Coincidence or Compliment?

When it came time in 2023 to wean my foals, I divided my mare herd in half. The weanlings went with my senior mare Bowthorne Matty and my young filly Willowtrail Lettie to create the Grandma herd, and the mothers joined their sister Willowtrail Wild Rose to create the Three Sisters herd. Since the fell-like hill here is a single pasture, I let the Grandma herd out at night and brought them in during the day. Then I let the Three Sisters out during the day and brought them in during the night.

The Grandma Herd awaiting my arrival at the barn in the morning.

Except I didn’t have to bring the Grandma herd in each morning. When I got to the barn for the first time each day, the Grandma herd was at the barn awaiting my arrival. All I had to do was shut the gate to keep them in for the day. Over the next year, the weanlings went off to their new homes, and two imported fillies joined the herd. Nonetheless, the Grandma herd was at the barn each morning awaiting my arrival. On the very rare occasion when they didn’t come in, my morning chores took much longer, so I came to really appreciate that the Grandma herd came in so reliably. Then I began asking myself, was it coincidence or a compliment?

Bringing the Three Sisters Herd in is usually an enjoyable walk, except when I sprained my Ankle.

One day during the summer while bringing the Three Sisters herd in, I stepped in a hole at dark and turned my ankle. The next day my ankle was very sore, and I found chores exceedingly challenging. I had put the Three Sisters herd out in the morning, and I was beginning to regret that decision, as I was not mobile enough to walk very far to get them. As the day wore on, I put out a silent plea to them asking that they help me out and come in on their own. When it was time to go out and bring them to the barn, they were waiting for me right in front of the house. Coincidence or compliment?

During the summer, I am fortunate to have a secure grazing paddock for my stallion. The gate to the grazing paddock is at the bottom of the stallion pen. When I arrive at the barn, I walk to the stallion pen, enter the gate along the lane, halter my stallion Globetrotter Moth, and lead him to the bottom of the pen where the gate to the grazing paddock is and let him out, asking him to stand still in front of the open gate while I remove his halter.

The second day after I sprained my ankle, I turned it again shortly after arriving at the barn. As I hobbled toward the stallion pen, I realized I was not mobile enough to safely halter and lead the young and sometimes rambunctious Mr. Moth to the grazing paddock. As I arrived at the gate along the lane to his pen, I realized that I could take very small steps and be stable and somewhat pain-free. I opened the gate, and Moth greeted me as usual. Instead of haltering him, I just began walking very slowly, taking very small steps towards the gate to the grazing paddock. I fully expected Moth to run ahead of me toward the gate in excitement. But he did something very different. He walked alongside me. Not only that: he also mimicked me, taking very small steps just as I was and staying with me all the way to the gate. Coincidence or compliment?

My young stallion Globetrotter Moth responded with unusual and impressive behavior after I sprained my ankle.

Moth’s behavior that morning and the Three Sisters herd the day before were one-off happenings. One might consider them coincidental because they could be considered random behaviors. The Grandma herd’s arrival at the barn daily is hard to call random behavior because it happens so regularly. Instead, I see all of these behaviors as compliments. These ponies make choices to cooperate with me. They choose to make my life easier. They acknowledge my communications by coming to me or staying with me when I want them to. It is humbling to ponder how I might cultivate these types of offerings to deepen our relationships. Once again it’s clear that one lifetime with these ponies will not be enough.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2024