Okay, pardon the Christmas reference...I know we're not quite there yet. But I couldn't help but think of that poem this evening when up from the barn came the familiar clang-clang-clang of Mr. Arab kicking his feed bucket to beckon me to come out and give him his "seconds". Can anyone say demanding? Sheesh. :)As you can see in the photo above, he has parked himself just perfectly in front of the bucket and if you look closely you will see his right rear hoof poised to deliver a few perfectly placed kicks. He's very clear about getting his message across.
You would not believe how loud this is! I can be in the house, with a washer going and TV on and hear it as though he's right in the backyard. He's definitely close to the house, but not that close!
I really don't mind though...after all, I did set up this routine. See, I feed him so early in the winter (he insists on eating by dusk...otherwise MAJOR Arab-tude ensues). So, lately, I've been going back out around 8:00ish or so to give him either a little extra warm mush or a litte extra hay. And now that I've started it, he's not gonna let me skip an evening. But it's no biggie, 'cause I actually really enjoy going down and visiting with him...and I know he appreciates the company (although he probably appreciates the food more).
Doesn't he look so content now? :)
It will be so nice when we have a companion for him...I feel bad that he spends so much time alone, so I definitely try to make a point to visit with him frequently. After all, I am his herd for now! Except, of course, for when the elk come 'round...then I'm kicked to the curb while he visits with his girlfriends. The other morning my husband caught him standing at the front of the arena whinnying at them while they cow called back to him. Hilarious.
Anyway, that's off topic. Where was I? Oh, yeah...my demanding Arab. Gotta admire his tenacity, right? ;) Whatta nut.
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How do you spell spoilt......
ReplyDeleteC.A.S.P.I.A.N ...hehehe
Don't talk to me about rountine...I have created monsters....nahh!!! but I love it and wouldn't have it any other way.
HAHA! I am laughing it up here girl!
ReplyDeleteI have a nice smooth double handled rubber bowl =just for that reason...hard to turn over(unless by mouth) and unbreakable and quiet!
He is a pocket pony, to be sure!
Kac
Funny how are animals get us to respond. Doom, our pitbull, doesn't have a regular feeding schedule. We just fill up his food bowl whenever it seems to be close to empty and he eats whenever he wants. Every once in a while we won't notice that it's empty, so he lets us know by tapping his front paws in it or obnoxiously licking the bottom of it!
ReplyDeleteHe is such a cutie, I love horses with a personality! BTW, did I ever mention that my little nephew's name is also Caspian? It's a good name =)
ReplyDeleteThat is a riot! You should take a video of it sometime. Horses are smart. My Boy knew that the farrier pulled up in a new truck yesterday. He looked at it like, who is that? All in a panic (probably thinking it was a vet coming to give him a shot, lol!) Once the farrier approached him, he was fine.
ReplyDeleteIs the little room next to his stall a feed room? How handy!
PG - I'd love to video it, but he always stops when he sees me come out. Not only is he a smarty, but a sneaky smarty. See how he's looking away in that first pic? Mr. Nonchalant..."what noise?"
ReplyDeleteYes, the room next to his stall is my tack/feed room. I absoutely love it. At first I was nervous about him trying to get into it, but we have a super heavy duty latch on it and he never messes with it thankfully. Humans even have a hard time figuring out how to open it, so I'm pretty sure it's secure. Much to his chagrin. ;)
I love your barn. Beautiful and useful all at the same time!
ReplyDeleteBaby Doll doesn't bother with kicking anything when she wants to be fed. She whinnies loudly over and over, until she's sure I'm getting worried about the neighbors waking up and calling Animal Control for fear that I must be starving my poor mare. lol!
Last week I started something new, though, and my mare loves it!
See, I'd feed her a couple flakes in the morning and she'd be done eating in 20 minutes. Then she either wander around trying to pick bits of grass from nothing (we had no real grass growth this year due to a drought), or my mare will just stand in a corner of her paddock and do nothing until dinner time. That's NINE hours...just standing around bored.
I noticed 2 weeks ago, she attacked one of the wild shrubs in her paddock. It had been there for the past 2 years and she's never messed with it. Why now? I think it's because she was bored.
She's a single horse, too, but she does share a fenceline with 4 other horses, so she's not without companionship. But she has nothing else to do all day...but wait for her next meal.
I decided to change that by creating for her a hay net that would allow her to stay busy for several hours. And in fact my mare can eat hay from her hay net for at least 4 hours. And I don't give her much more hay than what I give her normally at her meals.
At night, it's even better, because it's cold outside, and all that munching for 4-5 hours keeps her warm.
Maybe you can try a hay net for your pretty boy, too? I made mine using a hockey net from instructions I got off the internet. It only cost me $30 to make two of them, so it's cheaper than those you can buy that are already made.
~Lisa
I think those Arabs are pretty smart and sneaky, LOL! It's a cute little set-up you have there! :)
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