Leaving the Nest.... or Stall

Just like humans, horses sometimes need to leave the nest and learn things for themselves! India is now a almost a year and a half old and has become very herd bound (this means that she is very dependent on her herd for safety and doesn't like to stray too far away from them) and that is sometimes a negative thing. Being herd bound, for some horses, is good. It gives them a sense of protection, especially if they are young, old, or lame (this means injured or weak, sort of like when a human has a limp). Because India is young, if she becomes too herd bound too early on in her life, she will forever be dependent of others, and independence is a very good thing, especially when growing up. She needs to learn things for herself!

We moved India to a new barn to help her become less herd bound. How do you move a horse across town without riding it you ask? Well, a horse trailer is the answer. Horse trailers are made to carry from 5000-15 000 pounds of livestock on the back of a pickup truck. To get the horse on the trailer though, is another story. Because the space on the trailer is so confined and not very big (so they can't walk around or hurt themselves while driving), getting onto the trailer is sometimes scary, especially for young horses that have only been on once or twice.

After an hour of coaxing her onto the trailer (with food and treats), India finally got on, and she is now happy and making friends in her new herd all by herself. She's growing up!