Freedom!!!!!!

The babies have been   in the mustang pen for the last week.  They are not happy about being separated from the herd, but they have eachother.  And the whole herd comes down a couple times a day to drink from the automatic waterer that is shared between the mustang pen and their pasture.  So they see their mothers regularily.  On Sunday, I decided to put the mares in the barn, then open the gate and let the babies out of the mustang pen (the barn and the mustang pen are separated by a hill, so they can't see eachother when the herd is in my new barn).  Of course, the babies were pacing in the back of the pen, toward where the rest of the herd went, then they ran out toward the front of the pen...Denny immediately saw that the gate was open and exited, whereas Charlie was so focused on where the others went that she did not see the wide open gate right in front of her face and instead ran to the side and paced at the panels.  Denny immediately took off over the hill for the herd, while Charlie ran back into the back of the pen FREAKING out!  Now she was alone!!!!

She paced the back of the pen for at least 30 minutes.  She had just lost her mind!  She ran out front 4 times, and each time she missed the wide open gate in front of her face and instead ran to the side of the pen toward where the others went, completely missing it.

I was so frustrated with how frantic she was that after watching her for half an hour, I shut the gate, thinking that maybe it wasn't a good lesson for her to get out and find relief by running back to the her after she'd been so crazed.  I went and got Catlow out of the barn and put her in with Charlie.  As soon as Catlow as there, Charlie was much calmer!  Now she had someone to follow, but she still paced the pen and whinnied for her mom.  I was so frustrated with Charlie...she exhibited the same behaviors as when I led her out of the barn away from the herd.  She just loses all rational thought and practically runs me over.  I'm not sure what to do to get her over this, other than leave her with a horse she can be comfortable with and just let her mature...her baby brain just can't handle this.  Unfortunately, she gets the pacing and ridiculousness from her mom.  Except that I've worked with Cody enough that if I am there, she respects me and will not run me over and will stand calm if I'm handling her.

Denny continued to run around and enjoy his freedom after I let him out of the pen.  And suddenly Denny looks like a horse rather than a baby.  I swear it just happened overnight.