Holly the Super Horse Doesn’t Like My Hood!

It’s raining here in San Diego right now.  Last I heard, it’s gonna rain for a couple more days before it gets back to being clear and sunny.  We got about a quarter inch early this morning, and then after a few hours’ break, the wind blew in some more rain clouds late this afternoon and it started coming down for serious again.

Just as the buckets-full began to fall out of the sky, I headed out to get some dinner for Holly the Super Horse and put her up for the night. Wearing my rain jacket, complete with a full hood, I was gonna stay dry, for sure.  I had rubber clogs on my feet and had rolled up the legs of my jeans so they wouldn’t get all mud and you-know-what splattered.

Problem was, Holly didn’t appear interested in coming anywhere near me!  In fact, she headed off to the other side of the pasture area seemingly intent on having me come get her.  That’s so unlike her…. she’s normally waiting at her food dish long before I can even get there.  But today, she was not coming in.  I looked across the muddy yard and wondered out loud to myself if I was gonna have to go get her and bring her in.  I can tell you, I wasn’t relishing the idea of tromping across all that mud, in the rain, to go get that wet, drippy horse.

I went ahead and dumped the hay and carrots and tangerines in her bucket, thinking maybe the sound of the food hitting the metal would bring her in but, no, when I looked out the door of her barn, she was still a long ways away and not interested in the least in coming in to eat.

Walking over to the open corral gate, it occurred to me that maybe she didn’t know who I was with my hood up.  I don’t know much about horses but I’ve heard that they can sometimes think funny things so who knows?  Maybe she just didn’t like the hood.  So I took one for the team and put my hood down – in the rain.  Now I’m getting all wet.  But, guess what!  She came strolling right over to me!  I took her halter off, and she walked herself right into where the food was.  Yay!

I promptly made a note to myself – make sure the horse knows who you are when you want her to come in!