Body Language Part 1: Creekside

Horses can't talk the way humans do, and that's glaringly obvious. Like all animals, though, (as humans too) we communicate through body language. Sometimes watching a pair of dogs seemingly tear each other apart seems violent and scary, when in actuality the two dogs are playing, their teeth never truly tearing and their aggression not truly there. It's easy to misunderstand animals when we don't take the time to observe them. They can't talk like us, but they DO talk. I've spent loads of time watching the horses of my barns; blocks of time when i do nothing but stand or sit and watch. A lot of time it's like a special ops surveillance job, a lot of waiting and possibly the chance of boredom. But watching pays off, and we learn from it.

Sapphire is a young horse in training, and this is one of her first baths. Something new like a bath is strange thing. Sapphire's uncertainty can be seen in the awkward way her ears are tilted. 

another shot of Sapphire and her bath, and her alarm at getting her neck washed can easily be seen in the way she has her head thrown high, her ears up, and the fact she's backed herself into the corner

granted, not all people can just get up on any horse and stand on their back, but in this case, Diesel is very used to being handled in a variety of ways. His owner, Flannery, is in cheerleading and so has excellent balance, and walks all over her horse which has allowed him to be very accustomed to different weight distribution. The relaxed stance shows how unconcerned Diesel is, although the tilt of his ears clearly speaks 'you're doing something back there, and i'm aware of it'

head low, ears forward, gaze centered. Blackberry was a newcomer when this photo was taken, and he was watching me. As an 'unknown' to his world he's going to be cautious and alert

like humans, horses can get bad habits. One of the most common bad habits is 'cribbing'. Basically, the horse bites with their top teeth onto something hard, like a post or fence, and sucks. The airflow thus created can give a horse a kind of 'high'. It's a very bad habit that can be combated with special collars that apply pressure to the throat when a horse attempts to suck, but fairly often a horse determined enough can work past the restriction. In severe cases, I've seen grazing halters used. Grazing halters are an almost literal 'muzzle' for horses. They're gridded specifically to allow a horse to only be able to eat whatever food can sift through. There are fairly large gridded halters that are more used for horses that crib, unfortunately Diesel doesn't have one. Luckily, the fence material is nigh unbreakable, so he's not going to break out any time soon.

Ace (left) and Cletus (right) are best buddies, and their calm stance with each other is very clear in that. It doesn't matter that they might pick at each other now and then, friends exist among every mammal. Horses are herd animals, they rely on each other.

Reggie is a young horse in training, and until recently was kept in a different pasture with 3 other horses. Now, he's been moved in with another group, whom i refer to as 'the brumbys' because they're all guys who tend to be a bit more energetic. (Brumby is the term for the wild horses of Australia, but it's also used in reference to rough-and-ready kind of guys, ones you would typically see playing Rugby.) Being placed into a new group always comes with interesting interactions.

Horses are herd animals, and like in a wolf pack there is a pecking order. Throw in something new and the dynamics are going to get a bit turbulent until the new member finds his specific place in the pecking order. Those already of the herd will come one-on-one in their own time to 'work things out'.

Sonny (left) and Reggie (right) 'picking' at each other

a lot of posturing occurs when defending a position. Sonny is high in the pecking order, so getting Reggie to respect that is important. 

a lot of 'nosing' to goes on, where they sniff each other, blowing and inhaling into each other's nostrils so their scents become familiar

Sonny strikes out a leg in posturing, another instance of reinstating his position over Reggie in the pecking order

Sonny doing a threatening little rump-bump, which is a step down from a kick. Horses don't usually go into all out attack on each other when ironing out the details of their heirarchy. Instead, it involves a lot of posturing. A horse's hind legs are immensly powerful, which is why it's a good idea to stand away from them. Sonny's ears stay on swivel the whole time as this is going, although in this case his ears are pinned in a meaning of his aggression and irritation.

A horse rearing is such a beautiful moment to catch, as it can display all those amazing muscles they possess. In this case, Sonny is using his height and pose as another means of posturing. His legs never strike Reggie, it's all about show.

Dancing around each other, taking little nips at each other, all are part of the 'song and dance'

Sonny's cocked head and prancing are more posturing, while Reggie is still being not completely committal to his stance and is still poking and prodding at where he and Sonny stand with each other.

pawing the ground is another posturing of aggression and power. In this case Reggie seems fairly interested in Sonny's leg, though Sonny is simply making more on his statement

The lack of concern Sonny shows in this shot, that he'd walk around Reggie, shows he finds the youngster not much of a threat, but one still in need of being reminded who is in charge

Reggie is just as hyper-alert as Sonny is. He's no fool to the exchange that is going on, and that can often amp up nerves, so leg pawing on Reggie's part is simply a statement of his excitement and awareness. It's as much a display of his energy as anything else. 

