Horse as Player

We were driving back up the mountain in the dark after running our errands down in town.

I asked Juanita if she had started the horses' beet pulp soaking (a very tasty treat to the horses' way of thinking) and she told me that she had not.  She told me "This morning the horses were not staying at their usual bowls for their beet pulp.  Ranger refused to stay at his bowl and ate from Jesse's bowl so she shifted over and pushed Washoe away from his bowl, while Jesse went back to eat at her bowl and then Washoe went to Ranger's bowl and Jesse didn't like that at all and chased Washoe away from Ranger's bowl and wouldn't let him have her bowl either and...."

So she decided that the horses should just skip "bowl food" until their manners improved.

It was dark, and an hour or so after their usual dinner time by the time she got over to feed them.

Several minutes later she came back to the lodge shaking her head and told me "I walked up to the corral, and all three horses were lined up, waiting politely and quietly at their usual bowls."  She told them "Sorry guys, no bowl food tonight."  The two greys went over to the hay looking a little disappointed, but Ranger stayed at his bowl looking soft-eyed and hopeful.  When she told him it just wasn't going to happen, he looked down, sighed and shuffled over to the hay.

She felt terrible.

Damn.  My horse can work my wife a LOT better than I can.

Bill