Love Hurts

David witnessed his first real example of equine aggression yesterday, though I take full responsibility for the incident. On those mornings when I head to UBC, Raven is often just finishing her feed as I am getting in the car. Instead of escorting her out of the feeding pen, I simply leave the door open so that she can let herself out -- Tonka knows better than to venture in there when she's eating. When David went into the paddock yesterday evening to top off their hay both horses ran into Raven's still-open feeding pen in anticipation of dinner. Raven, who is currently in heat, objected to Tonka's presence and nailed him repeatedly while he was stuck in the corner. Three hard shots to the left gaskin and one to the right, which has him limping around and looking sorry for himself. She seems to have missed his hocks entirely -- a lucky testament to her athletic ability.

The simple solution is never to leave the gate open again (and I won't), but repairing Tonka's confidence in his beloved Raven might be more difficult. He is certainly keeping his distance for the time being.