Dakota, Gracie, and Bella

We have 3 horses in our pasture right now for a couple of reasons. Dakota is here since he is getting old and needs to have warmer weather for the winter. Gracie and Bella joined because we have a lot of long grass that needs to be eaten so new growth can grow in the spring.
At first the kids were super excited to have 3 horses but they soon discovered that Gracie does not like to move much. She likes to eat and that's about it (she is Bella's mother). Bella cannot be ridden yet because she is too young and still growing. Dakota fell down during the deer hunt and we think was injured enough to be bugged. The kids rode him and he kept pulling on the reins and jolting the kids around, which is a little scary. We will let him recover a bit and try to ride him again.
Samantha had some friends over and they wanted to pet the horses. I was a little worried about Bella since she is still young and inexperienced. Kevin said she would be fine with the girls out there. I watched on the deck just in case as they went in the pasture. Everything was fine until Daisy kept provoking Bella and Bella would run after her. Then Bella would run to the girls and Samantha held up her hands and yelled "STOP". Bella stopped right in front of her without an inch to spare. I was a little worried at this point as I was observing that Bella had no boundaries. I walked down to tell the girls to come out and as they walked out Bella was trotting after them, nipping at their hair continually. What a STINKER! I had to push her out of the way so the girls could go through the gate. I've never pushed a horse before but she responded to me. She is a friendly horse and will be great after she is grown and trained.
In all, it is a great experience for the kids to see how horses can be and the differences in them. They will get to see a change in Bella as the years go by and know from experience how horses can learn. We do enjoy having them in the pasture.