Pumpkin's moment in the spotlight

Saturday morning I rode again. I actually thought I would trim both Chico and Cody instead of ride, but Cody's hooves were not long enough to trim...to trim them would have just made them too short to ride on gravel roads. So instead, I decided to ride Cody again and take Pumpkin out to pony her along.

Pumpkin has been the topic of conversation lately as I try to convince D that maybe she needs a little pony mule to cart train instead of her paint mare (she's been working with her to pull a surrey). D expressed interest in her but both parties at her house need to be on board for that, and so far we are mostly just joking about Pumpkin being her future pony mule. But it did get me thinking, so today I rode down to D's house with Pumpkin in tow just to say hi, then continued on some trails before we went home and rode through the pond. Pumpkin was quite a good little girl. She is pretty fearless. We rode along the gravel highway with dumptrucks and a surprising amount of traffic today. Her only vices so far are just her inability to stand still (she wants to get into everything) and related to that, when we are standing still, she often tries to duck under Cody's head. I keep a tight hold on her, but she is so short that the rope needed to keep her head at a comfortable level is long enough to let her try to duck under Cody's head. Thankfully, she is very good when we are walking/trotting, for the most part keeping up with Cody well and staying at our side. And when she does get a bit too far ahead or behind, she responds well to a little tug on the leadrope. I was pleased with her.

Pumpkin is 5 years old this year. She is only halter-broke as far as I know, but I figure if I often take her out with me like this, and perhaps find a pony saddle for her, by the time Wren is old enough to ride, Pumpkin will be a seasoned leadline pony. And I do have neices and nephews that would probably like to ride her and play with her too. She just loves attention. She's always the first animal to greet you at the gate. She follows me around when she sees me with the fly spray bottle and I don't even have to catch her to spray her from tips of her ears to her fetlocks. She stand quite still for grooming because she loves it so much. She is pretty good about her feet, but she does think that she can walk away while you are trimming unless she is tied up pretty snug. She annoys me sometimes because she is so in-your-face, but she is very personable. She also gets along with the big horses really well. She knows how to interact and she also stands up for herself.

Colors galore

I visited with the horses for a bit today. Pumpkin and Chico followed me asking for fly spray, but I couldn't because I was holding Wren. I'd just sprayed them down yesterday, but the repellancy does not last 14 days like the bottle claims.


A while back I posted about noticing that Pumpkin had a very poor hair coat and took forever to shed out last summer, which was her first summer with us. Over the winter, her coat was lush and dark. I said we'd see how long it took to shed out this spring. Well, I learned something between then and now...donkeys shed out much much later than horses, and mules (because they are a cross between donkey and a horse) also shed out later than horses. So, this spring, long after the horses had unveiled their bright summer coats, Pumpkin was still shaggy. But, her shaggy coat was not quite as dull and rough as it was last summer. And now that she's all sleek and shiny, she has dapples galore! The dapples are new! I've been told that dapples on horses that are capable of getting them (usually the sooty colors) is a sign of good health and nutrition.

Click on the picture to view it large to get a good look at her dapples.


I have been calling Pumpkin a chestnut mule, but on closer inspection, her mane and tail are faded out, while her legs show a darker brown color. I think she might actually have the silver dapples gene. The silver dapples gene dilutes black, so that would make Pumkin a bay with the silver dapples gene (mane and legs diluted). It's a color gene that is common in some pony breeds, and Pumpkin definitely resulted from a cross with a pony given her size. Regardless, she is quite beautiful.


And another color question. Has anyone else seen these white spots pop up on their horses? Kachina has a few white flecks on her face, her neck, her sides and her hip...pretty much all over her whole body. They are small, and not very noticeable. The ones on her neck are the largest. She seems to have a few more this year than last year. What could they be from? Are they from injuries? Insect bites? Ringworm? She hasn't had ringworm since I've had her, but I'm pretty sure she had it while with the BLM - when we adopted her 2 years ago, it looks like she has healed ringworm spots - the hair was shorter in some circular areas on her body. But of course, I don't remember if these were the areas. The scuffs are bite marks from either Chico or Griffin (don't feel sorry for her - she generally asks for it).


Maybe she's an appaloosa?!

