Quzqo VS The Killer Belgians

Wed Jan 5, 2005

Life is always interesting with a horse in it!

As usual, I stopped out at the barn after work to bring Quzqo in...as I was walking out the barn door to the back, the guy who works there in the afternoons (really sweet college age guy, very sensitive to his and other horses) hollers and warns me that they put a pair of Belgians out in the pasture and they've been fighting with the other horses all day, so, be warned! Oh, great...I look out the door, and at the end of the fence aisle leading out to the big pasture are two HUGE silhouettes guarding the entrance to the pasture...and all the smaller horses further up the hills at the haypiles.

The aisle is still sheer ice and snow and still hard to negotiate, but I had my snow boots on tonight, made a lot of difference! The Belgians were coming down the aisle towards the water and the gate when I was going out...BIG gorgeous red-sorrel boys...damn, they are BIG muhfuhs!! They looked at me kind of interested...so interested that they decided to follow me back out to the pasture! Rather quickly! Okay, yes, I was worried...I could hear their big feet crunching the ice rather close behind me (at work today we were discussing being chased and mauled by cows and horses, so...kind of apropos)...but they hung back by the fence, leaving me to go find Quzqo in the usual growing darkness of the early evening hours.

And, again, he saw me, I called him, he left his haypile and walked a good 40 feet right up to me!! Little snot wouldn't let me touch him or position myself so I could get a rope over his neck, he wanted me right in front where he could keep an eye on me and get the peppermints! LOL! But he was momentarily distracted by a small band of horses (the Upper Echelon of the Herd actually...6 of the dominant horses) that broke away from the haypiles and started moving en mass down the hill toward...the Belgians! Once I got Quzqo haltered, we started following that small band...until I saw they WERE heading right for the two Belgians, and damned if those 6 horses didn't start ganging up on the two drafters...heads snaking out, ears pinning, squealing, rearing, the Belgians started moving quickly away out into the field, the band of little horses (lol...QHs mostly) passed them and ran ahead.

BUT then the Belgians stopped, saw Quzqo by himself alone (I was on his other side, I don't think they saw me)...and the big fat bastards turned and started CHARGING at him! I'm talking snaking heads, flattened ears, rolling eyes, right for poor little Quzqo!! I jumped out around the front of him, lead rope flashing, and started yelling and hollering, smacked the one right
in the chest with it...happily they took right off in the opposite direction...and then along comes that band of 6 horses again, and they started herding the Belgians back towards the barn! Oh shit...

So now we've got two aggressive Belgians slipping down the icy aisleway, followed by 6 crabby QHs, and I'm trying to get Quzqo past all that..we stuck to the edge where there's some bare dirt (separated from the rest by a good 3' section of glare ice no horse would dare walk on)...(and unfortunately a live electric fence on the other!). I felt like I was watching an equine version of West Side Story, I tell ya...the 6 QHs started squealing and snapping and ear-pinning at the Belgians, kicking and rearing before heading back out to the pasture...the Belgians started moving towards us again, but again I waved the lead around & hollered at them (I do a very good gutteral HOOHAAAAH! when I need), and they moved on back out to the pasture as well. I kind of think I impressed Quzqo, because he stuck to me like glue the rest of the way to the gate, LOL! Hey, I make a good Alpha Mare I guess!

They think those Belgians haven't been in a herd situation EVER (and they're both over 10), and don't know how to behave...and what "little" horse out there is going to teach them manners? Shit...only good thing is the pasture is 30 acres, so there's plenty of room for everyone to stay out of each others' way...I hope.

And as an aside, my new saddle from State Line Tack DID come today, I went back to the barn tonight to try it out, it fits GREAT...the gullet is a full inch wider than my old one (that was so uncomfortable for him)!! He didn't feel like being ridden, BUT I was able to get him to back three times with the lightest pressure on the rein, I am so thrilled about THAT! And the resident Trainer lady there (she's a legit trainer, doing work with a lot of horses there) complemented me on how well Quzqo's come along! Pretty good, considering I don't know what I'm doing, LOL!