Today Hrimfara is eight months old. Where, I’m now wondering, did the time go? Seems like yesterday she was a newborn foal, and racing at top speed around the enclosure. We were so relieved that the birth went so well. To this day, I often ask myself, how did we get so lucky? I was not looking forward to our having to raise yet another young horse. I just wasn’t sure that I had the time or patience. But I am now glad that we ended up with this one. She’s been very easy to work with.

Hrimfara is becoming increasingly more horse-like. She’s now weaned. (Yeah, it took longer than we thought it would.) Signy kicked her off the bottle a few days ago when we re-introduced them. Our weaning method worked for us. We paired her and Siggi and separated the two from Signy. The two became inseparable. Now, somewhat independent Hrimmi goes back and forth between the two. Raudi and Tinni will let her eat with them, but they in her mind are the grumpy aunt and uncle.

We took Hrimmi on the trails until about a month ago. They’re now impassable (all it took was one big snowfall), so we now take her for walks with Siggi. We begin and end our jaunts around the loop by putting her on lead. Sometimes, during the walk, we put her on lead, like when a car is coming down the road.

After our walks, I sometimes tie her to hitching the post, using a blocker tie ring. The beauty of this is, if she pulled hard on

it, the rope would give. She hasn’t yet. Rather, she stands, and like the others, she eats hay while being groomed. She gives all four feet nicely and stands still while I take the snarls out of her wisp broom of a tail.

We’ve ponied her off Siggi, and she’s done just fine. We’ll be doing more of this when she gets a bit bigger.

Hrimfara has a lovely personality. She’s much like Signy. Very little ever phases her. She isn’t afraid of dogs, snowmobiles, ATVs, or snowblowers. The other day our neighbor was clearing his driveway – she trotted right past him and up our driveway. Siggi was more concerned than she was.
A few days ago, we put a yearling halter on her – the weaning halter was getting too tight. It felt like a rites of passage -- like, she was no longer a foal but now a horse. I suspect that in time, she will also outgrow it.

I think Hrimfara is going to be a large, solid, and like her mother, very dependable little horse. I really am not so sure how we got so lucky.

Next: 7. 1/8/13: Finding my Voice