A Drop of Vinegar into a Bowl of Baking Soda

Today Quzqo got to go OUTSIDE!!! His owie's nice and healed (still slight oozage but barely anything), the farrier is coming tomorrow, and frankly, I didn't want the poor man to have to deal with an Arabian whose been in a stall for 2+ weeks (because I know Coos would get the worst of it!!! My farrier has no qualms about smacking horses with the flat of his rasp if they wiggle around too much).

Not wanting to have my fingers dislocated, I faked out the horse by walking him into the pasture, and while still walking forward, unsnapped the lead from his halter so he was free before he realized it, and THEN TORE off at a brisk trot! (If I'd have stopped and turned him towards me (like you're SUPPOSED to), he'd have reared back and tried to tear off before he could be unsnapped or unhaltered). I got Bob's permission to put him back into "Cannonball Run", the big back pasture where he was year before last (when he got his tail broken by that pony mule), because it's full of fat, mellow horses, not the wild hellions of "Bad Boyz".

Quzqo trotted off down the aisleway towards the pasture, and that turned to a canter, and that turned to a gallop up up up off over the hill and into the morning drizzly mist!! I didn't even see the other horses, they were so far out...but pretty soon I saw little shapes bobbing around behind the hill, bouncing and moving briskly! Within the minute here comes Quzqo....followed by three horses and a pony, all galloping across the hills like a flock of birds!

To paraphrase "Jurassic Park"..."they're flocking this way"...Quzqo headed back towards the gate, leading the rest of the herd, and they came thundering down the aisleway and erupted into the paddock at the end where I stood (safely behind the gate)! Quzqo exploded into the paddock all flag-tailed and high-headed, then came Colby the QH, Leo the bucking roan, a BIG bay pinto Draft cross gelding who is relatively new, and finally, Roly Poly Oly the mealy bay Shetland Pony! They boiled around, Quzqo acting like an agitator in a washing machine, squealing and rearing and pawing and sniffing and nibbling and spinning his butt towards all and sundry! He and the Drafter engaged in a prolonged nose-sniffing and face-nibbling, broken by the occasional Arabian squeal and Quz would strike out with his little hooves...LOL, they never came NEAR the Drafter, sort of like the big kid holding the little kid's head and the little kid trying to hit him...Quz just didn't have the reach! Thankfully the Drafter was benign and just sniffed and nibbled....I was glad I left the halter on, because the horse was nibbling THAT and not Quzqo's actual face!

Quzqo sort of made the rounds, investigating and being investigated by each horse...he already knows Colby and they're good buds. He did spin and present his butt to Leo, who immediately backed off. Quz and Colby got into a sniffing/nibbling session that ended with both of them rearing up on their hind legs and squealing! (I never knew Colby COULD rear up, LOL!). Coos was the only one squealing, a few times he let loose a ROAR...a very basso profundo squeal, a "don't mess wi't me I'm a bad mofo!" sort of squeal.

They eventually made their way back up the aisleway and again Quzqo lead the brigade galloping off over the hills into the mist! Colby broke off from the group and went to graze, and again all I could see was little horse heads bobbing around behind the hill! I knew I was already late for work, so I made my way back to the car. Before I left I checked again, and this time I saw all five horses grazing on the hilltop...introductions were over, time to settle down to business!

I think that's the most excitement that herd has seen all winter, LOL! Hopefully Quz will be settled down by tomorrow for the farrier, and safe for me to ride!