by Jean C. Fisher

Created on: May 31, 2009   Last Updated: June 25, 2009

I am told by some of the equestrians with whom I'm acquainted that there are "A-type" and "B-type" personalities in the horse-world just as there are among human beings.

"Alpha horses", they tell me, when put in a pen or enclosed field with other horses, will immediately take the reins" (so to speak) and insist the others fall into line behind them; however, I have noticed that the "Bs" following obediently behind those "A-type" horses don't necessarily have to be OTHER horses. . .

There was a field directly in front of the house where we lived for a number of years where our landlady kept her three sheep and, for a couple of years during that time, a friend of hers also pastured her horse, "Dancer", there. Dancer was what you would call a "small-gaited" horse so she was quite a bit smaller than most fully-grown horses; however, Dancer certainly made up for in assertiveness what she may have lacked in stature - an "A-type" if ever I saw one.

Every day, Dancer would lead the three sheep around the 5-acre meadow grazing on grass and weeds. Wherever Dancer was, the sheep were never far behind.

It became apparent to me that Dancer had whipped her charges into an almost military parade-like state of precision when I began to notice all three sheep in a perfect line behind her - smartly spaced at approximately two sheep-lengths apiece.

As Dancer grazed in her lead position, so the sheep would behind her. When Dancer took a step forward, the sheep each took a step. When Dancer stopped, they stopped. This would go on for hours. . .

One day, the landlady arranged to have someone come and shear the sheep in exchange for their wool. The preceding afternoon, the landlord decided to corral the sheep into a smaller fenced area next to the meadow to facilitate the next day's shearing by making the sheep easier for the shearer to catch.

It sounded like a good plan but it soon became obvious that the landlord hadn't cleared his little plan with Dancer ahead of time. At any rate, he certainly could never have anticipated what Dancer's reaction was going to be. . .

No sooner had he successfully hemmed up the three sheep and closed the gate than Dancer began to protest. She bucked and snorted, whinnied, tossed her head and reared back wildly on her hind legs. Then she started running back and forth along the fence that separated her from her "sheep-entourage".

Taking off at full gallop, she tore across the field to the far side, turned abruptly and ran back to the spot where the sheep were huddled together on the other side of the fence - looking decidedly lost. . .

Back and forth across the field and up and down the fence line she ran, again and again, loudly voicing her objections. Then, the sheep, too, began bleating pitifully - adding to the cacophony.

The landlord decided to leave them all alone for awhile - thinking the hubbub would eventually die down.

It didn't. . . Dancer would have none of it.

She kept up her temper tantrum for a good two hours or more until, finally admitting defeat, the poor landlord gave in and opened the gate - reuniting Dancer with her charges.

Almost immediately, the former state of peace and quiet descended upon the meadow and, when I looked back out the window a few minutes later, Dancer was once again calmly leading her sheep in their "close-order drill practice".

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