Show Name: Little Man
Barn Name: Konne
The Retrieval
Rose flinched in surprise as the vibration of her phone and the sudden noise alerted her. Velvet's ears flicked up as well, lowering her hoof as the manager finished cleaning it.
"Winter Falls Stables, Rose speaking, who is it?" She said, raising the phone to ear level.
"Greetings Rose. The stallion you have purchased is fully quarantined." The masculine voice on the other line caught Rose's attention immediately. The stallion! She had purchased another Aleutian Island Seal Pony to befriend and keep Velvet company. Her empty files for the stallion called her name. All she knew was that he was a stallion and he was flaxen chestnut.
Rose patted Velvet's neck and led the mare back into her stall. She had a stallion to get!
Jumping into her car, the manager of the stables drove away to the quarantine ranch. The trailer bumping along behind her seemed empty. She had been told that he had a somewhat similar personality to Velvet's curious nature.
The ride to this quarantine ranch was not nearly as long as the one to Velvet's and she found herself there quickly. Turning the truck off and exiting, she spotted a man leaving the barn, his hand gripping a thickly woven lead rope, attached to the blue halter of the flaxen stallion standing behind him. His ears perked with interest and he stretched eagerly towards the newcomer.
Rose grinned already, enjoying this boy's disposition. She handed him a sugar cube and scratched his ears as he ate it.
"Here he is!" The man said, handing her the lead rope. "He's quite friendly, especially to people. He might be shy with other horses." The man said, handing her more papers. "There's his pedigree and other information. I've got horses to tend to, enjoy him!"
The man returned to the barn, leaving Rose alone with the stallion. She tucked away his files and led him over to the trailer. At first he eyed it nervously. Giving him plenty of pats and soft words, she slowly led him onto it, step by step.
"That's a good boy." She said softly. "We're almost there... good boy." And he was in! Clipping his halter up to the crossties, she handed the boy another sugarcube.
Rose edged her way around him as he munched contentedly on the hay and leaving a mess on the shiny trailer floor. Closing up the gate, she stared into the window to make sure he was okay.
Rose got into the truck and drove home again, eager to let him meet Velvet.
[424 words]
Onsite Vet Check
Rose led the stallion down from the trailer after she had pulled into the driveway. His ears flicked around somewhat nervously, but the flaxen boy relaxed visibly after seeing the similarities to his old home.
Rose clipped his new halter up to the crossties and fed him another sugarcube. Like with Velvet, she checked his pulses and felt his legs for heat. She took his temperature and listened to his heart and lungs. Those all looked healthy. His conformation looked fine, just as Velvet's had, and she moved on to checking his hooves and and his nostrils for discharge. She massaged him in sensitive places, checking yet again for more flinching, but he didn't respond. If anything, he looked relaxed. Rose snatched the boy's file and jotted down notes. Then she grabbed a bloodwork sample, to test for any internal diseases or illnesses. Rose spent her time checking more things on him, poking and prodding, give him reassuring pats whenever he looked nervous. The stallion's history put a little damper on Rose's mood. Rejection by mother can really stress out a horse, if they even survive. Rose lifted his hooves again and cleaned them thoroughly, carefully checking his frogs and the overall health of the hoof. They were slightly overgrown, she'd have to get a farrier to trim them. Rose finished up by grabbing some brushes and cleaning his coat until it shone. She used a soft face brush to clean his face and a comb to smooth out his wild forelock. His short tail was easy to get through, the tangles weren't that bad.
The stallion was perfectly healthy, as expected. His bloodwork results came in a few days later with nothing to put on his charts. Rose scratched his ears again as she led him into his stall. He had to get used to his new home now.
[310 words]
Introducing To The New Area
Rose finished up her testing on the stallion, which she had named Konne. Konne followed closely after the woman, intrigued yet cautious at the same time. The barn was mostly empty, with the exception of Velvet, who was busy chewing and didn't notice the duo enter. Rose let him take in his surroundings, then led Konne beyond into the quarantine paddock she had put Velvet in.
She released him in the paddock and closed the gate. He looked confused and nervous for a moment, and she scratched his ears again.
"Go on now, you'll be fine!" She said gently, feeding him another sugarcube.
Konne turned away and began to inspect the small paddock. The shed had been refilled with hay and water and the grass was thick and green. A dusting of frost lay atop it.
Konne began to graze, his ears flicking back to Rose continuously. He kept looking at her; as if he was expecting her to stay there, and didn't want her to leave. Rose inspected him for a while, watching his body language. He looked tense, and definitely nervous.
Must be his past. Rose confirmed to herself as she watched him disappear into the shed, his head still in her vision, watching her.
She began to turn to leave, to be met with a frantic galloping as Konne chased after her. He nudged her shoulder, as if saying,
"No! Don't leave yet!"
Rose sighed and turned around, scratching him on the ears.
"You'll be fine, Konne. I promise. There's no big bad cats up here." She teased him, scratching his muzzle before turning again.
Konne turned away, one ear flicked back towards her receding footsteps.
[280 words]
The Release Into Big Paddock
Rose led a relieved Konne out into the main paddock. He stared at its daunting frame for a moment, then shook it off and trotted confidently into the pasture. Rose unclipped his lead line and backed away, just as she had done before. Konne glanced at her before turning ahead. He trotted towards a shady oak tree and stood under it, grazing. Then he flicked his gaze back to her. She was still there.
Rose watched as he galloped off, beyond the hills, but then frantically back as he realized he could no longer see her.
Rose sighed again, rolling her eyes.
"No, Konne, go! Stretch your stubby pony legs!" She urged him, pointing towards the distant paddock fence.
Konne followed her gaze, then trotted away from her, his tail flicking.
The stallion's forlorn attitude disappeared as he realized how much fun it was to gallop out here. He broke off, racing over the hills as fast as his stubby pony legs would go.
The manager watched him disappear and she turned away, hoping he wouldn't come back to the gate, whinnying for her. She had to work his clingy nervousness out of him or else it was going to make putting him out a pain.
Rose distanced herself from the gate, but still in view of the stallion. He was watching her from atop a hill, slightly out of breath from his run. Konne's ears flicked then he turned around and galloped down the hillside, out of view completely. He seemed more relaxed now. Rose sighed with content. Such a clingy boy he was.
[265 words]