Little mule

These are the pictures that the rescue has on their website. I'm not exactly certain when they were taken, but by the looks of the trees and grass, I'd say late spring/early summer. We brought her home in April of 2010, so the pictures might be from summer 2009, and I guess her poor condition then could be due to her previous situation. However, she had difficulty shedding out and looked rough for a couple months after we got her last spring, which would be a year after the rescue pics. I'll be interested to see how she looks this spring. I know the rescue said they had her at least a year before we got her. She'll be 5 years old this summer.



This picture shows her shortly after we got her in spring. She is still not shed out, but she doesn't look as bad as I remember her being. It was probably mostly the rough coat that made her look in such poor condition and it was rough because it was old dull winter hair.


The following picture is her later in the summer. She'd shed out by then and was looking pretty glossy.


I guess the real test will be to see how she sheds out this spring.

The horses love to loaf down along the fenceline next to the neigbor's pasture. People say that a horse won't pick their head up from a bale of hay even when they are full, but I don't see that with these guys. They have good quality grass/alfalfa mix in their feeder all the time, along with two trace mineral salt licks (one with selenium and one without). They do spent a lot of time eating, but I watch them loafing down here for several hours every day. Sometimes they sleep (some lay down), and sometimes they dig through the snow to graze on grass beneath. It's hilarious to watch Pumpkin dig into the snow to graze because the snow is just about to her belly in some places, and she buries her head to her ears! Sometimes when I greet them at the feeder, Pumpkin still has snow stuck all over her face!

Todd and I were discussing Pumpkin the other day and I don't think we will send her back to the rescue. She has potential in other areas beside cow guarding and I think I'll try to make time to work with her this summer. She's a good size for a kid and she's pretty fearless so she may make a good kids horse...but then again, she's also bull-headed so she may be difficult for a child to control. We'll see!

I have reservations about sending her back to the rescue anyway. My opinion of the rescue is that the woman running it is only a step or two above being an animal hoarder. She had dogs chained to trees, running loose (the neighbor apparently shot one of her pregnant dogs when it was running loose through his field), goats, and tons of horses. The horses were all in good condition weight-wise, but now that I look back at Pumpkin when we got her and compare her condition to how she is now...The rescue had her for about a year before we adopted her, so her condition when we picked her up last spring was due to the rescue's treatment. Last spring, she had a very dull, rough, scruffy winter coat and it took her well into the summer to shed that coat. Once she completely shed, she was lovely and shiny. And now, her winter coat is just thick and luxurious. It is a dark chestnut color. We'll see how her coat looks this spring as she sheds, but I think that she'll have an easier time shedding and her coat won't look so rough as it does. We'll see. I think that rescue was a little overcommitted and couldn't keep each animal in top condition. They had 30+ horses and had to feed hay year round because they didn't have enough pasture for them.

Sassy meets Pumpkin

Here is the 'Sassy and Pumpkin Meet' post, as promised.

Remember, we got Pumpkin in the Spring to serve as a guard animal. Todd had some problems with coyotes in the past and thought a guard animal would be something to try. Usually, donkeys are used with cows, but I also know that mules can be pretty fearless protectors. I found Pumpkin through a rescue. She was a 4 year old pony mule. The rescuer said that she chased dogs in the pasture, so we decided to give it a try.

Unfortunately, Pumpkin did not take to the cows. She stood on the hill along the fenceline, calling to the horses (mine) that she could see across the valley. She ignored the cows, unless they were in her way. In that case, she pinned her ears and the cows scattered. They were scared to death of tiny Pumpkin, even though they were much larger.

Todd's nephew had a horse that he had lost interest in. He'd just gotten her that spring from a friend of his who was planning to attend college the next fall. But then, he also got a motorcycle and the horse fell on the back burner. The horse, Sassy, was a 5 year old paint/appaloosa mare who'd only been trail ridden previously. She is super friendly with people, but had been kept alone since her previous owner acquired her as a weanling. Sassy didn't have any social skills. She had been standing alone in a little pasture for most of the spring and summer and her pasture was getting rather eaten down, so Todd's nephew decided to turn her out with the cows and Pumpkin.

