"That horse is a different color........*quiet pause*........What a Beautiful color........*quiet pause* what color is she??" I hear those words often from people seeing Sassy in person or in pictures.........The technical answer is Grulla (Spanish word pronounced grew-ya) .... according to the info the rarest of all coat colors .........the coat is slate (blueish silver) with primitive markings such as leg barring or as in Sassy's case, tiger stripes at and above the hock. Grulla's will also have a dorsal stripe on their back. Their face and ear tips are outlined in black. Lending an even more unique aspect .....Sassy is also a Curly...sporting Marcel curls in winter.
Sassy was my birthday gift last year.....and upon arriving into our herd of a deep mahogany bay(Kallie)....two JET blacks (Lex and Montana) and one black and silvery white spotted draft(Panda) the "oddest" thing happened....... NOT one of the other horses asked her what color she was...nor did they care......Nope...Not a single one!!!!
When we introduce a new member ...... we do it one at a time.....leaving the upper hierarchy of Lex and Panda last. Horses say "hello" with soft and sometimes NOT so soft nostral blows....
The acceptance or dismissal of the newcomer by each individual personality is immediate..... there is no wondering where you stand in the herd nor with the current members.
The horses dont care what color she is....where she is from....who her farrier is.....what set of grooming brushes she may be sporting....nor what her lineage is....they follow their "instinct" on whether the newcomer is acceptable. They take life one minute at a time....they take time to drop and roll...they take time to nap......they take time to give a hug or a good grooming to friends....they discipline with purpose and they work as a team...... The herd is family whether genetics is shared or not!
We have a certain order that we bring the horses out and back into the field in. Deviations in that order can cause the upper hierarchy to become a bit grumpy!!! LLOLL If only humans were as organized yet fluid in reactions and accepting.
Panda will do a head count each and every time she is turned out. If one of the others are missing...she calls ....and calls..... and calls. She is the first to investigate if something has changed in the pasture.....and the ground truely trembles when she accelerates to close a distance. She has put her body between us and strangers that she has not deemed non-threatening!!!....Panda has carried Alexis and Deb upon her back ...never faltering in her mission of keeping them safe.......and never failing to be the noble creature she is........ Never once caring if we are the two legged or four legged members of her herd...nor if blonde...redhead....or brunette.... she just keeps us safe!! She takes her responsibility seriously and withOUT hesitation!
Lex has been rather antisocial.....an equal opportunity "disliker"....LLLOLLL She is our most prolific jokester.....but also our most wary! We do not know her full interaction background....but if a human she is not familiar with attempts to "lead" her anywhere.....she plants those long legs.....pulls that beautiful head upward..... squares her "lex hiney" and refuses to move. Where Panda has this almost etheral air about her....Lex and Sassy have ...fairytale princess qualities...
But Lex could care less that Sassy is beautiful....or that she is Grulla....or that she is curly.....she has decided simply that Sassy is her friend....Lately she and Sassy have been gifting us with the most amazing displays of grooming each other! Lex has bonded with Sassy in a most incredible way....
I have heard the term of "livestock" used as a descriptive catagory for these creatures.....and quite honestly I am dumbfounded that anyone ever exposed to horses would think that....... mankind would be so much more blessed if it simply followed Lex's shining example and obtained the understanding that love and family of the heart can make life as it should be.......and when you find an amazing friend ....it is of no importance if She is a horse of different color....
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