#178 - Oh how I misjudged Teddy

Wednesday morning at about 5.30 am I was in the front paddock ready to catch Teddy to take him to Bolinda before work. I do this so I can leave straight from work to our riding lesson and then head home. If I didn't there would be no way I'd get the time to get riding instruction.

So I'm in the paddock and I walk up to Teddy and he runs away. I think to myself that this is odd as I rarely have trouble catching him these days. I wait to see if he'll calm down but he is just getting more worked up so I go and get some food. Nothing. He won't even touch it. He bucks and races from one end of the paddock to the other. I think to myself that I've only got so much time to get him before I'm late for work so I need to do something. I approach him again and when I'm inches from him he runs. I'm getting more and more frustrated. I hide the halter and try to lure him to the crush but it was a waste of time. I drop everything thinking i'll go up to him with nothing then lead him by the mane when I get him. I get within inches again and he buggers off. I decide I've spent too much time and had to get to work so I gave up, called him ever name I could think of and stormed back to my float. While I was unhooking it I was calling out to him that he was a bastard no good horse.

I ended up going to my lesson but riding the school horse named Dick. It was a good lesson and I spent a lot of time wishing Teddy was as good as the horse named Dick, so envious was I of his sweet obedient nature. I drove home planning to retire Teddy once and for all and to ride the horse named Dick until I get my new horse.

During the drive home Steve rings telling me I need to get home before dark to see something. When I pull up right out the back paddock I see it - a new born calf from our cow Mercedes.

It took a while but it finally dawned on me that Teddy was trying to tell me about the baby that morning. As I'm sure I've written before Teddy is a sucker for a new bub and always carries on when one is born. The first time I noticed it was when the neighbours cow birthed and Teddy ran to the house neighing, then back to the calf, then back to the house neighing, over and over until I finally came out to see what the commotion was about. Every calf born since gets the same reaction, then by the end of the day he settles.

Poor paternal Teddy copped an earful from me when he was only trying to tell me how happy he was to see the bub. I was just in too much of a rush to listen. Who's the cow now?!

Rest assured I've wholeheartedly apologies to him and I'm pretty sure he has forgiven me.

Meet Number 3, our new calf and the latest apple of Teddy's eye.

#82 - rock-a-bye baby calf....

We drove home this evening to find Teddy in the hallway so I was relieved that he wasn't pacing the front fence looking out for the new born calf. But I soon found that the calf was moved and Teddy had simply found the best vantage point on the property to keep a keen eye over his adopted baby.

Oh Teddy you are a silly boy.

#81 - Teddy should have been born a mare!

When I got home from work Steve tells me that Teddy is pacing up and down the fence and has been for the couple of hours he's been home. I'd noticed it too as I came down the driveway but didn't think much of it, but for hours... well that's a different story. I was wondering what was up as he hasn't down that since the first few months he came here.

I went out and fed him with his final dose of anti-inflammatory mixed in with the feed and he seemed happy enough to eat but then he matched back over to the fence and was looking back at me, then back across the paddock, then back and across again and again. He came and ate some more and then repeated the whole process. I wandered over to the fence beside him to get a look at what had got his attention and a far way off in the distance, right near the back of the neighbours property is a cow cleaning its new born calf. I think, Oh no, here we go again!

This is similar to the last time a calf was born next door but not as dramatic. Last time the cow had her calf right beside the fence Teddy was near and he stood sentry the whole time during the birth and wouldn't leave their side after the birth. When the neighbour took the mother and calf away because the baby wasn't drinking Teddy threw a fit! He was calling them for hours and running to the house and back again as if to say "A human took my baby!" He carried on for two days!

I called Steve out and as soon as he sees the calf he understands.

Thankfully as yet no fit has been thrown. But as I type this Teddy is watching the new calf and pacing. I swear that horse should have been a mare he's so maternal. It is kind of sweet though.

If our loan bull Roger has done his job we should have two of our own calves in September - imagine Teddy then!