Post by kigerfan on Feb 12, 2012 10:05:45 GMT -5
I watched a video of a gather where a young foal was somehow cut from his mother and put into a pen with other mares and their foals. His mother was said to be a red roan. I wrote a little poem (well not so little actually) about this little foal.
A colt’s view of a round up.
The sun is peaking above the hills
Crimson paints the land
Sunrays sparkle jeweled drops
As dew drips to the sand
The herd is gathered close for warmth
Their breath hangs in the air
The foal is huddled against his dam
A red roan younger mare
As the sun clears the tallest peaks
A sound comes on the breeze
Ears prick and noses flare
The band is not at ease
His mother shifts and sniffs the wind
She snorts and shakes her head
She stomps her foot and flicks her tail
Her eyes are filled with dread
The band is suddenly on the move
The sound is getting near
The foal stays by his mother’s side
His heart is filled with fear
The lead mare turns and gallops off
The mares all fall in line
The stallion takes his place in back
They climb the long incline
The little foal is running hard
His breath is coming fast
Mares are all around him
Foals are running past
The sound he hears is overhead
It’s moving side to side
He’s not sure what this scary thing is
But it will not let them hide
It blows the brush in torrents
Whips up sand and stone
Makes it hard for them to breathe
It’s purpose is unknown
The band flees in abject fear
Hooves pummeling ground
The younger ones have fallen back
And still that thunderous sound
The red roan mare has moved ahead
The foal is slowing more
His breath is burning in his lungs
His feet are getting sore
Still the band gallops on
Their dust hangs in the air
The foal struggles to keep up
Searching for the mare
Finally he can run no more
His legs begin to quiver
With each successive painful step
He feels his body shiver
The noisy thing has moved ahead
Chasing his mothers heard
He is now all alone
With the exception of a bird
He lowers his head to the ground
Sniffs for his mothers trace
Picking up a little scent
He slightly quickens his pace
His legs are tired and swollen
But he knows he must not stop
His mother somewhere ahead
He really wants to drop
Suddenly there are horses
Strangers he doesn’t know
They’re coming from either side
Now pushing him to and fro
Now there’s something about his neck
It’s pulling tight and hard
He’s having trouble breathing
It’s throwing him off guard
He’s being pulled and pushed
Hurried along his way
Terror shades his eyes
He tries to get away
The ropes hold him tight and fast
He has nowhere to run
He limps along at their stride
Under an afternoon sun
His head is hanging low
His breath comes in a gasp
He tries to call his dam
His bleat is just a rasp
Finally he hears horses
He lifts his head to see
What he sees is fences
He tries again to flee
The ropes still hold him fast
He cannot escape their binds
He is pulled and prodded
Through the boma blinds
He’s chased into a pen
The strange mares are shuffled
His mother isn’t there
His cries for her are muffled
With each mare he approaches
He is pushed and shoved away
He wants to be near a mare
But he’s not allowed to stay
He moves off to a corner
Standing all alone
He lifts his head and bleats
Then a mournful moan
In another pen
The red roan mare searches
Looking for her foal
She moves along in lurches
She’s exhausted to the core
Her legs are sore and heated
Her heart is filled with worry
Her energy depleted
She cannot find her foal
She searches through the pen
She lifts her head and calls
Only answered by the men
In the other pen
The foal drops to his knees
He lowers himself to the ground
The dust makes him sneeze
He rests his nose on the ground
Lets his eyes fall closed
His breath is finally easier
No telling how he dozed
Suddenly awakened
The mares begin to mill
The foal lifts his head
But his body remains still
One by one the mares are gone
They travel through a chute
When the foal’s turn comes
He’s encouraged with a boot
He finds himself in a pen
Filled with orphan foals
Terror hangs in the air
They’re moved with flags on poles
The foal calls to his mother
She hears and answers back
He cries in desperation
Her cries sound shrill and wracked
He cannot find his way to her
His father trumpets near
He whirls towards his father’s voice
It lessens his awful fear
His throat is dry and parched
He really needs to eat
He cannot find the water
He stumbles in the heat
Thirst fills his heart and mind
His body yearns for water
Not a bucket or a pan in site
Nor a bit of fodder
As days go by his fear is numbed
By all the sights and sounds
He stays close with other foals
His heart sometime still pounds
This day dawned bright and clear
New sounds filled the air
Talking, laughing, sneezing, coughing
People EVERYWHERE
Clustered with the other foals
He peeks out at the crowd
Pointing fingers flashing lights
Voices very loud
As the day wore on to afternoon
People filtered through
They stopped and gazed at him
And all the other foals too
When the day was over
Foals were singled out
One by one they left
Small, big and stout
He was cut from the group
In fear he fought to stay
Forced into another chute
Without too much delay
Now he’s on a surface
He’s never felt before
It echoes under foot
This strange metalic floor
A door is closed behind him
The floor begins to move
A rumble of an engine
He peeks out through a groove
The world is rushing by him
Though he’s standing still
He tries to stop the world
But it’s beyond his will
All alone he trembles
His family far away
He lays down in this place
To face the coming day
A colt’s view of a round up.
