The Mountain Pasture

 Twilight had now officially reached a healthy weight, thanks to an unlimited amount of alfalfa hay, the buttered food of the horse world, and a pocket full of apple treats from me every time I came to visit her. Her coat was healthy and shined with a red gloss when she was in direct sunlight. She and Mateo had more energy. There was not enough room for a curious mare and her pushy frisky colt in the stall and paddock, so they were moved to the mountain side pasture. This was a monumental changed for them, because now they had to learn to be part of a herd, after two and a half years of seclusion as a pair.
   I was excited for both of them, especially Mateo, it would be beneficial for him to interact with other horses. Foals are not raised just by their dame, as they get older, experienced geldings and mares will teach them manners and how to mind their elders.
  The pasture herd was made up of Adam, the undisputed leader. He was gentle but firm with the other horses, and was not a tyrant. He would usually let them wander where they pleased till during the day, but when the evening came and he heard the crunch of gravel under car tires,smelt the aroma of bales of hay being tossed, and felt the approaching shadow of dark and cold he would drive the horses up to the shelter of the half shack and keep them there till morning.
   Elf, or Elfie was the brains of the group, she was a logical buckskin mare with tiger stripes on all four legs and a dark brown dorsal stripe along her spine. She was a professional western horse, and looked the part with the wide face and sturdy stocky legs. Elfie was always good natured and never caused any trouble, she remains to this day the only horse I have ever meet who enjoys a bath. If I sprayed the hose in their pasture Elfie would walk right under it and rotate herself till each side of her body was soaked through.
  Penelope was the princess, the large overbearing princess. When I brought hay to the tire rubber feeders in their pasture, I had to carry a whip with me to flash at the hungry beast to keep her from tipping over the wheel barrow brimming with hay.
   Carita was trouble, a wild card. Three years old a teenager in horse years. The red coat bay loved to stir up the herd. She would lag behind the rest and then suddenly break into a wild gallop driving the herd in front of her. She thought it was great fun, and would toss her head and leap over sage brush just for the adrenaline rush. 
Mateo of course fell head over hooves for her. Tagging along like the adoring puppy, the more she spurned him and tried to kick at him,  the more he followed her. Mateo's crush, was a tragic love story, he was unconditionally devoted to Carita, but she could never be his. Navarre, Mateo's father already had claims on the her. Once Carita turned five, she would become a brood mare, be bred to Navarre, and raise Mateo's half siblings.
 Twilight became the overprotective mother, she hated Carita for threatening her son with kicks and bites, and would chase the red mare all over the pasture trying to sink her teeth into Carita's perfect hide. Carita was usually to fast for her. Every now and again Twilight would triumph by craftily cornering Carita against the fence, and thrashing her with her teeth.
  The pasture made Twilight protective of Mateo, she would fight any horse in the herd, even if she had no hope of winning. If Penelope was to close to Mateo, Twilight would charge in between them, taking monstrous kicks and nips from Penelope in the attempt save her boy from some unknown danger. As the months went by she settled down into the incredibly watchful mother. She and Adam formed a partnership, a mutual agreement to take care of Mateo. Adam became a wonderful father figure, and would never harm Mateo. On countless occasions I would see Mateo, Twilight, and Adam, eating hay out of the same tire trough.
  I started lounging in the mountain pasture when ever I had down time at the stable. Curl up in the belly of a tire trough and laugh as Twilight and Mateo would peak in at me and tickle my face and stomach with their inquisitive bewhiskered muzzles.
  When I was alone at Bishops I was prohibited from riding Twilight, and I was alone quite often. On those days I would wander the slopes with the mountain pasture herd, staying close to Adam or Twilight and always watching Carita for signs of a stamped. Only once did I feel the terrifying thrill of six horse racing full speed past me, within touching distance of my hands. Becoming a two legged member of the herd is an experience I will never forget. I learned that horses make trails that they follow to get places, their movements are not scattered but very precise. Adam had three different grazing patches, one on the step crown of the mountain, a last resort he went  to if the other two places were grazed to the bone. A ridge that was parallel to the barn, he took the mares and Mateo there when the weather seemed untrustworthy. And when the weather was sunny and the grass was long and fresh he would take them to the outskirts of the pasture to a wide sloping valley.
  I remember the day that I knew I was a part of the herd. I had gone into the pasture to find Twilight for some one on one time, just a nice day of brushing and handling, an attempt to make her accustomed to the strokes of human hands. The parallel ridge was vacant, and so was the sloping valley. My eyes searched the mountain side, following the thread thin trails the horses used. The herd was on the mountain peak, grazing comfortable next to a steep drop that would leave them a broken screaming heap at the bottom. Determined I scurried up the incline, a treacherous path for a gangly, un-graceful teen. Once I reached the top I was meet with a surprised herd, Carita snorted at me, you scarred me, idiot.she seemed to say. Twilight literally rolled her eyes at me, Can't I eat in peace for twenty minutes? Without you or Mateo bothering me?! I tapped her lightly on the nose and slipped her halter around her head. As I lead her along the minuscule path towards the barn, I heard the familiar half muted rumble of racing hooves, a moment later the whole herd rushed to meet us, but instead of rushing past us in a chaotic run, they slowed down and took there places, walking with Twilight and I up to the barn, and staying there till we returned 30 minutes later. Now they were unwilling to go anywhere. Slouched next to the fence, and dozing under the half shelter, sagging against each other.
Mateo and I were restless, we wanted to go. I raced up the side of the hill, just to stretch my legs, and to my surprised Mateo followed. He shoved me with his nose and I leaped down again, sliding through the sand. Mateo squealed, and leaped down after me. Bucking and rearing with delight. We ran around, together like two sibling colts instead of a human and a horse. I had to be careful not to be struck by his wild legs, and chided him several times, he would crinkle his muzzle at me, showing his teeth and then we would bound away down the slope. We leaped wide bristling sage brush, and whirled around the small crooked trees that grew along the valley. Farther and farther we went, dancing around each other, till we reached the bottom of the hill.
  Suddenly a lone thunder of hooves reached our ears, and we both looked up in unison to see a furious Adam bearing down on us. He scolded us, with a throaty neigh. Snaked his head back and forth at us with his round ears flat against his skull. Shaming two foolish youngsters for wandering so far away from the safety of the herd. He pushed Mateo with his head, and then circled back to get me. I was shocked, by how brutishly he treated me, giving me a heart shove in the back. He walked behind Mateo and I all the way back to the shelter, the two friends in shame.
  But I was happy, bubbling over inside Adam and Mateo had not treated me as a rider, or even as a human, for one day I became a horse.