Herd Dynamics

Ah, neighbours. You know the kind: gentle, quiet, chew their cud peacefully, leave meadow muffins where you least want/expect them. Good to have around and generally less likely to create chaos when family comes to visit.

'Tis the season for many things around this neck of the woods. The sun's been shining almost consistently for three days solid, the neighbours are out for twelve hours at a time trying to get the fields cut and dried for baling, and the sunsets are to die for. In between all the drama of herd management, there have been these little sparks of joy, like having the neighbour's herd standing on the fence line staring peacefully at the drama-llamas (née horses) you own.

This was from a couple of nights ago. Cleo and Womble had just been moved up into the paddocks next to Maggie and Mara and we had let the girls attempt to mingle for a bit. Given that we didn't see the same behaviour from Cleo as we saw the first time around, we felt it was worth leaving them there to sort their feelings out. The cows were amused, to say the least.

If you've never touched a cow nose, you're missing out. They're cool to the touch, slightly "wet," and so unbelievably soft. Cattle embody this?joie de vivre?that horses, being more anxious by nature, don't seem to get. Don't get me wrong; we see Mara and Maggie playing constantly and there's life and love written deep in their marrow; it just hits different from the bovines.

I'd argue that this peaceful solemnity was a warning sign, a flashing red light about what was yet to come. The early interactions with the ladies all together in the same space was tense but not overwhelmingly so. We thought, wrongly, that this would settle out pretty quick, the general nature of such kind and loving animals taking control of the base instincts. The calm before the storm was a trap.

I want you to notice something in this video. See how Mara is on the opposite side of the fence? Notice anything similar to where she's standing and where the cows were the night before? Do you see it?

Hindsight is a funny fucking thing. It's that glaring clarity that you wouldn't have appreciated in the moment of decision. It's something to be thankful for, but only if/when it matches your expectation of experience. Otherwise, it can fuck right off.

Mara being in the neighbour's pasture was...unexpected. Trying to figure out where she managed to get over/under/through the fence line took a bit of time while Emma went to talk to the neighbour about getting Mara out of the field. Near as we can tell, Mara managed to jump the fence, probably in the same spot, to escape Womble's aggressiveness. However, given that Mara is a love-suck, she couldn't stray too far and her desire to be back in the herd overwhelmed her sense of place and protection and she attempted to hop back over.

In what could be seen as a foreshadowing, we had stopped by our vet to pay last month's bill for all of Cleo's work-ups and Emma had commented that she "hoped that we didn't see them any time soon" and...well, the above video happened. Suffice it to say, the vet's coming out in about an hour for some tetanus shots for Mara. She's doing ok with last night being a bit rough. Some soreness in the front legs, some contusions and scrapes from the barbed wire, and generally exhaustion from all the adrenaline that went through her body. This morning, she was glued to Maggie's hip and chewing her way to oblivion on the grass.

It's funny how everything in life,?should you allow it, creates an intricate narrative. Every plot twist, every love and loss, is carefully crafted out of the moments that we exist in and hurtle towards.

Listen, we take each of these moments in stride, toss them around in a game of intellectual volleyball in our brains, and then sort out what should be done afterwards. We're constantly being thrown at things we don't understand and have to reason our ways through. It's stretching, breaking, and chaotic to say the least. But, if you're willing to humble yourself and learn, accepting each challenge with the grace and (in)dignity that your humanity offers, you're going to find out how beautiful that aforementioned narrative is. I live for these moments, dear souls.

Today, as we head into what will surely be a wrecking ball of good intentions, bad social proscriptions, and whack-fuckery here on the farm, I want you to take advantage of these learning and teachable moments, and write more chapters to your never-ending story.

May it ever be so.

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