Night mare

Seems like just this past Sunday morning, I said:

That she still hasn’t willingly let him nurse yet is a big problem; it could mean we get to go out there and bottle-feed him every couple of hours. And yet, she doesn’t completely hate the little guy – she’s very protective of him, and very solicitous of his welfare. We’re hearing that it may take a day or three for things to normalize – assuming they do.

Things have not, in fact, normalized. Having spent two nights going out to the barn and holding Hannah still on a halter and lead rope so Boss can chow down, I think it’s clear to see that her disposition toward the little guy has not improved. If anything, it’s gotten worse, and as you might imagine, her feelings on the two-legged creatures who keep coming into her stall every two hours to make her do this aren’t getting any more charitable either. Particularly at 3 in the morning. This is the part where it’s actually become a dangerous exercise – I’ve sustained a couple of bites from Hannah (one for each of the past two nights), something we’ve never had to deal with before from her. She has also gotten less shy about nipping at the colt (even if he’s just walking beside her) and has charged him a couple of times. My gut feelings are that we need to get him out of there and get the milk substitute started. Granted, it’s still a trip out to the barn every two hours. But it’s a trip that wouldn’t entail standing in an enclosed space with something that might randomly decide to do you some serious harm. Naturally, I seem to be alone in this assessment, but given the deterioration of Hannah’s mood over the past 36 or so hours, I think Boss is potentially in danger and I don’t think 2 or 3 more days with mom is going to change that. His ears may stand level with my shoulders when they’re perked up, but he’s still a delicate little guy right now.