Many of you have asked me what the animal communicator said about introducing the Llama (Audrey) to Bodhi, Hubby’s horse.

For those of you who are new to this blog (Hello!), we brought the llama home to be a friend with Bodhi because Bodhi has been fighting with all of the other horses here.   This fighting behavior was new and quite disturbing to us so we had an animal communicator speak to Bodhi to ask him why…  Bodhi said many things which we have taken to heart (he is a much happier horse now!) and Bodhi also said he would like a sheep or a goat for company.

Hmmmmmm.

Instead, we got him a Llama.

You see, this particular llama (Princess Maidu who we renamed, Audrey) needed a home and Hubby didn’t want to re-fence Bodhi’s pasture to contain smallish sheep and/or goats…  so the llama seemed like a good idea.

IT SEEMED LIKE…

We housed Audrey in the pasture adjoining Bodhi’s pasture.  She was safely on her side with the common gate closed.

It seemed like Bodhi was interested and happy with Audrey.  He didn’t run the fenceline trying to get at her and he seemed to eat peacefully with her directly on the other side of him.

However, even though it looked promising, I was fearful of putting them together.  Audrey appeared to be very fragile at 150lbs and I know Bodhi can be a brute at 1400lbs.

Yikes!  He could really hurt her badly.

So, I decided to call the animal communicator again before putting them together.  I wanted Bodhi to understand how fragile she is and that he needed to be extra careful with her.

(In case you are wondering, the communicator’s name is Candi Cane Cooper – yes, her birth certificate name – and she runs a wonderful horse Rescue down in Southern California.)

THE SESSION

Candi called at precisely our appointment time.  (I liked that!)

She relaxed me and then we got into it.

“Bodhi is much happier nowaways!”

–Yes, I said, we implemented all of the advice and knowledge from our last consultation.

“Good.  It worked. Bodhi is coming around wonderfully!”

–I’m calling about the llama we have for him.

(long pause)

“Is she black”

–Yes.

“Oh, I see her very clearly…  She is young.”

–Yes.

“She has a little girl voice!”

–She does?

“Yes and she says you tell her she is pretty all the time.”

–I do!

“Oh, Bodhi is chiming in.  He really, really, really likes her!”

–He does?!

“Yes!  He says no other horse has a llama!”

–That is true.  Not around here, anyway…

SHE WENT ON TO SAY…

We spend the half hour talking about the ways to introduce the two of them – asking each of them to agree to the terms and asking them if they understood what we were asking of them.

Audrey interjected that she liked it when I called her “llamallamallama” and felt that was her name.  She thought Bodhi was ‘really big’ and asked that we give her a place to run to in case he started playing too rough.

Bodhi was very nervous to be put in with her because he felt he might mess up and bite her too  hard.  He was very concerned about the difference between horse play and llama play.  He asked over and over that I not leave him alone with her until he was sure how to play.

Candi kept telling him that he could use his lips but not his teeth.  Bodhi kept asking for me to referee and not leave him alone with Audrey llamallamallama.

Candi told Bodhi that I would halter him during the beginning so he wouldn’t have to worry.  He was relieved.

Audrey said that she didn’t like halters and she didn’t understand the lead thing.

Bodhi said he she should take note when he is on the lead because he is really good at it and would show her.

I told Bodhi that llamas are good protectors.  Bodhi said that he was a great protector.  Candi suggested to Bodhi that he could be Audrey’s protector.

Bodhi loved that idea!  He kept talking about protecting her and how good he would be at that.

Audrey said she didn’t like the name ‘Audrey’ and wondered why we kept using that name for her.  She preferred llamallamallama and Princess.

Candi asked Audrey how she liked her new digs and was she lonely for llamas.

Audrey said that she loved the new place because she didn’t have to battle anyone for food.  She also stated that the food here was much better and that she loved the pellets I give her (llama food).  Audrey thought the types I hay I have are really flavorful.

She said she was  more at peace here than her old place because it felt very serene here…

Except for the dog.  The black one with the white.  (Dexter,  my 13 year-old Aussie Kelpie.  He is a bad dog sometimes.)

Candi took it upon herself to talk to Dexter.  She told Dexter that he was not allowed to stalk the llama.  And, if Dexter went anywhere near the llama, he would have Bodhi to contend with – in a big way.

Dexter is terrified of Bodhi.

THEIR FIRST MEETING

Directly after the call, I went outside to where they both were.

Bodhi was running the fence calling after her.  Audrey Princess Llamallamallama was at the far side of her pasture.

She trotted over and Bodhi settled down.

I observed.

Then, she got bored and wandered away.

Bodhi called after her and ran along the fence, making sure he could see her.

This was odd behavior.  He had never done that before.

I thought that he was starting his “Protection” mode.

I decided to call him BodyGuard Bodhi.

He was being so earnest in his new job; it was endearing.

HALTER

So, I haltered him up and and opened the gate between them.

Princess llamallamallama gallumphed over (llamas are not graceful at any speed other than a walk…).

Immediately, Bodhi stood rock still.  He didn’t move past my shoulder.

That’s when the sucking and nibbling started.

Bodhi would nibble my arm and look at me.

Bodhi (sucking my arm) “Is this too hard?  Can I do this with her?”

Me:  That’s fine.  But, she’s pretty hairy… you really don’t want to suck too  much.

Bodhi (nuzzling my arm) “How about this?  Is this too hard?”

Me:  That seems fine.

Bodhi (using his teeth): “How about this?”

Me:  Aw c’mon, knock it off!

 

I swear, he would nibble my arm, look at me and then look at her.  Then, he’d try anther amount of pressure on my arm, look at me, look at her and then do it again.

He was driving me crazy.

However, he never moved.  He didn’t get excited.  He didn’t try to snorffle her, he didn’t pull on the rope… he did nothing except suck on my arm.

So, I decided to walk him up to her.

She did nothing.  He did nothing.

She went into his pasture and checked it out.

He watched without being upset.

She ate his food.

He didn’t care.

This went on for too long and the nondrama was becoming boring.

So, I let Bodhi out to eat green grass on the lawn outside their pasture.

She cried out for him (well, actually, it sounded more like a car horn honk than a cry…).

He looked up – and then went back to eating.

Very uneventful.

NEXT STEPS

I am going to ask my neighbor to lend me a few panels so that I can make an escape triangle in her pasture.  In this way, if I put them together and he is too bouncy, she can run into her triangle and be safe.

So, I have to do that.

But, I’m feeling very confident that he got the message:  She is fragile.  He has to be very careful.  His job is to protect her.

SINCE THAT DAY

Bodhi has been acting like a little hen with her.  Although they aren’t together, he notifies her when it is feeding time, he has to be able to see her at all times or he gets a bit upset, he calls to her if she wanders too far off and he snorffels her through the fence when they are close.

Dexter has not gone anywhere near that pasture.

I find all of this very amazing – and I’m just going with it.  Whether any of this is mystical, I don’t care…  Whatever created the conduit between animal and human so they can figure something out, is A-OK with me.

Who knows? – maybe just having a gobetween person allows the heart and mind to open up and feel what the animal needs.

Dunno.

All I do know is that they seemed to have understood my intentions regarding my consultation with the animal communicator – and we all benefited.

I’ll keep you posted!

 

 

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!

 

 

 

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