Somebody's pleased with himself.

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

Have a little horsey side-eye for your Saturday.

So, someone (not I) forgot to fasten the gate chain on one of the pens. I went out about 7:00 AM to retrieve something from the studio — and got to see a spectacular light show over the mountains, by the way — and I couldn't see the boy anywhere.

His pen-mates were standing nose-to-butt between the stall and the gate. Which was wide open. Surprised the other two were where they were supposed to be, but I have a sneaking suspicion that was thanks to She-Wolf and Raven, not any essential sense of propriety on their part.

So right now, Ice is up by the north willows, happily Hoovering the alfalfa. I suppose he deserves it, since he aced his first vet visit yesterday.

Wings was handling it while I took care of other things, and he tells me that Ice handled his first vaccination (probably his first ever) like a champ. The horse vet pronounced him a "score" — meaning that if we're going to have a starving half-wild horse just show up and move in, we got a really good horse out of the deal. Says he's absolutely sound, and in great shape despite the apparent lifetime of starvation and abuse.

Still no definitive word on his age. At least five; theoretically, he could be as old as 20, but that's unlikely. Particularly given his athletics last week when one of the mares was in heat. Yes, I started a very early morning off last week by having to run out in the cold and yell at him to climb down. Yes, that kind of "climb down." Fortunately, he's voice-responsive. Also, too, fortunately, he doesn't have the ability to procreate. My guess is five to seven in terms of age.

Still a lot of work to do with him. Desensitization is a daily thing, but he and I worked on some of it yesterday before the horse vet arrived. At any rate, after four months here, he's — as the horse vet apparently said yesterday about Miskwaki — "a whole new horse."



Copyright Ajijaakwe, 2014; all rights reserved.