Caring for Horses as a Horse-illiterate Person (long)
Hi there. I am looking for some advice/knowledge while I am doing some minor horse-sitting. My MIL is out for a few weeks and she has several horses that need taking care of. My SO is a little more familiar with them than myself, but we both go and help out together/keep an eye on one another for safety. The last person she hired to horse-sit did not follow directions and got trapped in the pen while the boys were fighting and it did not go over well. I, personally, have only had small pets and cats and dogs. I am t e r r i f i e d of most horses. I am slowly getting used to them. But I think of them like loaded guns with a stomach and free will. I want to learn to trust them and care for them like I do many other animals.
They are 4 boys, 3 of which are MIL's that we care for. The 4th belongs to the barn-owner, who is penned in with the boys but is not our responsibility.
There's Gio - an old bay. He is gentle and I feel mostly comfortable with him.
Greg - a youngish roan who is energetic but has always been nice to me/never naughty. I am comfortable with him as well but find him less predictable when he is with his brothers since they bully each other.
And then there is Sunshine - another roan who is very naughty and rambunctious. He bullies the other horses and constantly tries to sneak out of the pen. He is relatively grumpy as well. I fear Sunshine a lot and am looking for advice on how to mitigate his temper and attitude to avoid making him mad. All I do is give him cookies, medicine (pill hidden in grains), and talk to him while giving him pets so I'm not sure why he gets mad at me. Ears pinned back and snorting and all that. I always try to put a fence between him and myself so I am safe, but I don't want him to associate me with being angry.
They are all wearing fly masks so it is hard to see their eyes, but I am familiar with most animal body language such as ears and tail. But what does it mean if they stomp their hooves or dig with their hoof? Or if they snort and show their teeth? I have been doing research but just looking for advice for Sunshine in particular who seems none too pleased with our/my presence.
Submitted June 22, 2020 at 08:08PM by Square_Hammerr
via reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Horses/comments/he5vve/caring_for_horses_as_a_horseilliterate_person_long/?utm_source=ifttt
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