How is Star Doing? some have asked. Well all I can say is she is about the same. She knows her own pen find and it is large enough (about a quarter of an acre that is mostly a rectangle with a weird little triangle at one end) that she has plenty of space to move around in. She has a good sized shelter that is open on one end so she can go in and out when she wants. I keep her feed container (half a 50 gallon plastic barrel) in there and only feed her in there so she will always know where her feed is. I keep her water container (also half a 50 gallon plastic barrel) full of fresh water and it the same spot all the time. She can visit with Nita, our other mare and Sunny, my old gelding through the fence between her pen and theirs. I would love to be able to let them together but she and the other two don't seem to want to get along well together. She and Nita will do find for a day or so and then get in an argument and the kicking and biting will start. The last time I tried it Star got kicked right above her right front knee. I don't think she could see or sense the kick coming and so couldn't try to get away. It was swollen for days but seems ok now. I won't take the chance on that again and don't let them together. Even Nita knows to stay away from Sunny. At about 22 he is the boss and gets everything his way. If Nita bugs him to much he lights into her with bits and kicks. Yes, I know all of them need more exercise but Sunny can't be ridden due to age (a bad back and hoof), and now Star can't. Plus I never was able to afford a professional to train Nita and I know I am not able to do it myself.
I do some round pen work with Sunny and Nita and with Star I am working with her to understand more voice commands as well as lead better and trying to teach her to lunge better on a lunge line.
It all takes time and for a person that is also handicapped there are many days where nothing but feeding and watering gets done.
That is except the love. We always give them lots of love.
Sunny is our oldest horse. We think he is around 25 years. He would eat us out of house and home if we would let him. He thinks we should feed him 24 hours a day. And grumbles when we don't and when we do. We feed him what the vet says to feed him. He has a big belly but his backbone shows. Vet says we need to re-arrange his body. Says he needs more excersise to do that. But I find it hard to excersise me or the horses when it is as hot as it has been this summer. But we are going to start trying to do more. In the mean time Sunny thinks his retirement is going great. he is a sweet old horse, who loves to be petted, groomed and bathed. I bet he was one heck of a horse when he was young. I don't know anything about who had him or what his life was like then. He and my QH mare, Nita, are best friends.
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