Prepare to Position, to Make the Transition!

Cherokee will be arriving home in just six days. Because the relationship with his foster home has been so stressful and we've managed to leave each other on a fairly peaceful note last week, we've decided to not return and risk any other confrontations. So we won't be seeing him again until Saturday late afternoon, and that will be to just have a connection visit with him, see how he's doing and pick up our tack and supplies from the boarder's. The humane society is going to pick him up and bring him here at 10:00am Sunday morning.

I spent the weekend reviewing all of the material in the Liberty and Horse Behavior, Course in a box DVD's. This set is invaluable to us and we learn something new each time we watch it.  I would love to be able to feel confident in evaluating his horsenality for his arrival, but I just can't tell for certain which qualities are truly innate in him and which are environmental. Right now I would say we can clearly see Left Brained/Extrovert behaviors but just about as many fall in the Right Brained/Extrovert category as well, with  a few down in the Right Brained/Introvert section.  I think at least for his arrival it would be smart to work with him from a Right Brained perspective and then try to really evaluate him as he gets more comfortable and confident here.

This will be the first time we've ever personally experienced introducing two horses to each other, so we are going about it as safely as we can.  They both will have their own turn out fields for day use,  and their own stalls (next to each other they'll be able to see each other in the stalls but not have full contact) that they'll be in just before dusk till after morning feeding and grooming.  During the first day or two, our plan is to have them one field apart so they can see each other but not have contact. Then we will open the middle field for one of them which will mean they will have one fence line in which they can come into contact over. If all seems to go well with fence line contact and stall behaviors we'll aim for turning them out together on the fourth or fifth day.  We're a little concerned because we'd like to put Cherokee when he arrives in the turnout that is closest to us and furthest from the road. He is coming from a quieter location as far as road traffic is concerned and it took Sundance several months to not spook at the road traffic, but the 'goats' are turned out right next to this upper area and they are Sundance's 'herd' so we're a little worried about how that might go for Sundance, being separated from them and having the new guy cavorting near them and checking them out. We may need to consider putting the goats out somewhere else that first day so that does not add to any concerns.  I think this plan is about as safe and sane as we can do, and hopefully that is not overdoing it. I've tried to find as much information online about this as possible and will keep looking this week.

So this week is one of busy work finishing the new stall and field fencing and  also a week of thoughtful preparation. We want to have clear plans of action in place, goals and markers to reach and of course back up plans and the understanding that it's entirely possible that nothing will go as planned whatsoever.

I will probably not post again until either just before Cherokee's arrival or the night of. I'm planning on taking video of his arrival and first day here so I'll prepare that and post it here as well.

Wish us luck!