Chicory’s Happy Day
The day has finally come when I can turn my boy out onto pasture. Mind you, he has been grazing for some time now. I put him out onto small areas for limited amounts of time to get his gut used to the grass. He has been on hay and grain all winter and in order to avoid colic or founder, as well as to keep an eye on his overall well being, I gradually introduce him to grazing. I do this by penning off small areas for him to graze and start off with one hour graze time. Then gradually extend the grazing time over 7-10 days. Other than a slightly runny nose, he is doing good, so it’s freedom time.
When I did the bale buddy post, Mike said it would have been nice to have some photos to illustrate my story. So this time in preparation for the big event, I take my camera. I would guess from barn to the far end of the pasture, it is close to 3/8 mile distance. I open the gate and he bolts down the lane like a race horse. As he reaches the post indicating entrance to the big pasture, he does a rolling stop (any quarter horse reining professional would have been proud of,) then promptly drops his head and begins to graze. I barely got my camera to my eye and the party was over.
Normally, he gallops happily around the fence. Eventually he gets a little winded and stops. Ponders the meaning of life, then starts bucking, farting and squealing for joy. Followed by another gallop around.
I wait. . .he eats. Hmmm. I come up and try to drive him away. I flail my arms and cluck, he lifts his head trots 5-10 feet and resumes eating. I try again and get the same result. (big surprise there) I try inducing him to run, by jogging away from him. He eyes me from a distance. I wait some more . . . he eats some more.
After about 20 minutes I decide that there will be no great photo shoot of him galloping through the rich green grass. His mane and tail flagging out behind him like burnished copper in the sun. Instead I’ve got a pudgy, dusty (because to add insult to injury he had to roll right after I groomed him, for the big photo op) quite average looking horse, grazing.
As I wander off defeated, I think to myself “I bet he is waiting until I am gone and then he will do something truly spectacular, like the macarena or hula or something.” Harrumph!
He’s gorgeous. He looks well groomed to me, even if he did roll pre-photo! You should see some of the poor things in our town. I have no idea who they belong to. They’re just left in a marshy field and their manes are matted and dirty. Passers by take pitty on them and feed them carrots and bread. What’s the point in keeping horses that way?
Sorry, that’s put a rather depressing note on Chickory’s happy day hasn’t it? Hooray for Chickory!
How sad. I agree what is the point of keeping them. But then I feel the same way about dogs left their entire lives on a chain in the backyard. What are the laws regarding keeping horses in the UK?
I really don’t know to be honest. Sometimes we see things we don’t like but it’s not actually illegal - like a dog being chained up it’s whole life. Do you have strict laws about keeping horses where you are?
Here, different states have different laws regarding horses. I think in Iowa the law is pretty vague. You need to provide shelter, but I believe a depression in the ground or a hill can qualify as “shelter.” Also, you must meet it’s usual requirements, like food and water. (I am unsure if vet and farrier care are included in this) However I seem to recall that you could legally tie a horse to a post and leave it there it’s entire life, as long as you fed it and watered it. (much like dogs I suppose)
I think it all comes down to a persons beliefs and morals. If you believe that animals are sensitient beings with emotional lives (which obviously I do) then you could never in good conscious keep an animal in that state. However, if a person believes animals are nothing more than mindless property I imagine it is much easier to treat them them poorly.
Hi Mona. If you want to be more sure he’ll run and buck, get a few more, LOL. He will do it though, when you don’t have the camera. He does look great though.
Sorry about your bear struggles, can’t really see the problems, but understand that struggle. Yes, I imagine posting here would be intimidatling, but as I said I can’t see “failure” — I think it is good for people to know that art can be a struggle and is made up of infinite, sometimes grueling, decisions/choices.
I love the leopard. What do you mean “avoid profiles” — do you mean that you feel your art needs to be a more involved composition to be a piece of art?
You were right, I misspoke about Ginger Razberry, the appendix barrel horse, she is a chestnut, not a sorrel. I don’t think the horse market here is good at all right now, if I send the pony to training, I would like to at least get that cost, but will settle for a good home — except that is really hard to know if your getting one for sure. I hate selling/giving her away, but I feel the need to cut down. Until I got her mother at auction, I was adament about not getting an animal that I could not commit to for it’s life — but the horse market was better then, and I thought my friend and I could train the baby (in the works then) and her mother and help ensure a good life, I guess sending her to training is a step in the right direction.
I reposted Ginger Razberry. My current art goals are to get into pet portraits and I am knowledgable of the local horse world — but doing those OP’s was quite a struggle — so I think I have a ways to go. I have been planning on working on a website and getting it up by July 1 as well as have business cards and a brochure by then, I may move that date, because until then I was to be working on a 20 piece portfolio — and I am not there yet. I did do a color pencil portrait of my friend’s dog — she liked it very much. I posted it on the colored pencil forum of Wetcanvas, an got pretty good feedback. I plan to work on some more CP’s, feel like an unfaithful lover to the OP’s, since I have primarily done OP since starting up doing art again almost 2 years ago. When I was going to retire, I started doing art again (was doing it pretty strong until 1995) when I got this farm, I wanted to live with my horse while I was still physically able at that time. Well, the commute and the work involved here, increasing professional responsibilities, just took priority for the next twelve years. I wanted to come back to nontoxic/non dusty materials (I had quit smoking, though now need to again after so, so, foolishly starting again — we all have our struggles, I guess) so looked at CP and OP when started back. For some reason, the CP’s seemed too technical/complicated and, to me at the time, obsessive/restraining. I went with the OP’s. However there is a book, Anne DeMille Flood’s book on painting pet portraits in CP, which I love, I started practicing with it — so for now, I am having a love affair with CP. I think I will do a few more dogs, before doing a horse with them, though.
Good luck with your mysterious new venture and Happy Painting, Angela
He actually runs and throws himself around quite a bit, he just chose not to for me that morning, even though it was breezy to boot. I think about getting a least one more for company, (someone in town has a cute little mule broke to drive with cart. ) but like you I see this as a commitment for life, so not something I enter into lightly. I hope it all works out for your pony. I think training is a good choice.
The bear will be back.
I have no doubt. Yes, I meant profiles are considered to be a less artistic pose, much like floating dissembodied heads. I kinda feel like these little pieces are sort of like ACEO’s. Trying to cram big art in a small space something has to give. Clearly I will never be a miniature artist in OP.
I wasn’t correcting your description of Ginger Razberry, I wasn’t sure what color she was after having just looked at wet canvas. Good for you! getting out there with the portraits thing. Thats some serious hard work. I have a friend who is primarily a commission work artist. She loves it. Would drive me nuts. Too much pressure.
I can see why you would be more inclined to work with colored pencils for portraits. People tend to like ALL the details and it is excruciating trying to pull detail out of OP. That’s why my last portrait was done in watercolor pencil. She still talks about the floaty mane on the breeze. I couldn’t have done that in OP. Still OP’s don’t cramp my hands and I “love” the color I get out of them. I think OP really opened up the color universe for me. Working in OP improved my water color pencil work.
Oops there I go talking about me. Blogs really do tend to make a person self absorbed.
My point was work with what you gives you the most joy and satisfaction. Art is all about growth so sometimes you just got to move on to the next thing to keep having fun.
Not really anything mysterious going on, just need permission before I start talking about it on such a public forum. I’ll check out you dog portrait on wet canvas. You give me a reason to go in and play around.
Huh, it appears I got carried away with the smiley’s. Apparently I’m in a good mood today.