One month old....growing up!

She's looking very mature now! More like a red friesian now than an andalusian......

It's amazing to see her filling out, getting bigger, and getting more bone on her. She really is starting to have big knees and starting to grow into those legs of hers! I don't have to bend over quite as much to give her a hug, and when she puts her little head up at me to stare into my eyes lays it on my chest/shoulder so I can pet her head, her chin now rests on my shoulder.

If I get down on one knee now, she towers over me like a giant. I call it "Attack of the Giant Baby!!" Thankfully, she's gentle (most days, unless she's got a ton of pent up energy and wants to play) and I've been reinforcing boundaries to her. She needs to know humans CAN be her playmates, but THEY ARE SOFT AND SQUISHY, GET HURT EASY and ALWAYS must be allowed to win. (big grin) She also is learning that she must be INVITED to play (more on that in the next post). She can ask, but she may be told NO by a human. And she has to ask NICELY!!!

Her legs are finally starting to straighten out a bit, and while she's still on restricted turnout, she's less over-at-the-knees than she had been after turnout. Her chest is getting wide, and she's got a great foreleg-to-chest connection. While she's a bit close behind, which I do not like, I'm hoping that straightens out as well as she grows in these next couple months.

No matter what, I am still amazed at the deep wisdom in her eyes. She is truly an old soul.

Early shedding is looking like she may shed out to be a liver chestnut (sigh) or even a black chestnut. Her "adult coat" that seems to be growing in underneath a few scratches is VERY VERY dark. I've gotten used to her red-ness (which happily was starting to get as deep red as her sire's coat!), and she gets deeper and deeper red daily. So, knowing she may end up being a strange dark-red-brown color makes me sad, but I've learned to look past her odd coloring. It would be a neat color genetics conversation starter if she shed to black chestnut--very black-looking with dark red points-- like this morgan stallion:


Eh, who knows? What will be will be.....