Herd Dynamics: Welcome Home Picasso Moon

Welcome home Picasso Moon!

Where is Sage when you need her?  I bet that is what Picasso Moon is thinking.  He went to school a couple of days after her passing away and the dynamics of the herd changed a lot since then.  Sage was always the horse who welcomed new horses and made the others accept the new herd member by befriending them. Sage was a horse that horses liked.  She wasn’t the “alpha” mare, she was the popular, friendly girl. Whenever Azure or Jaspar would go off to school for example, Sage would mediate their return to the herd.  She was not a fighter.  Most of the time she would simply stand in a position  that defuse potential bantering between the herd and the returning horse. I saw Sage do this so many times over the years I had her that I know it wasn’t a fluke.  I’ve never seen a horse behavior authority talk about a horse like Sage.  The alpha mare gets all the press.  Yet herds need a horse like Sage for balance.

Chanysk is the “alpha”  mare of our herd.  Since Sage  passed away, Chansyk has taken care of Beau and becomes his eyes and guardian.  She takes her new role very seriously and it works for Beau.  The return of Picasso Moon signals a readjustment for the herd. When Chansyk realizes that a new comer has entered her guardian area, she is called to action.

Alpha mare in full glory.  Note the expression on her face and the intensity she conveys.

Picasso takes the hint and relocates to another part of the pasture.  Chansyk moves pretty good for an old girl!  She is 26 years young.  Generally, she can’t be bothered by most things. But an invader in her eyes must be put in his place.

The amazing thing to watch during this whole process was Beau.  Somehow he was able to follow Chansyk around the pasture.  I don’t know how he did it. He used to have a hard time finding Sage when she would walk off when he didn’t realize.  Beau would call and call to Sage trying to find her and she would just let him struggle until he found her again.  But with Chansyk, Beau was moving around the pasture with her as if he could follow her.

Chanyk never let Beau struggle or feel lost in the process of monitoring the pasture and making it clear to Picasso Moon where he was and wasn’t welcome. She would take Beau up to a rocked area he would recognize and stand with him for awhile to let him relax a bit.  But she kept a careful eye on Picasso the whole time.

Picasso Moon is a pretty low key guy, but he has trouble understanding boundaries with horses.  Maybe because of his background.  When Azure first came to be with me, he was just out of a rescue situation too and  he didn’t know how to be a “horse” with other horses.  He was constantly getting himself in trouble.  Jaspar had to teach him the “way” of the horse.  And Sage was there to watch over him.  Picasso Moon will have to learn about interacting with horses too.  While Chansyk seems tough on him, she is a good one to help him learn.  While she might chase him, she wont hurt him.  I expect at some point when she is sure that Beau is safe around Picasso Moon, she will let him closer.

Picasso Moon did have some time to relax and do a bit of yoga while he was in the pasture today.

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