It was going to be a big day for our young Alexios. Everything had aligned in a way that would allow me to work for a few hours down at the pasture so that finally he would have the opportunity to receive a formal introduction to Poesia, our lead mare. They had gotten to know each other over the fence line, and he has definitely been accepted as a member of the herd, but now he would have the chance he get up close and personal.
First, we turned Anastacia and Alexios out into the pasture. It was a beautiful day to do a little exploring.
Next, Deb led Poesia out.
Alexios immediately became interested in this turn of events, but he was cautious enough to check things out from a distance.
Slowly he approached Poesia.
He recognized that she had the potential of being another source of milk and so checked out her udder.
This was not a good idea on his part. Poesia quickly told him that attempting to nurse was completely unacceptable.
She threatened to kick though it was just for show. She would not have connected with him, at least not for this first transgression.
He got the message and took off back to momma.
They all grazed peacefully...for awhile.
Curiosity eventually got the better of Alexios and he decided to attempt another visit.
Poesia's ears tell the whole story here.
She is letting him know that it is better that he keep his distance.
Once more she is indicating that she might kick, and being the fast learner that he is, Alexios backs off.
Giving her a wide berth, he takes off back to Anastacia.
Despite the laid back ears, Poesia seems pleased that he has learned this lesson without too much fuss.
Of course, being the feisty fellow that he is, Alexios had to give a little show of his baby stallion self. The fact that this was done from the safety of momma's side means nothing. Really.
We brought everyone back into the pen and let them loose together. It was warming up and so they all headed for the shade of the shelter. Everything had been worked out and Poesia was showing that as long as he displayed the appropriate respect, he would be allowed to join them.
There was one more thing we hoped to accomplish before we left and that was to halter Alexios. We decided to try with feed since he has been receiving regular rations ever since he showed an interest. He allowed me to walk up to him and put my hands on his neck and rear to hold him in place while Deb held the feeder. She then put it down and was able to slip the halter on easily.
We put him on the lead rope while he ate his grain, and then removed it when he was done. It was a remarkably smooth and calm experience for us all.
He is now 5 weeks and 3 days old, and is growing so fast. We will be introducing him to a foal feeder the next time we are there. This will allow him to get his full rations instead of having to share with Anastacia when she decides to help herself. He is still getting most of his nutrition through nursing but this won't be the case for very long. Of course, we'll be sure to document that next learning experience so stay tuned.
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