Relative Something

Lately, we’ve been enjoying watching Light demonstrate concern for Mix, which we believe is her acting in the assumed role of herd leader.

It’s a rather complex relationship, which I believe I have tried to describe before. It’s only slightly easier with Mia gone, but she was subservient to all of them, so that was never part of the complications.

First of all, there is the reference to their ages:

Swings is 31

Light is 23

Mix is 22

Second, there is the issue of dominance or subordination:

Swings is over Mix but under Light

Light is over Swings but under Mix

Mix is over Light but under Swings

Even though Light can’t force her will on Mix at this point, she still shows concern for Mix and looks after her from a distance.

With our added attention to Mix lately, occasionally fencing her off from the others for treatment, Light has shown concern about what we were up to. She stands against the fence with her head over the gate, closely observing the goings-on.

In her hobbled state, Mix has been less inclined to pin her ears in objection over anything Light does, but she still won’t move out of the way for Light like she does when Swings comes around.

We are seeing a lot of times when Swings will be out grazing in one of the fields while Mix remains inside the paddocks, leaving Light with her attention split between the two. Light tends to hang closer to where Mix is when this happens. This is noteworthy since Light usually stays side by side with Swings.

Cyndie has speculated that Light may have developed a bond to take care of Swings as she would a foal in a compensating response to the trauma of not being able to care for her actual foal when they ended up in a kill-pen together years ago.

I’ve always found it interesting that Swings agreed to take on the role of surrogate offspring for Light. Even though it looks like it gets to be a bit much for Swings at times, I think there may be a superabundance of compassion for Light’s past trauma at play.

If Mix is able to get back to… I was going to write 100%, but that might be a stretch given her arthritic joints; at least back to an abscess-free hoof, it will be interesting to see if interactions among the three will change.

For now, it is nice to see Light watching over the other two, in Mix’s case, at a distance.