Making New Friends

When I moved Sofie to the new barn, I went through a lot of anxiety due to the fact that I would be taking her away from her friends. I felt very bad for having to do that, and I worried that she would have trouble settling in. Clearly, Sofie has come a long way, because she settled in just fine. And she wasted no time in getting acquainted with the alpha mare in her new group, a bay Mustang.

I was not at all surprised by her choice of a new best friend, as Sofie loves bay alpha mares. At Judy's she became friends with the alpha mare, a bay Friesian cross, and became second in command by association. So after an initial few days when the Mustang mare was territorial and bitchy toward Sofie, she quickly became tolerant.

Sofie is in love with the Mustang, and she follows her around and nickers to her all the time. The other mare's owner thinks she is adorable, while the mare looks at Sofie like she's the biggest dork ever (which she is, but she's cute). I knew Sofie had secured her place in the herd when she walked right up behind the Mustang and then drank at the water tank beside her, totally ignoring the mare's dirty looks. The Mustang never once kicked her, and though she still pretends to not care about Sofie, Jesse has witnessed the mare sleeping with her head resting on Sofie's back. Awwww.











I've also been fitting in okay at the new barn, and I ride with the Mustang's owner every weekend.