Thunderheads were boiling when I walked out in the pasture to halter the new team. They were turned out alone in a big field, and were unconvinced they should come to me. With horse cookies at hand, they relented. We got in just as the lightning and rain fell.
Their feet are horribly overgrown. They have about four inches of extra toe curling and splitting away. One walks with a big of a limp, and I can't tell right now if it's arthritis or its just from needing a trim so badly. I am so far away from a farrier, I'll just have to bute them for a week or two until someone can come get them into shape.
Their names are Jim and Jake-- one has two blue eyes. They are both black with a little bit of roaning, and lots of chrome. When I hitched them up the first time and spoke their names: "Jim, Jake"-- each one flicked his ears back to confirm to me which was Jim and which was Jake. Jake has the blue eyes, if you're wondering. I thought I vaguely remembered being told Jake was on the left, so I hooked them up on the ground. They immediately bumbled into one another, awkwardly bouncing off each others' shoulders and unable to coordinate their steps. It was pretty clear that Jim was actually on the left. Once I switched them up, I had no trouble. They are quiet under harness, at least while ground driving, and responded easily to my commands. With luck, they'll be the quiet, gentle team I need for the ranch.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment