Enjoy a break from the daily with a little herd spiciness! The girls enjoy a game of ‘chicken’ (with me!) at any opportunity. Zorra jumps a bush, Posa jumps the creek, and the dogs dodge hooves.
I open up the back pasture for the first time after a long, wet winter. But the bank down to the creek is still very slippery. Lots of coyotes live back here, cougars and even the occasional bear pass through, so the horses are very keyed up and alert for any danger.
They won’t come back here unless the dogs are with us – because they know how good Tiah and Kumba are at running off coyotes and sounding the alarm. But once the horses get spicy, the dogs ramp up too! It’s a great opportunity for me to see how much the dogs can ‘hear’ me once the intense, elevated energy sets in.
Kumba (the black dog) is now 3 years old and he’s much more responsive than last year. The only reason I seek to contain the dogs is to prevent the fillies from getting injured. They’re still not mature enough to make consistently good decisions once they’re wound up. I’m not too concerned about the dogs getting kicked – it’s a game they play with the horses and the horses have laser accuracy with their kicks. Of course – especially with the young girls – misjudgments can happen. So again, I tune into the energy and only interfere if I feel it’s necessary.
I have only ever seen the horses kick one dog, once, who was genuinely aggressive towards them. And even then, Montaro only kicked him hard enough to send him yelping/limping for home, but the next day the dog was fine. When the landlord’s dog, Timber (St. Bernard/Bernese cross), was young, he would leap up into the air and snap at their muzzles! But they knew he was only playing and all the horses tolerated him with good humor. With Tiah and Kumba, even the wild mustangs understand the dogs are part of their tribe and they will lie down in R.E.M. sleep with the dogs right next to them.
The horses may also drive the dogs away from me, chase them out of the paddock, and play run/kick games with them. It is all good fun, with no aggression or danger to anyone.
Jini Patel Thompson is a natural health writer and Lazer Tapping instructor. She began riding at age 2 in Kenya, and got her first horse at age 8 in Alberta, and so continues a life-long journey and love affair with these amazing creatures.
I always enjoy some Forrest adventure with the herd! Who doesn’t like horses kicking up there heels and showing all their glory! Dogs and horses…so many dynamics! I have dealt with old and young and I prefer young! Older dogs have a harder time with reactions and although the four horsemen are mostly good to my sons dogs (1 old 1 young) when the energy and adrenaline come up I watch closely to make sure there is as much safety as possible for everyone! Speaking of dogs …I know your climate is very different then ours…BUT,..what do you use for fleas and ticks and worms? I am hoping you can share your natural remedies? ✌🏼💚🐴🐕
Oh so hard to remember… when Kumba came to us I used a very well-tolerated wormer that my vet prescribed… it was 1 dose. And I gave Tiah wild oregano oil gelcaps instead (put them to the back of the throat so they don’t bite them). They haven’t needed anything else, but if they did, I would use wild oregano oil capsules as they work well.
BUT I feed raw, give a variety of healthy fats, Omega-3 etc and probiotics. My protocol with humans and animals is always to strengthen the gut and body so it is far less susceptible to parasites and can easily cope with a normal parasitic load.
For fleas and lice:
https://listentoyourhorse.com/natural-method-to-electrocute-and-get-rid-of-horse-lice/
And I doubt I would even notice if they had a tick they have such thick, multi-layered coats. But if they did show me a tick they wanted removed, I would use one of the non-toxic remedies – you have to use one that causes them to withdraw of their own volition, not shock/traumatize them. Course I would talk to them first and give them the option to drop off and avoid treatment if they wish!
I loved watching this horse adventure first thing this morning. Thank you for posting. I do not own horses and miss being in their presence. After watching your video, I realized I need to step up and initiate some change and get myself back into horse connection.🙏💕
Awesome Gabriela – that’s where it all starts! Set the intention, create the space, and let the journey begin 🙂