When i got the request i immediately said yes. After The Races needed a foster home for a baby horse. A 3 year old mare who needed a few month living out with other horses. My two ladies are getting sick of just each other as only being the two of them at the farm is the smallest heard they’ve ever been in. So this was a good fit. A plan was made and a few days later Stutz was on her way to winter with Jezebel and Circe.
She was very excited for the first couple of days. I kept her in the first night since she arrived late in the day and let her meet the girls over the fence. The next day she went for a hand walk around the fence line then i turned her out. She was so calm and quiet that very shortly there after i turned them all out together. It took Stutz all of 3 minutes to feel comfortable enough with turn out and the ladies that she rolled her baby horse heart out. There was a little running and jumping as the pecking order was sorted out. (hint Jez is in charge) But all and all it was very uneventful. By day two they were three peas in a pod.
Feeding in the AM is a little more difficult as all 3 have different meals and i only have two stalls. Whoever the closest two are get put in a stall to eat and the leftover eats in the paddock. So far its working out. As soon as the rain lets up around here, its been three days then baby Stutz will start getting some special time where she will improve on her ground manners. Shes pretty easy to handle but babies like to rub their whole selves all over you, she is no acceptation.
My working student has been calling her Toots and i think thats fitting, she is a toots!. Shes a real doll baby and in three months i’ll be sad to see her go, but she will need to go back get reevaluated and then hopefully she can get placed into a forever home. In the mean time i’m going to enjoy the hell out of here. There is nothing my enduring then a baby off the track thoroughbred.