Tough Love: Couples

Delilah could not contain the fury which bubbled up into her throat. The blonde mare was accustomed to the stallion looking at her when she was outside in the paddocks. She would toss her white mane as she lowered her head to graze so that her forelock fell just so between her eyes. When she stood with her tail to the wind, the creamy hair blew across her golden Palomino coat. He had told her once that she looked like a Greek goddess horse- or at least one which a Grecian goddess may ride upon. She liked the sound of the stallion's voice as he crooned to her from his secure paddock across the way.

He sang to her. He shouted to her. He called out his emotions for all the farm to hear. She normally lowered her long dark lashes against her yellow face in a coy manuever meant to drive him crazy with love. But today, she could not control her ire and did not feel pretty. Chevy had eyes for another blonde horse.

Sunny had arrived at the farm about a month before and like Delilah, she was a new mother. She and Delilah had become fast friends- neither had ever had another Palomino friend and they found common ground on many subjects. Like school girls, they whispered and giggled from their stalls at night. By day, they walked to the grassy paddock and watched their sons play around them. Little yellow replicas of the mares, the two colts had been born within 4 days of one another and were half brothers.

Delilah had become comfortable with her beauty. She was a city horse and had been a show horse just a few years ago. Sunny, on the other hand, was a country flower. She was comfortable in the shadow of Delilah's beauty and fame. But today, her own beauty beckoned to the stallion. She felt particularly special as he pranced and called to her.

Sunny practiced a toss of her head- mimicking Delilah but did not quite pull it off. She glanced around her to see if anyone had witnessed her awkward attempt at flirting with the sorrel stallion. She lifted her tail in a reflexive movement and he nearly climbed the tall boards which contained him in his private enclosure. Sensing his interest, she lifted her tail higher and thrust her head  into the air.

The rivalry between the blonde horses reached a new pitch as Delilah let out a whinny and tried to ignore the fact that her voice seemed shrill to her own ears. Sunny ignored the mare to her left and stretched her tail farther above her back- wondering if she looked sexy as she did so. In answer to her unspoken query, Chevy spoke his approval loudly. Feeling invisible now- Delilah moved forward and pulled her head and neck upward- looking as regal and graceful as she possibly could. Still, the stallion voiced his approval of the other mare.

Suddenly, the menage trois was broken by the harsh sound of a brass snap on Sunny's halter. "Come on, yella," Gary spoke to her as he led her from the paddock. "Looks like today's your lucky day."  And they walked together toward the barn and the white truck where the veterinarian waited for them.

(Sunny was AIed on Friday and will be having another Chevy foal in 2011!) Here is a picture of the girls this afternoon with their little Chevy colts!