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October 6, 2013: Tinni’s Return

Last night we drove over the to the Meilke’s with the trailer, and retrieved Mr. T. We’d left him there in June, shortly after the leaves on the trees had reappeared. And we were picking him up just as the leaves on the trees were disappearing. He was there, then, for a full season.

I was glad to see him. I will never know if the feeling was mutual. He immediately came over to me when I called out his name, and when I stepped in the gate, he began nuzzling me for treats. I have to say, Tinni looked good. He was a bit on the heavy side, but not overly so. And he was ridden some, but not excessively.



Later, after dinner, he readily hopped in the trailer, which with its red and white lights, reminded me that the holidays are fast approaching. I had thought in advance about reintroducing him to the herd. It was late and dark, which was why I decided to momentarily separate him from the herd. So I closed the front paddock gate and let him have this space for the duration of the evening. The best thing of all about Icelandic horses is that eating trumps everything else in life, including bickering. In fact, if there is bickering, it is usually food related. Knowing this, I tossed all the horses a flake of hay each. And all, including Mr. T, dove into their respective piles.

This morning I got up well before dawn and went down to the barn both to do morning chores and see how things were going. As it turned out, I could have slept in. All the horses were just fine. I tossed everyone more hay, greeted Mr. T and with considerable flourish, opened the paddock gate. Twenty minutes later, they all began milling about, eating in groups of three, with a fourth heading to the outermost pile.

So, now all the animals who live here are home. The count is now three dogs, two goats, and four horses. Mr. Siggi is definitely with us in spirit, as are the other animals who have come and gone. This includes Bootleg the dog, Peaches the goat, and Stubby, Henny Penny Palin, Catchi, Snooki, Nimby, and Henrietta the chickens. Of course, the ones who remain require ongoing care. Our numbers are up there, but it doesn’t feel overwhelming. This is in part because we are somewhat organized, and because the animals on site are pretty agreeable.

Next: 195: 10/6/13: Raining Cats and Dogs