Horse Play

Nuzzling? Nope.

Things have stayed so busy here at the horse sanctuary that the philosopher in residence (yours truly) has had precious little chance to go out with a camera.

A couple days ago, I managed to get out just as the sun was rising. I came upon these two Choctaw horses. . .

What are they doing? Nuzzling each other?

It soon became clear they were playing with a stick, a bit the way dogs play together with a stick. You can see it in some of the images here, though you might want to zoom in a bit.

Sadly, I only had a slow-focusing portrait lens with me . . . unprepared for this level of action, the images don't have solid focus. But, it was worth including the winner's victory dance, and the loser's sour face. (Images below.)

The story doesn't end there. The following day found me out with a work vehicle. While driving by this same group of horses, I slowed down to greet them. Francis, the white horse in these images, looked directly in my eyes in a way that clearly presenced connection-seeking. As a general rule, when a noble horse teacher and friend makes an overture for connection, I try to drop what I'm doing and acknowledge it.

So, I stopped the vehicle and got out. We connected over the fence, but other horses soon approached, leaving our connection feeling unfulfilled. Therefore, I went into the enclosure to say hello to everyone and to try and have a more stable connection with my friend Francis, who called to me.

Francis picked up a stick from the ground and offered it to me. What a delight. It was a really crappy stick . . . the best we could find at that moment. But we played with it, and I enjoyed our connection. Friends who play together stay together, eh?

Repost from 19 February, 2021