Dove relishing her own bucket. No competition. So far, she's been gentle at feed time. Even though Max gets a small amount, it takes him a while to eat, so she usually finishes before he does. But if I push her away, she respects it and doesn't get pushy. I appreciate this about Dove. She may change over time, but I hope she stays gentle. She's ignorant, but I think that will improve with time. I had a new farrier out to do her feet on day 10, and it was bit of a rodeo. He was firm but patient, and she ended up submitting to having her feet done. Her feet could be a lot worse.

On the other side of Dove is my friend, Erica, a refugee from Hurricane Ike. She called from Houston the morning of Sept. 12 to say she was coming to stay with me after deciding not to ride out the hurricane. She loaded up her Prius with important stuff, including her 18 year old cat, Hecate, and she came to the TX hill country to stay with me for 5 days. It was wonderful seeing her after so many years (my college room mate) and sharing the new horses with her.