I want Foalie to have a friend. He is beginning to bounce and annoy Hetja, his long-suffering mother.
So I asked Bjørn if I could borrow a standard Shetland mare and colt foal for Foalie. We took the beautiful Aria and her son around yesterday evening.
Hetja was very unimpressed with my brilliant idea.
She was a cowbag.
Little Foalie, however, was desperate to talk to his new potential friend.
For a while we were hopeful that this was a good plan and all would be well.
But Hetja would have none of it.
Last night, I received a message from Jo saying that she had to split them up as Hetja would not give up her cowbag status. Not good. The foals now would get to know each other with a fence between them.
We went over this afternoon to find everyone together again and a tentative peace reigning.
Hetja had given up chasing and apparently had knocked down the fence between the two families.
While Daisy fed carrots to Hetja and chatted to Foalie, I went over to see Aria. She was fine, a few bites but nothing worrying. I fed her a carrot and told her to see how things go.
We will constantly monitor the situation. I think, and desperately hope, that the the boys will make friends and the mothers will leave them to it while concentrating on the more important matters like eating.
To be honest, I was surprised at Hetja’s cowbagness but Foalie is her first foal and she loves him to bits. She will calm down, eventually!
poor Aria, comes to do a favour and is treated like shit
it is quite scary how possessive and defensive a mare and foal can be – I couldn’t let Suze out with the herd as she made it clear she would kill
Ah, someone is quite protective of her firstborn beautiful boy. But, if she knocked DOWN the fence, it sounds promising that she’ll come around…
(P.S. This sort of thing is SO interesting Frances – thank you for sharing it.)