Musical Fields...

Bank Holiday Monday began with a 07:30 am call from the yard!  "Don't worry" said Chelsea... "everyone is alright, it's just that your horses have been reading your mind..."

For the last 3 years since Grace joined us, I've dreamt of having the three of them turned out together; believing herd life to be more harmonious for horses, and hating Grace being turned out on her own.

I've had a couple of opportunities (paddocks being large enough) but I've chickened out at the last moment each time.

My two big fears being; someone would get injured and "2's company; 3's a crowd"  and hating the idea of one of them being exiled?

Moving to West View Farm gave me a serious opportunity to put them all together given the paddock size is huge.   Then one week before we moved, Grace went to double barrel Essy in the menage and I called a halt to all such dreams.  The risk of my older guys 'not getting out of the way fast enough' was too much to bear!

So, whilst Essy and Solar have remained paddocks buddies together, Grace went into her own smaller (but still big) paddock, across the path from them.

They weren't separated by a simple electric fence line, they had a path between them and two sets of post and rail fencing.

Whilst Grace seemed ok, she wasn't relaxed when it got dark or rained and the other two disappeared from view under the trees.  After the first week, we changed the plan and put up some electric tape in the field of Essy and Solar so that Grace could move in and be right by their side, as in the past.

Much better!   Grace returned to being totally calm, come rain or shine.

Then Bank Holiday Monday the guys decided to take matters into their own hands.  Essy went into Grace's section of the field and Grace joined Solar Sue.  A game of musical chairs ensued.

24 hours on and the three of them are out grazing together as if they have been doing so all their lives.

I could not be happier. Nothing has brought me more joy than sitting with them tonight and watching them move in harmony and total unison.

It feels and looks so right; such good friends.

To my utter surprise Solar is 'in charge' and with a simple 'look' sends Grace off away from their 'rainy corner' or away from Essy.

I've never been more happy than to see three bottoms lining up peacefully munching!

Sometimes we chicken out, for the right human reasons (fear of loss through injury) but then other times our fear blocks us from doing the right thing or the most natural thing.  It's hard to be human.  It's even harder sometimes to be a human with horses!

Where was that crystal ball when I needed it all this time?