All You Need Is Love

Animals have so much to teach us. One of the lessons I see regularly at GHRS is how much the love between creatures can change everything.

Meet Tyson and Iris. Tyson is the black goat, and Iris is his pregnant "wife." Appollo and Grover, Iris' wethered brothers, also live here. They do not seem to understand that Iris is feeding the next generation of goats, and they have discovered that her...well...W I D E state makes her slower and easier to chase off the feeders. This. Is. Rude.

I have seen plenty of Bucks who would happily join this endeavor and get their extra turn at the feeder. And Tyson LOVES his food. But when we moved Iris to a warmer pen in the garage by herself for a few days because it was 8 degrees and snowing, he stopped eating. He stopped coming to us for treats, he stopped playing, he stopped doing anything. He just sat in a corner, facing away from everyone. He didn't eat the entire time she was gone.

When the kid exodus did not happen in the snowstorm, we moved Iris in her still-pregnant glory back out with her boys, mostly because Tyson wouldn't eat. I've never seen a happier boy than when she came back into view! He nuzzled her, he bounced around with a huge goat smile, and then he escorted her to the feeder. Every time they're hungry, he stands behind her while she eats what she wants and keeps the other boys at bay. He won't eat until she's done. Even after he hadn't eaten in days. They snuggle together at night and keep each other warm, and he attends to her every need. He escorts her to water, to food, to shelter, and she is calm and safe. Everyone deserves to feel this kind of safety.

This is our sweet boy Calon, and his beautiful friend Gonduszka (aka "G"). Calon is a very bottom of the barrel kind of guy - the last in the herd for everything. He will let mini ponies chase him off feeders, and he doesn't stand a chance with full size horses. Calon came to us this way, covered in scars from years of bites and kicks that assured him he didn't belong. He wouldn't even interact with other horses, for fear of the retribution that he knew would come.

The first paddock we tried to house him in was not a great fit. Calon stayed at the bottom by himself, with a small bucket to drink from and a pile of hay on the ground because the other horses wouldn't let him near the waterer or the feeders. We moved him after a short time, and it was a little better, but he still had to wait for everyone else to eat and try to scrape up the leftovers before he got chased off. He started to lose weight, but what worried us most was the saddness in his eyes.

Calon isn't a super senior, but he is in his 20s and started to not be able to chew hay very effectively. His teeth are worn, many are missing, and he needed a more specialized diet. Some movement at the barn allowed him to move into a paddock with an older crew who all received mashes for similar feeding needs. He gained weight and looked better, but he still got chased off the hay feeders. The horses wouldn't let him into the shelter, and he had to stand in the rain and snow by himself. It was heartbreaking.

And then, something shifted. G has been a barn resident for quite some time, much longer than Calon. She is established here, and she is the uncontested Queen of this paddock. One day, G decided to eat hay with Calon. He still wasn't allowed in the shelter, but he could eat with the group...and then one rainy day, when Calon was being pushed out of the shelter with teeth and hostility, G stood up for him and made him a space. She welcomed him in and stood by him so he was warm. We watched him start to gain some confidence, and little by little he started to stand up for himself. The minis didn't get him away from his mash as easily, and he didn't let the other big horses push him around as much. He started to eat more regularly with G. She came to the waterer when he was there. They stood in the shelter together. And then one day, when all the other horses were playing and running around together, Calon joined in. HE PLAYED. He was part of the group; albeit still the last rung on the ladder, but he was part of the ladder! The saddness that was in his eyes shifted to something else, something brighter. He belonged.

So if you're feeling that "bottom of the barrel" kind of feeling, or you feel exposed and unsafe, remember Iris and Calon. Look for the person (or animal) in your life that gives you connection, shelter, and most importantly love, and don't let go. It's a two-way street though...when love shows up, you have to open the door. You have to be prepared for transformation too, because no matter what kind of love it is, it will change you. And if you need an outlet for transformational love from some very special animals, let us know.