We picked up the two fillies last Sunday night. Here’s Andrea’s write up on the trip.
The girls are home.
The girls made it home on Sunday at about 11pm. They made it to Rock Hill about 5:30 just after it got dark, go figure. So, we unloaded 15 babies and 3 horses by the glare of generator-powered floodlights. It was the best Christmas in October ever. Most of them came off the truck really well. Danika (Georgie’s) did the best if I can brag a little. She’s the only one that came down the ramp voluntary and into the holding area by herself and was very calm about the whole thing. She’s such a mellow little thing. She’s quite the opposite of Abbey (Simba’s) but more on that later. They got about an hour and a half’s rest and then we loaded them back up and brought them home.
Danika had laid down by the time we got home and would not get back up again even with me rocking her. We finally had to unload Abbey to get Danika up. Then the fun began. Neither baby leads very well or at all to be honest. We got most of the way across the back yard to the round pen before Abbey decided that she had seen enough. So, off she went back towards the trailer with me water skiing behind her. She’s already about 600 lbs. and very strong. I didn’t lose her but I won’t make the mistake of letting her have her head again. Whew. Tarus had to bring Danika back and we got Abbey to follow.
They slept most of Monday. My vet came by and we started them on antibiotics just as a preventative. My vet pronounced them very healthy babies. We gave up trying to get Abbey’s temperature. Didn’t want to stress her out too much. It was almost 80 degrees so, they are miserable. I really want to hose them down between the heat and the stink of four days on the trailer. Seeing as how Abbey won’t let me touch her, I don’t think hosing is going to happen. She’s really a contradiction. She’s the first to come to you every time you go out there, but try to touch her and she gets visibly upset. Very tense and nervous. I picked a trash bag full of grass and she’ll eat from my hands. She also let me loosen the noseband of her halter and rub her nose a little. Maybe that will be her weak spot. I’m trying to take it very slow with her. I went ahead and removed Danika’s lead rope. She’s calmer than my big horses. Abbey will probably have her rope until she’s 17.
I gave them another trash bag full of grass this morning. I kept trying to reach up and rub Abbey’s neck. Clever girl decided to try and bite me to keep me from rubbing her. Great. She’s going to take some work. I’ll give her a few more days until it cools down and if she’s not relaxing try something else. Like being on the end of the lead and just throwing the rope over her until she realizes that having her body touched isn’t going to kill her. I’ll get drug around a bit but at least I won’t get bit or kicked that way. Abbey is absolutely gorgeous but is going to be a test. I should have named her Patience.