Hoshor Plains Guardian of the Courts

The thundering of the stud’s hooves was felt before it was heard by the buckskin mare- who knew well enough that this was no reason to startle or stir, given the fact that only another herbivore would have caused such a drumming pattern on the earth. He was distant- probably too far to see- when she first heard the steady four-beat pattern of his hooves, but when his pace slowed, she lifted her kind head to gaze in his direction with a knowing but still interested gaze.

He wasn’t one from her former herd- nor did she expect to see her former herd stallion who, in her opinion, had raced right in the direction the saddled horses had wanted him to go. And she, like any other mare, was happy to see diversification in the herds she lived in, rather than swearing fidelity to one stallion whose genes would not only dominate but pollute a herd’s gene pool. This stud was younger and perhaps flashier- the roan pattern of his pelt standing out from the typical bay that had predominated her herds of yore, but he had a good solid build that beget some feeling that he was strong and capable- even though he was alone.

Still- as glad as she was to see another horse, no male company was accepted readily by a mare who had any standards for survival- this much she had learned from her dam. No, she wouldn’t invite him, as it wasn’t the way within the herd. Even though she was alone, she knew that stallions had to fight for a mare’s approval, even without competition. So without pause, she flattened her ears, swishes her tail dismissively and turned her haunches on the stud, marched a few paces away and lowered her head to graze again- as if to convey a feeling that he was somehow inadequate. He would have to do more than simply appear to impress the solid buckskin mare.