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Fall brought me a new experience this week, one that I had all but abandoned hope of ever enjoying.
It was in fact directly connected to the season.
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Before I came upstate New York, I had never heard of brush hogging. Another term for it is rough cut mowing.
It is a means of clearing brush, removing the snarl of brambles and invasive growth that clogs up a pasture.
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For the past three years, we’ve had a man come up at the end of October to sort out the lower field.
Grant always enjoys talking to such people and learned that Ken lives 5 minutes down the road and that he has horses.
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It has been my lifelong desire to befriend a horse and although we see them on all our travels, I had given up on the idea of ever meeting one.
So this week Grant asked Ken if we could stop by.
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30-year old Ike is a quarter horse.
Ken said he used to fly like the wind.
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Embarrassingly, I was so taken up by this encounter that I actually failed to capture the younger mare’s name.
Her father was a race horse.
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“I heard you got apples. That true?”
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Grant grew up around horses and knows quite a bit about them, but he had not had a chance to spend time with one for many years, so this was as exciting for him as it was for me.
Well, almost.
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In London, when I was a child, you still saw horses pulling carts and I suppose that is where I first saw them.
“Black Beauty” was one of my first books.
The scullery of our flat let out onto a space that measured about a square foot. In my mind, there was plenty of room for a horse to live.
Whether it would like to was not a consideration!
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Or how it would get there.
A mechanical substitute was offered, though my mother came to regret it as it could be “ridden” up and down the passageway, leaving thick black marks on the lino.
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By this time the apples were gone but my new friend was happy to humour an old lady.
Notice the chickens coming out to see what was going on!
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“Do you know how long I had to wait to meet you?”
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Ike had retreated to the barn.
“You called us to come!” he protested.
“So where’s our dinner?”
Apparently it was close to that time.
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“Well, if supper’s not on I’d better go and meet the old girl.”
“Your sleeve looks tasty.”
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Ike is a little bit shy.
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Just like me.
We got on just fine.
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We had another treat in store.
Jax the border collie came to say hi.
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Horses and a dog all in one day!
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It was a very special afternoon.
Though next time I must really bring something for those poor chickens!
Lovely to see your absolute joy around the horse. And the dog was indeed a huge bonus!
Best wishes, Pete.
What a great day for you and Grant. Great pics.
Not a dog. But a border collie! that’s the kind of animal one can talk with. Lovely pics of alovely encounter. May the brush hoggIng become routine and the connections even more so.
I love this post!! Ike is a very unusual color of palomino. Maybe the mare’s name is Ginger like Black Beauty’s chestnut friend. I am so glad you found horses to visit – they are good for the soul.
A wonderful addition to the entourage. I hope you washed off the scents before feeding the family!
Brilliant!
Horses are such graceful animals. “Black Beauty” was the first movie I went to see in a cinema – I remember how excited I was to see this movie after reading the book countless times. Oh, and Jack is beautiful … I think it must have been a very enjoyable day for you! Hmm, poor chickens!