The lack of concern of the two horses heralds the winding down of the face-off. Sonny has made his point and it's up to Reggie now not to be a nuisance. In extreme cases, horses in the pecking order will go after the lesser one, with a bite or a kick, but it's really no different a tactic of chasing someone back in line when they step out of it.

Sonny isn't the only horse Reggie must face off with, as he has 6 new herd-mates. Ricky is younger than Sonny, and quite a bit more energetic too. Their temperaments are a bit more similar, but Ricky is still on top is this pecking order.

Nosing at each other's faces again, but this time Reggie is feeling more energetic and so paws the ground quite a bit in this exchange.

every horse has their own approach to establishing their place. They share similarities, but the actual proceeding of how is different. Ricky prefers to posture by trotting around Reggie

Ricky's attention is clearly on Reggie, despite his circling, and Reggie is well aware of it. although at this point Reggie is possibly feeling a little irritated with the face-offs

Reggie is attempting to assert himself by posturing. Ricky's thrown head and laid-back ears are his response to Reggie's attempt to get Ricky to back-off

No one likes someone in their face, and with Reggie trying to assert some of his own dominance it's getting Ricky a bit more riled up. At the same time, Levi (far left) is wandering over to observe the two.

Sometimes it pays to be a bit more showy in your posturing, and bucking and kicking and running have a way of showing off power. Reggie is up for it, as can be seen from the way he's running with Ricky. At this point, it's becoming somewhat less posturing and possibly more playing.

Ricky is obviously good about being on top of the pecking order and a good run to show how much faster you are is a great way to point out power

From this shot, it can also be assumed Ricky is much better at making turns than Reggie too, although in this shot they were just running and bucking, having fun rather than facing off.

Cats of the other barn: a comparison to Creekside

So, in a previous post a showed dozens of photos I've taken from the many many cats that live at the first farm I work at, Creekside Equicenter. In comparison, the 2nd barn i work at is much...less populated.

Bugsy, one of the few affectionate cats of the bar. I don't actually know her given name by my employer, so I named her Bugsy based on the fact that her eyes seem way to big for her head

Bugsy, and all cats for that matter, can turn any surface into a sleeping surface

Buttons is another friendly cat. A wanderer, I can never just look for him and find him, he tends to come and go as he pleases. 

Buttons is odd in his approach to people. He's very friendly, but to pet him you can't approach him. Rather, you have to let him come to you, and the best way is to crouch down and call him. He comes every time.

like the cats at my other barn, they all seem to like me, most likely due to my winning personality. In this shot Buttons and Optimus are greeting me before i reach the barn

Scruffily is one of the largest, bushiest cats i have ever met. He's truly a very large cat, though not large as in fat. His fur is extremely soft too and like any cat, loves a good neck scratch.

Scruffily is friendly, but outside of his own area he'd rather not approach or let people approach him. His safe spot is in the hay loft, where i can approach him without concern that he'll run. In this shot, i was sweeping the pavement and happened to notice the big cat. He stared at me for a bit, and when i crouched down and called him he continued to stare.

A sign that Scruffily wasn't afraid of me is the fact he started doing what i refer to as the 'cutesy' act, where a cat will lay down and roll over, purr, rub themself into the ground, etc. Scruffily paced back me a few times, and then plopped down to start rubbing and rolling in the dirt, purring loud enough for me to hear him quite easily.  After a few moments of doing this, he got up and dashed off.

I got this particular shot after commiting an act to which Buttons had no reason but to hate me with all that he is. As a cat that wanders around a lot, especially in forested area, it's easy for him to pick of ticks. After scratching his neck and feeling several bumps on his skin, i realized he had several ticks, and so went about removing them. He started to get antsy, and when i attempted to pin him still so i could remove what i could, he let out a yowl and ran for his life. Which can only explain the look of ire on his face. 

barn cats tend to be fantastic hunters/stalkers. Buttons tends to prove that more than others.

Optimus is by far the most social and friendly of the cats i interact with at the barn. He follows me around, begs me for attention, and at one point even found him sitting in the driver's seat of my car as i was about to leave for home (it should be noted i had my windows open, which is how he got in my car). A black cat that's good luck, ironic in the month of October!

