We believe the most vital part of caring for our horses is letting them be horses. During summer months, our herd roams freely among the ranch, enjoying fresh, live water as their drinking source, and lush green grass as their feed. In doing this, not only are their bodies healthy, but their minds as well. Horses are naturally equipped to roam, graze, and find fresh water sources.
As for the emotional side of things, horses are herd animals and feed off of each other's energy. Fun fact, while other horses are grazing or sleeping, one will be keeping watch. If something alerts the guard horse, he or she will wake the others. Horses also have a hierarchy: horses speak in the language of dominance and hierarchy. At the top of the list is the most dominant horse, in our case, Ghost.
He carefully watches over his herd and keeps them close together at all times. At the bottom of our list is Billy, the least dominant horse. Even with this pecking order, and yes, some scuffles here and there, the herd remains as one large group and happily grazes together.
When it comes time to introduce new horses to the herd, this is done over the period of one week. We stall the new horse(s) in a pen large enough for them to not feel confined if overwhelmed by the herd, but close enough to the herd they can sniff noses over the fence if they so choose. The new horse will be fed and watered in this pen, thus learning to relax and eat around his new family. After the period of one week, if all seems well, we turn the horse loose and watch everyone's behavior for the next few days- we want to make sure everyone stays safe!
Summer is coming to a close, but our horses will remain on the ranch for another couple months before going to their winter pasture. What a fabulous life!
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