Our horses are hilarious. Yesterday I had the privilege to feed them and watch their antics. McD was out of town so I got to do all the feeding and taking care of the animals.
It started at 3 am. For some reason Mordecai thought he needed attention at 3 o'clock in the morning. Sheesh! He jumped on the bed and began meowing very loud. He climbed on my chest and kept meowing. Man I love that cat. I tried to just pet him but he wanted me to get up, and of course we have to do whatever he wants. He is king of the house. I dragged myself out of bed and proceeded to ask him what he wanted, believe it or not he will answer me. He didn't want food, I tried that. He didn't want outside, I tried that too. He just wanted someone up with him to pay attention to him. I sure showed him, I went back to bed. He's over it now.
At 4 am, all the cows came up. That wouldn't have bothered me except Mia & Hoss started barking at them and the cows mooed right back at them. No wonder I couldn't quit yawning yesterday. I just yelled at them to shut it and then I went back to sleep.
At 5:45 am the horses showed up. That is their first habit. How in the world do they know what time it is? I don't know, but they do. Every morning we have to put the horses in the lot because they are curious and their hineys seem to itch a lot. The people coming to work on the house have no clue what these horses could and would do to their vehicles. They don't really mean to tear anything up. They just want to taste their vehicles, because you know Fords, Chevys, GMCs, Dodges, and Toyotas all have a their own unique taste. Our guys & girls are tired of our Ford and GMCs. After they taste the vehicles they like to scratch their hineys on them. They don't usually scratch before tasting, but I wouldn't put it past them. That is why we lock them up all day long. But keep in mind, they ask for it. They come up every morning at about 5:45 - 6 am, just asking for it.
When we go out to the barn this is how it works. Every.single.morning.
They enter through one gate and I go through one at the barn. While I am getting the feed Hickory stands at the adjoining gate encouraging me to hurry it up by hitting the gate either with his head or his feet. When I bring the bucket of feed in the pens he guards me as I make my way to his pen. He doesn't want anyone else to get the first scoop, cause it's the best. After I put the feed in his feeder, he has to scoop some of it out. I don't know why, but he does it every.single.time.
By this time Babe has made her way over to me and the bucket. I close Hickory's pen and Babe is on my tail. I get her fed, close her pen and turn to take care of Ruby.
Ruby is always, always the first one in her pen. She gets in there as soon as she comes in the gate. Then she waits patiently. She is such a good horse.
Dandy is always fed last, he is the low horse on the horsey totem pole. By the time I am getting to Ruby he is pacing the pens. He paces them at least three times and then he goes into his pen. If I don't get his feed in his feeder fast enough he tells me about it by pawing the ground. He is the slowest eater. Sheesh!
Dandy might be the last to be fed, but he is the first to be let out of his pen. This means he is the first one in the lot and to the water. Then it's Ruby. If Dandy doesn't stop to eat the feed Hickory scoops out then Ruby goes for it. Next, we let Babe out. She is a character. She just stands there and rarely comes out of her pen right away. I think she must be napping. Then we let the big guy out, Hickory. He is the lead horse. He is the dominant one. It is irritating sometimes, but that is the way it is.
That is our morning routine. Every. Morning.