Flapjack, almost identical in looks to Bugsy, except that Jack is a guy, and a little more filled-out. He tends to come and go as he pleases, and i only tend to notice him when he's walking by, but he's friendly like the others.

Buttons is very wary, and like all cats is interested in being in a spot where he can watch and not be spotted, although in this case I was able to find him rather quickly, though not until i was several feet away. Apparently black-and-white camoflouge works well against pine needles

The most wary and mysterious cat in the barn, a female that I've named 'Patch', due to the large white spot of fur on her chest. Due to the dimness of the loft, this was one of the better shots i got of her. She did approach, but not until i was focused on petting Scruffily at the time. 

Scruffily and Patch looking down at me from the loft. No doubt wondering why i bothered to stop petting them, because what can't doesn't love to be fawned over?

I'm Not good at keeping a blog....heh heh, now to the cats of Creekside

I'm not very good at keeping a blog, because I've never done one before with consistency, so my apologies for the gap.

on the other hand, i'm a photographer, and so i take lots and LOTS of photos, and one of my biggest issues is trying to sort them out so i can keep them organized and easier to find. Over the past week I've been working on sorting them out, and of course have been organizing lots of photos I've taken from the barns.

Of some of the most common photos i taken, is of the animals at the barns, and of the most photogenic are the cats. I've gotten lots of photos of the cats, with their squirrely tendencies and the fact that they all seem to love me, so i'm dedicating this blog post to the cats of the barns.

At Creekside Equicenter, we've got...

Sno, Midge and Twitch

 Scarlet and Boots

 These cats have been here for so long, that they've gotten to the routine to eat all on one side of the path of food i lay out in the morning for them. Considering we have some 15 cats, with one or two more that I know live here but to come to the main barn area, the fact that they all line up to eat is pretty awesome. However, when i'm holding the food and am about to lay it down, they tend to just mob me and try their best to trip me by twining around my legs and meowing at me for the food i hold. They love me, who wouldn't? haha!

 This is Spongebob, one of the toms. He's actually the most laid-back tom i've ever encountered. The poor guy also has some serious thickness inside his ears from what i suspect is callous build-up from scratching at ear mites, a problem i'm trying to help cure him and several of the others cats of, but it's not easy. Luckily, the cats are all fairly forgiving, and they still let me pet them even after the horror of putting drops in their ears.

 This is Tank, perhaps the friendliest of all the cats. He doesn't care what you do to him really, within reason. I can hold him upside-down, dance with him, pretty much whatever and he doesn't care. I was told that as a kitten he was handled a lot, so that explains his lack of concern for being held and played with. I love this shot because you can just barely make out parts of his form and yet you can still see him.

 The cats love the feed room, as there are so many places for them to curl up and sleep. Sugar is one of the smallest, and so can fit on this tiny bucket lid with ease. Sugar is about the size of a half-grown kitten, and is a very squirrely cat, who loves to sit on stall doors and watch as we clean, or to just perch and observe. She doesn't live being held too much, but she loves to be pet.

Scarlet and Sugar taking advantage of the sun. Scarlet is unique in that she has a face of perpetual irritation. She's a 'fold'; in other words, her ears are folded. Considering she's a barn cat, and the only one with these unique ears, she probably came from her own litter and came here. Not all these cats came from the same litter, but they get along for the most part, especially when it means snoozing in the sunlight.

Tank and Sno love to play with each other, i find them doing it almost every day i clean. Sno was actually found and rescued by my employer's daughter when she was but a kitten. I love her coat, as it's so unique. A very marbled coloring. She also tends to be very congested, which makes me wonder if she has allergies, which i can only imagine is real tough to have when one is a cat!

 I occasionally like to call Tank the 'vampire cat' as he has a bit of an overbite that allows his upper incisors to stick out. I think it makes him that much more adorable.

 Sno has stopped playing with Tank as he has decided to scale the side of a bag of sawdust chips in play, while Spongebob watches on a hay-bale.

This is Oscylot. He's a feral who wandered in one day, and who i've been working hard on befriending. I named him for his coat coloring, and how it reminds me of an actual Ocelot. He's still wary, but i've managed to gain his trust and even pet him. Unfortunatly, more recently, i haven't seen him in a few weeks. Hope he's doing all right

Sno sleeping in the hay, on of the cats' favorite places.

Tank taking advantage of a bunch of empty feed bags that haven't been thrown away. it's amazing how cats can turn even trash as a place to take a nap.