The sun is peaking above the hills
Crimson paints the land
Sunrays sparkle jeweled drops
As dew drips to the sand
The herd is gathered close for warmth
Their breath hangs in the air
The foal is huddled against his dam
A red roan younger mare
As the sun clears the tallest peaks
A sound comes on the breeze
Ears prick and noses flare
The band is not at ease
His mother shifts and sniffs the wind
She snorts and shakes her head
She stomps her foot and flicks her tail
Her eyes are filled with dread
The band is suddenly on the move
The sound is getting near
The foal stays by his mother’s side
His heart is filled with fear
The lead mare turns and gallops off
The mares all fall in line
The stallion takes his place in back
They climb the long incline
The little foal is running hard
His breath is coming fast
Mares are all around him
Foals are running past
The sound he hears is overhead
It’s moving side to side
He’s not sure what this scary thing is
But it will not let them hide
It blows the brush in torrents
Whips up sand and stone
Makes it hard for them to breathe
It’s purpose is unknown
The band flees in abject fear
Hooves pummeling ground
The younger ones have fallen back
And still that thunderous sound
The red roan mare has moved ahead
The foal is slowing more
His breath is burning in his lungs
His feet are getting sore
Still the band gallops on
Their dust hangs in the air
The foal struggles to keep up
Searching for the mare
Finally he can run no more
His legs begin to quiver
With each successive painful step
He feels his body shiver
The noisy thing has moved ahead
Chasing his mothers heard
He is now all alone
With the exception of a bird
He lowers his head to the ground
Sniffs for his mothers trace
Picking up a little scent
He slightly quickens his pace
His legs are tired and swollen
But he knows he must not stop
His mother somewhere ahead
He really wants to drop
Suddenly there are horses
Strangers he doesn’t know
They’re coming from either side
Now pushing him to and fro
Now there’s something about his neck
It’s pulling tight and hard
He’s having trouble breathing
It’s throwing him off guard
He’s being pulled and pushed
Hurried along his way
Terror shades his eyes
He tries to get away
The ropes hold him tight and fast
He has nowhere to run
He limps along at their stride
Under an afternoon sun
His head is hanging low
His breath comes in a gasp
He tries to call his dam
His bleat is just a rasp
Finally he hears horses
He lifts his head to see
What he sees is fences
He tries again to flee
The ropes still hold him fast
He cannot escape their binds
He is pulled and prodded
Through the boma blinds
He’s chased into a pen
The strange mares are shuffled
His mother isn’t there
His cries for her are muffled
With each mare he approaches
He is pushed and shoved away
He wants to be near a mare
But he’s not allowed to stay
He moves off to a corner
Standing all alone
He lifts his head and bleats
Then a mournful moan
In another pen
The red roan mare searches
Looking for her foal
She moves along in lurches
She’s exhausted to the core
Her legs are sore and heated
Her heart is filled with worry
Her energy depleted
She cannot find her foal
She searches through the pen
She lifts her head and calls
Only answered by the men
In the other pen
The foal drops to his knees
He lowers himself to the ground
The dust makes him sneeze
He rests his nose on the ground
Lets his eyes fall closed
His breath is finally easier
No telling how he dozed
Suddenly awakened
The mares begin to mill
The foal lifts his head
But his body remains still
One by one the mares are gone
They travel through a chute
When the foal’s turn comes
He’s encouraged with a boot
He finds himself in a pen
Filled with orphan foals
Terror hangs in the air
They’re moved with flags on poles
The foal calls to his mother
She hears and answers back
He cries in desperation
Her cries sound shrill and wracked
He cannot find his way to her
His father trumpets near
He whirls towards his father’s voice
It lessens his awful fear
His throat is dry and parched
He really needs to eat
He cannot find the water
He stumbles in the heat
Thirst fills his heart and mind
His body yearns for water
Not a bucket or a pan in site
Nor a bit of fodder
As days go by his fear is numbed
By all the sights and sounds
He stays close with other foals
His heart sometime still pounds
This day dawned bright and clear
New sounds filled the air
Talking, laughing, sneezing, coughing
People EVERYWHERE
Clustered with the other foals
He peeks out at the crowd
Pointing fingers flashing lights
Voices very loud
As the day wore on to afternoon
People filtered through
They stopped and gazed at him
And all the other foals too
When the day was over
Foals were singled out
One by one they left
Small, big and stout
He was cut from the group
In fear he fought to stay
Forced into another chute
Without too much delay
Now he’s on a surface
He’s never felt before
It echoes under foot
This strange metalic floor
A door is closed behind him
The floor begins to move
A rumble of an engine
He peeks out through a groove
The world is rushing by him
Though he’s standing still
He tries to stop the world
But it’s beyond his will
All alone he trembles
His family far away
He lays down in this place
To face the coming day
