Sunday, November 04, 2007

I didn't get pictures, but yesterday Bella got to spend most of the day out in the bigger pen. It's fenced with non-climb and cattle panels, t-posts with electric HorseGuard tape on top. So still pretty secure, but she could go through or over if she really freaked out. My husband said she did run around crazily when my other horses started zipping around the pasture, but she stayed contained. I was busy laughing at the other horses, didn't think to look at Bella, so didn't see it.

It took a while for her to want to come out of her comfort zone. I did lead her around the area to show her the fence (with lots of orange ribbon tied to it all around), but she went back inside afterward. I finally threw some hay just outside her little pen and she went out.

I left a drag rope on her to make it easier to catch her if she decided to be difficult in the larger area. Every time approached her, she stayed right there and let me pet her and grab the rope, so that's really promising. In the afternoon I was scratching the heifer's udder, it was so funny, she lifted her leg up to give me better access. Bella's teats have kind of been a touchy spot, so I decided to try it again. She was unsure at first, but when I started crumbling off the gross stuff between her teats, she was a very happy girl. She was seriously thinking about grooming me back, and she parked her leg out of the way to help me out. So funny.

When it started getting dark I put her back in her secure little pen. Actually, she put herself back, all I had to do was shut the panels.

Oh, and in the morning I wormed her also. I didn't try to go with the tube of paste wormer. I used Iverease, which is a powdered wormer you put in their grain. She ate it pretty well but I should have wet it a bit to help the powder stick to the grain. She left some in the bottom and I had to stir in more grain. Can't wait to see if there's anything weird in her poo! My husband thinks I'm so warped.

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