Horses Like Goats...or Vice Versa?

We let the animals into the back pasture today. We've had a lot of rain, and it has grown some nice rich grass.

It's interesting to watch the dynamics between the goats and Gus the horse. You may remember that we had a loaner pony for a while to keep Gus company, and we were worried that he would be lonely when she left. Even though there's no obvious interaction between the goats and Gus, they do seem to seek out each other's company during the day, and they all sleep in the run-in shelter at night. It's not really clear to me who follows whom around, but they seem happy.



Emma the goat still likes human contact, though. She really enjoys being petted. Note the ubiquitous red clay on her tail. Sigh.



One of the grasses has grown tall and germinated, and another is still short. I think the tall one is Bahia grass, but I'm not sure about the short one. Gus eats the short grass, and the goats are snipping off the tops of the tall grass. That's a nice synergy.



Miss Arlene still likes her trees. She can stand upright for a couple of minutes at a time. I'd love to have a weeping willow near the pond, but between the beavers and the goats, I might as well just eat the money for it myself.



On a human, those would be called love handles, wouldn't they? My goodness. I'm sure it's considered attractive in a goat, though.