It’s really incredible. Things couldn’t have gone any better. We moved to the new place on Friday, March 28th. The drive was OK, Talo was a bit wobbly, but nothing dramatic happened.

When we offloaded him from the trailer, he immediately took a bite of grass and a chunk off of a hay bale, just to be sure there’s food around.

We put him in an open stall, so he can relax and eat peacefully, but the gang (the herd) was having none of it. They were so excited to meet him! They all rushed to sniff, look and scream a little bit, but eventually they settled down. Talo was very calm, but I could see the awe in his eyes. I stuck around for a while, and then drove home.

I returned on Saturday morning, and it was very clear that Talo wanted to be OUT and to join the herd. So we let him. There was a bit of an excitement, some kicks and stuff, but nothing too grand. He didn’t do much. He just stood there most of the time, or slowly walked from one place to the other, getting to know the pasture and his new herd.

I stayed there for a few hours, but it was obvious I wasn’t needed nor required. Talo has found his new home.

I went to visit on Monday, and he was already good friends with the oldest horse and the leader of the herd – Amigo. They even shared some greens. Amigo is teaching Talo to be a herd horse, and they get along very well. The only mare in the herd seems to dislike Talo a bit, but she only pins her ears, nothing more. The youngest horse, Stitch, is very playful. I think he’s going to become Talo’s favorite playmate. We’ll see.

But in the meantime, Talo has a herd. He was never part of a herd before, and he settled in super quickly. I am so so happy for him!

As for me – right now I don’t have plans to get another horse. I might want to go back to riding, but we’ll see. For now, I am just happy that I found Talo a perfect retirement home, with some sweet friends and lots of space and good food.

Have fun!