Calista Claims Her Spot

Calista at the periphery of the gang of three

I am always watching how my ponies interact:  who likes who, who pushes who around, who stays with who in the pasture, who mutual grooms who, etc.  Three of my mares are very tightly bonded, so much so that one of them will vocalize whenever the three aren’t together.  One mare that was born with me but then was away for three years has never been able to insert herself into that threesome, despite being back for five years.  An outside mare that I bought is often to be found off by herself rather than with any of the other ponies.

When I decided to import my mare Drybarrows Calista, I asked her breeder where she stood in the herd hierarchy (knowing of course that there’s no such thing as a strict hierarchy in equine herds.)   When I was told she was in the middle of the pack, I considered that good news since it meant she was likely to fit in and wouldn’t exhibit aggressive behavior in a quest for leadership nor be a loner.

This fall I have been running all my mares together again for the first time since late winter and for the first time with the outside mare that I bought.  It has been interesting to see Calista adapt to this situation.  During the summer I ran her with the outside mare, so I assumed that she would continue to buddy up with that mare because she was head of their herd of two.  Calista would vocalize when she couldn’t find her buddy, making me think they were indeed herd mates.  But occasionally I would find her with the mare with foal at foot, and the outside mare was off somewhere by herself.

With three choices before her, Calista has made it clear, though, where she prefers to be.  She doesn’t want to be head of her herd of two, and she hasn’t bonded to the mare with foal.  She prefers to be with the gang of three mature mares, even if she’s on the periphery of their herd.  It’s hard to argue with her choice.  Those three are strong, confident mares, probably like the herd that Calista was born into on the fells of Cumbria.  I will watch with great interest how Calista’s relationship with the gang of three evolves.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2020

You can find more stories like this one in my book What an Honor, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover.