Bec was in better health. She's a beautiful beast. One of these days I'm going to jump on bareback for a bit. Or so I say. My life is blessed.