 This is Twitch. She was once known as Twix, and then suddenly she gained this weird nerve issue that causes her to walk around with her head cocked sideways. She gets around fine, but more than anything she likes to lay on my stuff and sleep while i work. Even when i have to leave and move her from my stuff, she's right there again to try and regain her spot. She's a sweetheart who loves to be held and petted, and i've been told this is partly due to the fact that as a kitten she was carried around by the students and kids who take lessons at the barn.

Tank loves to follow around at times, at loves to get in the way, such as jumping into the wheelbarrow i use for moveing around hay bales and watching me as if to say 'what? i'm not trying to be in the way!'

This is Nightmare, the most wary and rough-looking tomcat at the barn. He's wary because, as i've been told, in any instance that he's been grabbed it's been for vet reasons, so he relates people with shots and being picked at. I am slowly working on getting his trust, but it's not been easy. At the time i took this shot, he still ran from me, very fast.

here is Tank again, once more helping me with hay-distribution

This is Magnus, the largest tomcat who lives at the barn. The name he's called by everyone else is 'Fatso' apparently due to the fact that whenever he comes across food he stuffs his face as fast as he can. I call him Magnus from a character in a novel i've read, the character being a very strong warrior type who happened to have golden eyes, which Magnus has. Besides, i've held this cat (he's a very friendly and needy of attention when i'm around) and there is no fat whatsoever on him. This tomcat is all muscle, and considering how many fights he gets into, it's understandable why he's so strong. But Magnus is no Fatso, he's strong. He's also, notably, the only orange cat at the barn.

fairly often i find cats watching me from the few windows, mostly from the feed room. 

here is another shot of the cats eating breakfast, from left to right is Spongebob, Sno, Maggie, Midge and Boots

this is an extended shot of the one above, and from left to right is Spongebob, Sno, Maggie, Midge, Boots, Sugar, Baby, Tank, and sneaking behind is Nightmare. He always eats on the far end, as far from me as possible

here is a close-up of Twitch, making use of my bags as a bed. It's amazing how cats can sleep anywhere!

i caught Sno and Tank playing again, and had to stay and take some shots. They never truly hurt each other, but then again, if they DID hurt each other, it wouldn't be playing!

The cats are fascinated with new things too. This is Tank exploring my car, thinking i'm not watching

At this point Tank has realized i'm watching him, and is trying to look innocent, but i already know what he was doing, there's no hiding now!

The cats tend to follow me when i leave, as if to walk me out. Bella is the cat further in the background, and watching as Scarlet chews at the grass, which animals only tend to do when they have a stomach ache.

here is one of the few instances i was able to catch Nightmare in the open. Sleeping on an old cat bed and hidden between the tall stack of hay, a few tack tubs, the back wall, and a basketball hoop (which i still have no idea why is in the barn)

This is PJ. He's the tabby version of Tank in many ways, and he absolutely loves me more than anyone else. He greets me in the mornings, follows me around, and is right there if i happen to sit down. However, when he's not crawling on me, i know him to be the most active hunter of all the barn cats. When i get to work, he goes wandering off into the fields to stalk and hunt and maybe even adventure.

This is a shot i got of our shadows, and although PJ and Boots are the only two cats actually seen, it's obvious just how many are surrounding me!

here is a closer shot of Oscylot. This being taken after a few more weeks in which I've been gaining his trust. He's a very lean cat, fairly skinny. I hope he's eating enough, considering just how un-fleshed out he is.

Oscylot is a tomcat, as he is a feral who doesn't actually stay, and because he's not familiar, the majority of the cats don't really like him. 

This is PJ, bringing me the fruit of his labors, a field mouse

i love the natural light, so the shot above was done that way, but i did use the flash once so i could actually get a clear shot of what it was PJ actually had caught

it's so nice when a cat loves you enough to bring you presents, too bad it's not the kind of gift we're hoping to be given

This is the sight that greets me upon opening the doors to the barn every morning: a mob of cats waiting to be fed. Technically, the correct term for a group of cats is a glaring, or a clouder. I think i perfer 'glaring' considering how they all stare at me the moment i walk in.

This is a shot i got of Oscylot stalking about the outdoor arena. He doesn't stick to the barn a whole lot, but again, he's far more feral than the other cats, so i can only assume he barn hops a lot more.

