Scene from earlier today -- we put a new mineral block in the field. The old one ran out about a month ago, so the new block was greeted with fairly substantial enthusiasm. Clockwise from top center: Kova, Eikon Coquette, Elklin, Thyme, Chablis, Absolut, Mezcal
Waiting their turns. This was fairly early on in the rush and they wouldn't be allowed in there that early on. Taku's at or near the bottom of the pecking order and won't get a shot at the salt until most everyone else is done. There's enough for everyone and then some -- it should last a month or so -- but the dang thing isn't big enough for everyone to fit around it at once.
Nick is higher on the pecking order when she can defend her spot. However, she hasn't been feeling well for the last couple of days -- she can't/won't put her head to the ground (like for, y'know, drinking water or grazing) which is less serious than it sounds. She can lower her head to about four inches off the ground (an improvement since Wednesday -- then her head would only go to where her nose was level with her knees). The round bales sit up pretty high, so she can eat those, and I've been keeping water in the trough so that she doesn't have to bend down to drink from the creek. She's eating okay and, aside from a rather snarly disposition and the neck thing, seems fine. Near as we can tell, she wrenched something in her neck though I'm not feeling any heat or swelling from palpation. At any rate, it appears to be muscle pain, it's getting better, and I'm not as worried as I could be. The upshot of that is that she hasn't felt moved to defend her slot in the pecking order and therefore is temporarily a low man on the totem pole, one who will have to wait to get to the salt.
I'm sorry Nick hasn't been feeling well...I guess you're working from the advantage of experience with horses, because I would probably have been freaking out.
How many horses are in the field? I didn't realize that there were so many that the low horses in the herd would have to wait to get to the salt lick.
I was sort of freaky to start with, but there's no heat and no swelling to be found. Also, she's eating okay and seems otherwise okay. Besides that, she's improving with time. I am worried, but not all *that* worried. If she'd gotten WORSE over time instead of better, I'd be a hell of a lot more worried.
My view here is that she's a horse. She lives in a good-sized field with a stunning variety of ways to kill herself and spends better than 22 hours a day (on average) unobserved by a human. Beats me what she did to herself, but it doesn't look like it's going to kill her.
As to how many horses are in the field, this is the winter holding field, one that's sacrificed during the winter (too many hooves tear the grass up) to keep the other fields in good shape. It's also conveniently located for putting round bales into the creek field. Once the grass greens up, a bunch of these guys will be moved elsewhere.
That said, there are likely close to twenty horses in the field. For sure I know that Ceres, Whisper, Thyme, Taku, Nick, Connie's bay mare, Briar, Sphinx, Absolut, Chelsea, Bacardi, Chenille, Eikon, Mariah, Elklin, Cocktail, Mezcal, Chablis, Casper, and Martini are in the field. I don't really care who's where beyond Meat and Nick.
Meatly is over at Odie's, in the field with Wren, Naughty, Proof, Chessa, and a bunch of young stuff whose names escape me, though I'm sure they have them.
Yes. In addition to what's listed there, Mai Tai, Cuervo, and Tanqueray are in assorted other locations. In years past, we've used Whiskey, Red Eye, Tequila, Mead, Rye, Guinness, and Cooler. Liquor provides names-of-last-resort, when we can't think of anything else.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2005-04-16 05:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-04-16 11:46 am (UTC)Nick is higher on the pecking order when she can defend her spot. However, she hasn't been feeling well for the last couple of days -- she can't/won't put her head to the ground (like for, y'know, drinking water or grazing) which is less serious than it sounds. She can lower her head to about four inches off the ground (an improvement since Wednesday -- then her head would only go to where her nose was level with her knees). The round bales sit up pretty high, so she can eat those, and I've been keeping water in the trough so that she doesn't have to bend down to drink from the creek. She's eating okay and, aside from a rather snarly disposition and the neck thing, seems fine. Near as we can tell, she wrenched something in her neck though I'm not feeling any heat or swelling from palpation. At any rate, it appears to be muscle pain, it's getting better, and I'm not as worried as I could be. The upshot of that is that she hasn't felt moved to defend her slot in the pecking order and therefore is temporarily a low man on the totem pole, one who will have to wait to get to the salt.
That's why they're not in the picture.
no subject
Date: 2005-04-16 04:36 pm (UTC)How many horses are in the field? I didn't realize that there were so many that the low horses in the herd would have to wait to get to the salt lick.
no subject
Date: 2005-04-16 06:56 pm (UTC)My view here is that she's a horse. She lives in a good-sized field with a stunning variety of ways to kill herself and spends better than 22 hours a day (on average) unobserved by a human. Beats me what she did to herself, but it doesn't look like it's going to kill her.
As to how many horses are in the field, this is the winter holding field, one that's sacrificed during the winter (too many hooves tear the grass up) to keep the other fields in good shape. It's also conveniently located for putting round bales into the
creekfield. Once the grass greens up, a bunch of these guys will be moved elsewhere.That said, there are likely close to twenty horses in the field. For sure I know that Ceres, Whisper, Thyme, Taku, Nick, Connie's bay mare, Briar, Sphinx, Absolut, Chelsea, Bacardi, Chenille, Eikon, Mariah, Elklin, Cocktail, Mezcal, Chablis, Casper, and Martini are in the field. I don't really care who's where beyond Meat and Nick.
Meatly is over at Odie's, in the field with Wren, Naughty, Proof, Chessa, and a bunch of young stuff whose names escape me, though I'm sure they have them.
no subject
Date: 2005-04-17 05:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-04-17 11:51 am (UTC)