I thought that Pumpkin would be delighted to have an equine friend, but boy was I wrong! She saw Sassy as an intruder. She ran a couple of circles around Sassy, then promptly rounded up her cows and drove the painted intruder away from them!
If you look closely in this picture, you can see Sassy standing at the gate begging to be let out, while Pumpkin stands guard in her cow herd.



The tiny little mule had shed out into a lovely shiny chestnut color over the summer.


When I entered the pasture, Sassy followed me, looking for some security. I walked up the hill away from the cows.


Pumpkin watches from within her cow herd. Click the picture to see it bigger if you can't pick her head out!


Pumpkin decides to come up and see what's going on.


She sniffs the intruder's poo.


Then she sets chase after Sassy! Sassy runs for her life! This picture captures Sassy's stance well. It's almost as though she doesn't know how to run. She sort of "stots" like a mule deer.


Sassy runs right through the cow herd!


Pumpkin returns to the center of her herd, while Sassy must stand outcast.


Pumpkin comes again to check Sassy out and perhaps give her another talking to.


Sassy watches, prepared to run.


Within a week, these two were best friends. Pumpkin was definitely the boss of the two-some. This was the start of Pumpkin taking the protector role in the herd. Unfortunately, she took that role too far. She was with the cows that were about to have their first calves. Most of Todd's cows calve in the fall (to sell during that time when the demand is higher due to lower supply), but he always has the first calf heifers calve earlier so that their calves have a bit more substance to them going into winter. So, as summer went on, the heifers started having their calves. Pumpkin decided that the calves were hers. Some of them, she tried to steal from their mothers. I watched her do it. She would basically walk alongside the calf, circling around it and blocking it from its mother. The calf would start following her. If the mother tried to intervene, Pumpkin pinned her ears and even kicked the cow! The cows gave up. Probably if she'd been with the more experienced cows, she would not have gotten away with this. She had to eventually be removed from the pasture with her pal, Sassy, to prevent any further problems.

Pumpkin is a very interesting little animal. I remember when we visited the rescue, she was in heat. She displayed and teased the horses and managed to convince a gelding to mount her! It was kinda funny because she is so little. So, Pumpkin displays very intense heats, even though she is a mule, and is therefore sterile. There must be something in her that wants a baby so bad. I bet she would be a fantastic nanny to a foal that lost a mother...if she could be made to lactate.

Now, Sassy and Pumpkin are integrated into my herd. Pumpkin is no longer the queen of the pasture, but she doesn't seem to mind so much. I think she likes being with the other horses.

There are now seven equines in my pasture! AHHHH!

On Sunday after Thanksgiving, we turned Pumpkin (pony mule) and her friend Sassy (paint/appaloosa) out with my horses. Pumpkin was originally adopted to be a guard animal to protect calves from coyotes and wolves. She started out not being protective at all but progressed to being too protective. She was with the first calf heifers and started stealing the new calves from their young mommas. She managed to break the bond between one pair and Todd spent a whole week trying to get the cow to accept her calf back. He had to pen them up and actually chase the cow into a chute and maneuver the calf to his mom to allow the calf to suckle several times a day. The cow eventually rebonded with her calf. Needless to say, Todd is not too pleased with the mule. He tried putting her with the bull but she kicks him in the head and steals the grain he needs to keep his energy up to breed cows. Todd is tired of maneuvering around the two, so they'll spend the winter with mine. Next spring we'll return Pumpkin to the rescue (they made me signn a paper saying she'd go back to them if we didn't want her anymore). Sassy is for sale. Todd's nephew is no longer interested in his horse (he got a motorcycle last summer) so I'll probably take the initiative to get her sold. She is a 5-year old grade mare who has only been trail ridden by a teenage girl before she sold her to Todd's nephew last summer.

We kept the two in the mustang pen overnight to let the horses get used to eachother through the panels. Then we turned them out. I blocked 4 of my herd out in the big pasture and left Cody (boss mare) in to meet the newcomers and put them in their place (this has always worked very well before). Pumpkin is a little animal with big attitude. She thinks she can bully anyone into getting her way. She's really good with people, but a bully around cows and now we'll see how she is with horses. Sassy is just a follower. She was never socialized with other horses. She was kept alone from weanling stage through this summer as a 5 year old. Pumkin is her first equine friend and she follows her everywhere.



