Peace Offering

As with any baby, you have to wean them off momma eventually… that case goes for humans and animals a like.  If you remember last July we had a filly {female baby horse} born at our house.

Well it was finally time to wean Snookums off her momma and let me tell you, she hasn’t been the happiest about it.  Momma is still running in the pasture with a few of the other horses and Snookums went into the open stall we had in the horse barn and most days, she wants nothing to do with anyone.

Last weekend though, I went out and while I was snapping a few photos of her, she was very curious as to what I was doing.

“What is that black thing in your hand?”

“No, maybe I don’t want anything to do with you though…”

“Why do you keep pointing that at me, seriously?”

It was starting to get really dark out there while I was playing with her.

And I when I would squat down on the ground and stick my hand through the fence she’d get very curious as to what I was doing, but then Marlie or Audrey would tackle me and she’d want nothing to do with me again.

Finally Marlie calmed down and was trying to “talk” to her.

Whatcha doin?

She sort of acted like Marlie might be ok, but then Marlie would run off and it would spook her back to the other side of the fence.

So I’d sit there for a few minutes trying to build her trust back up so she’d come see me again.

She just wasn’t real sure she wanted much to do with me though.

So I ran into the barn and grabbed a “peace” offering.  She hasn’t eaten feed out of anyone’s hand since she was a couple months old, so I thought what the heck, I’ll try it.

I sat there with my hand stuck out like that for a while before she’d even come close to me.

But she couldn’t resist her curious side I guess, she finally started getting closer.

And just about the time I’d think she’d eat something from my hand, she’d bow her head and back off a bit.

We went like this for quite a while, but if you know anything about horses, patience is key.

Unfortunately this isn’t a sweet feed, it’s pellets so it doesn’t have that real alluring smell of molasses on it, so I just had to be patient.

I finally got her close enough to want to smell it.

And it is the same feed she always eats so she knows the smell of it, but my hand doesn’t smell like her feeder.  Plus she’s at my parents house so she isn’t around me a lot either, I’m sure that had something to do with it.

After about 30 minutes of messing with her, I finally got her to eat out of my hand.

Then I so slyly tried to pet her nose but she was gone again.  Maybe next time 🙂