Back story: Playboy, at 29, had gotten very rickety. He had a bad health problem and was laid up in a stall for a few days. He was miserable. We decided to try putting him in with Chocolate, an even more elderly horse who lived in the field adjacent to Playboy's regular field. We took Ben the Mule out of the field with Chocolate, and put him in with Pluto. We thought old guys together and young guys together would work out pretty well for all. We moved them into their respective fields on January 29, 2006. This is what happened:
Today, a formerly very angry and now very relieved Playboy got to
come out of isolation. We decided to put him in the field with
Chocolate the 33 year old Morgan horse, on the theory that Chocolate
would be less likely to harass him than 6 year old (and bored) Pluto.
Chocolate has been sharing a field with a 6 year old mule named Ben.
In the shuffle, Ben was assigned to Pluto's field so they could each
have a youngster to play with.
Here's what happened.
First we moved Ben into Pluto's field.
Chocolate: What the hell?
Ben: Hi.
Pluto: Hi.
Ben: I like you.
Pluto: I like you too.
Chocolate: I said WHAT THE HELL?
Ben: Want to run around?
Pluto: OK!
(there is much running around)
Ben: Want to play nippy face?
Pluto: Joy!
(there is much playing)
Chocolate: BRING BACK MY MULE!
Kevin and I went to get Playboy and put him in the field with Chocolate.
Playboy: Hi! I'm Playboy, I used to be in the other field, how are you?
Chocolate: DIE!
Playboy: Um.. I'll just hang out over here.
Chocolate: (glare of death)
Playboy: Look, grass.
Chocolate: I'ma kick your ass, boy.
Playboy: I may be old but I'm still younger than you, you old fart.
(He thumps Chocolate in the ribs.)
Chocolate spends some time staring at Ben in the other field and
screaming.
Playboy investigates the shelter, the grass, the trees.
Chocolate turns back to Playboy. The shark attack music from Jaws
begins to play in the background. Chocolate charges Playboy at a fast
shamble. Playboy kicks him again and runs off.
Chocolate: DIE DIE DIE!
Playboy: In case you haven't noticed, you're not fast enough to get
in front of me so you can kick me. And you don't have any teeth left
to bite with. Give up or I will kick you again.
(Chocolate glares at the world and at me in my car. He blames me now.
I start to wonder if he will brave the electric fence to try to kill
me.)
Playboy: I'm just going to go hang out by the trees until Chocolate
gets tired.
Pluto: Do you have any idea what all that fuss is about?
Ben: Nope.
Playboy, all pumped up with Banamine, is agile enough to fend off
Chocolate for now. I hope that by the time it wears off, Chocolate
will have accepted the situation. The mule is very nice but Playboy
is a good pasture buddy too.
Ben has decided that as a Cookie Lady I'm cool. Pluto is thrilled to
have somebody who will race around and play gelding games with him.
Playboy is just happy to be out of jail. So far only Chocolate is
unhappy. Poor old guy.
-Pluto
&Playboy
&apparently Chocolate and Ben too
No comments:
Post a Comment