My horses realize something is up. Cody is on this side of the fence and Kachina is on the other side of the fence.


As Pumpkin and Sassy head out where the other horses are, the herd of 4 scatters and Cody really wants to scatter with them. She runs out into the other pasture along the fenceline to stay close to them and get away from the newcomers.


Cody really wanted to be with the other horses. I think the mule's fearless attitude, combined with the fact that there were two of them and only one of her left her feeling very vulnerable.


Ghost watches the goings-on from a safe place.


And there goes Pumpkin, exploring her new place, with Sassy hot on her heals...I wasn't worried about Sassy ganging up on Cody, she's a big chicken with other horses.


Cody watches, horrified as they get closer.


Seriously, the mule is fearless. If she wants to go somewhere, she goes and expects everyone to get out of her way...like bowling pins reacting to a bowling ball! Cody is freaked.


Here, you can see Cody has joined the others. She ended up running up into the woods, then made a decision and went through the fence to be with her buddies. Meanwhile, Pumpkin and Sassy head out to explore other parts of the pasture. Don't worry, Cody is fine. The two strands of hotwire snapped easily as she went through...normally she has great respect for the fence.


As they go out of sight, Kachina can't stand not being able to gawk at them, so she goes trotting with a purpose, through the gate (which I now opened) to check them out more. But she doesn't go near them, she comes around so that she can stare at her buddies.


Cody and Chico look for the newbies...doesn't Cody look freaked out?


Griffin and Catlow look for the newbies and hope that Kachina doesn't fall prey to the evil mule.


Then Pumpkin decides to head out into the big pasture where all the other horses are...I don't think she went to meet them, rather to explore her new territory. She didn't pay much attention to them. Sassy, hot on her heels...

Kachina watches with fascination...she's still separated from the others by a fence, but now she's safe from the mule and new horse.



At this point, there are now two distractions for my horses. Griffin and Cody are staring at the mule and horse, while Catlow and Chico are staring at the turkeys who have discovered the pasture and are foraging up near the house.


Cody, with Chico's help, confronts the mule and tries to run her off.


They succeed. I noticed that as time went on, the two geldings were the ones running the newbies away from the herd, while the mares stayed together and stayed out of it. Normally, my mares put the newbies in their place...but they've never faced a mule before.


Sassy must also have some arab in her; that tail stayed curled over her back anytime she got near the other horses.


Fearless Pumpkin leads Sassy to check out the turkeys.


Kachina can't decide who is scarier...the turkeys or the new horses.


The geldings stand guard.


The mares stand back.


The herd decides to take action.


I wanted them to all meet in the big pasture because there is no place for anyone to get caught and ganged up on. It's just big open space. The only danger here then is someone gets up to much speed and can't stop when they encounter a fence...thankfully that didn't happen here. My fences are very well marked so that the mustangs could see it well when I first turned them out.


Pumpkin and Sassy take flight.


My horses (minus Kachina who hasn't managed to get up the courage to come through the gate to meet them because it means walking toward the turkeys eventhough they are far far away) stand and watch the newbies. I think their colors are beautiful in the fall sun with the dead grass as a backdrop.


They seemed to be doing well, so I left them to get to know eachother better. Later, I watched them from the house. Pumpkin was grazing in the middle of the pasture, fairly close to the herd, while Sassy was standing in the far corner near the house watching them...everytime she got anywhere near the herd, Griffin would jump in and run her off...really run her off. He was running her full speed up the fenceline. Funny that Pumpkin was allowed to grazed closer to them. They did chase her off, but halfheartedly and they seemed to mostly ignore her. I wonder if Sassy is outcast because of her spots...Griffin is from a herd where all the horses are solid colored...no white.


Monday morning all 7 critters are upright, although they are segregating themselves. The pasture is big enough so this works out just fine.


This morning they are getting along even better, though Sassy is still an outcast...I think that's a combination of Griffin chasing her off and Sassy not knowing how to defend herself.


I think I'll have to go back in my pic files and post some about when Sassy first met Pumpkin...very entertaining!