November’s 11: The Nicest Horse

Dagrenning, Icelandic gold.

Yesterday, after weighing out her feed, I gave Dagrenning a little brush down and picked her feet. She’s an endlessly interesting animal to touch. Her thick winter coat makes her appear kind of primal – which she is – and when you feel her coat, centuries of horse history meet your fingers.

She smells really good too.

It hasn’t gotten cold enough to up her feed beyond the 3.8 lbs of Timothy Hay and 4 lbs of Special diet, but I’m keeping an eye on that back rib padding. Her touch of thrush seems to be kept at bay, thanks to the medication that her pasture mate’s human generously let us use.

Grooming Dagrenning is an act of self-repair. She loves to be touched (just not in the ears) and she adores being talked to. I give her flax supplements that she thinks are treats and she gets super happy with the attention and snacks, bowing her head to be scratched and nuzzling.

After buttoning up the tack shed and getting the grooming area raked down, I went back out to the pasture to say goodbye. It never feels like I get enough time with her, I wish she were right outside the door. I snapped a photo. She looked up and walked toward me.

Here is the life changing thing that happens when you get to know a horse: when they freely walk toward you after you’ve fussed with them and given them your all, something in the air changes and everything feels okay. It’s going to be okay, Dagrenning, because your heart makes it so.

Honestly, I don’t know how we’re going to keep affording this horse. I don’t know how we ARE affording this horse. But I know that I’ll will, because her happiness and health is life affirming.

Last year, she had a shaggy mane mushroom air about her.

Dagrenning loves her new home.