This is Dusty. He's one of the oldest cats to live at Creekside, and is more of a pet than 'just' a barn-cat. My employer cares for him personally because he hangs close to the house more often than the barn. He's got siamese markings, but is obviously a mix of some sort. It's a notable fact that the fur of a Siamese cat will change color, although it's actually their skin that alters. Much like a snow hare, in warm temperatures, the fur stays one color, and in colder temps, it changes. For a Siamese, in warm climates their coat stays that creamy white, but if a siamese cat were to be left in a cold environment for a fairly long time, such as a few days, their coat will darken like Dusty's looks. Although Dusty's coat isn't dark because of this climate shift, it's still interesting to know these little facts, which was how i realized he was part siamese.

When spots to sleep aren't as easier to find because of things being shifted around, the cats will do their best to make use of what they got. In this case, someone left a sweatshirt on a bench, so Baby, Sno, and Maggie all piled together to make the most of it.

Sugar found herself a prime spot to sleep, by climbing up a ladder and getting on a ledge normally not reachable

Creekside hosts shows now and then, of the hunter/jumper type, so fake flowers are used to decorate jumps. In the off season, we store the flowers away in tubs, this one in particular is being put to another use by a sleepy Maggie.

Outside the barn is a lovely porch area, with vines wrapper around two of the posts, to the point it's made a lovely spot to hide and sleep. Sno is currently using it in this photo, if you can pick her out

there's not a whole lot of landscaping at the barn, but there are a lot of day-lilys lining the outside. Although no longer blooming, the cats still make use of their long stems such as Tank is in this photo

here's another shot of Sno hiding among the vines, no doubt wondering what i am doing peering in at her

although PJ is the most active hunter, all the cats are hunters, and tend to show-off their skills at times. in this shot, i caught Bella stalking a gray tree frog who decided to hop from his safe spot to the ground. I rescued him from the cat, only after i took this shot though

This is Tequila. I only see her in the mornings, although now and then i'll see her in the afternoon walking by a field or pasture. She's distinctly different than the other tabby-cats by having a fairly wide dark stripe down her back. Before i knew she was a regular at the barn, i called her 'Meowsy', because i would see her from afar and all she would do was meow at me, venture close, then run away from me.

Maggie making use of the flower box again, and wondering what i am doing disturbing her sleep

cats love boxes, especially empty ones. In this shot, i caught Duckie making use of a recently emptied box

Cats are very curious, and love to hide and watch. Sno is proving that you can hide behind pretty much anything, even a shovel

This is Bella, and if look close enough, my shoe is visible. Bella is one of the few cats who follows me around when i go through the horse pastures. If i stop and give her attention, she tends to flop to the ground and starts rolling and purring loudly and happily. At this point she expects me to bend down and give her a good stroke down her side and a scratch on the head

Not all the cats feel safe around the horses, and for good reason. There is more than one horse that does not like the cats, but add me to the pasture and suddenly they feel so much safer. This pasture we're walking through is where the eldest horses are, and they tend not to mind the cats. Bella and Scarlet were following me around on this day

often the cats will just sit around and make use of whatever light they can find. I love this shot because to me, Sno and Spongebob somewhat resemble bookends, with their tails curled around their paws, and their light coat coloring 

this is Nightmare staring at me as i sit on the ground and attempt to appear nonthreatening. He wasn't totally sold on the idea, but he didn't run away from me this time, instead he just stared at me, fairly hard

after about twenty minutes of me doing nothing to him, Nightmare decided to actually lay down by the barn door in the sun. It's the most relaxed he's ever been around me, despite the fact he's a good 10 feet away

Tank is a very 'clutchy' cat, and likes to wrap his front paws around things to hold on. Here is a good example of that stellar grip of his as he lays beneath a rocking bench out on the porch

all cats are alert, and are ambush predators, so finding a moment where they're trying to be subtle isn't too hard. in this case, Boots was warily watching me clean water buckets

This is what happens after a cleaning spree, cats find new perches. I had just finished cleaning and rearranging this shelf. I stepped out to get my camera to take a shot of my work, only to come back and find Spongebob sitting on the shelf, oh so happy to find a new perch

light can be so amazing, and i love hard contrasts, so when i walked by the feed room and noticed all these shadows, i had to take a shot

Duckie is not looking to happy that i'm bothering her with my flash, but it was also possibly her annoyance of me due to the fact that i had just put medicine in her ears

This is Bella looking quite pleased with herself, i don't know why, but that slit-eyed look cats have is just so full of character

Not all the cats are interested in hunting, but Tank proves he's quite up to the challenge. This mouse he caught was from staring at a stall wall for over an hour. Well, persistence pays off!

at least Tank didn't bring me this mouse. In fact, he didn't even eat it! it got taken by one of the other cats and eaten.