The Purrfect Nanny & Purrfect Pet Health Blog

 

If my horse has ever taught me anything in the eight years he’s been with us, he’s taught me about fear. Not the fear of malicious spiders and unknown creatures dwelling in the darkest parts of the basement, but the fear of reasonable things. Say, the vet. From Alcapone I learned that she the equivelant of an executioner. He taught me about the terrible nature of saddles, and that I’m never to put one on his back if I want him to live past fourteen.

Most of all, he taught me about butterflies.

Butterflies. The sheer horror of seeing one is sure to drive anyone intelligent insane. The first time we encountered one, I figured my trusty horse was warning me about something larger than the size of my palm. He froze, snorting as he played the stallion act, his tail flicking up. Typical Arabian stature, and after I realized there was nothing - to my knowledge - to be afraid of, I nudged him on, unaware that the worst enemy of a horse was fluttering in front of his nose.

Encouraging him to move on was not the right the decision. He tossed his head up and bolted forward a few feet, giving me a single warning to pay attention to his needs or be left on the trail. As soon as he tossed his head up, however, I saw the problem.

A beautiful red Monarch butterfly was stuck on his muzzle. I carefully dismounted, gathering his reins into a tight fist as I gently ushered away the insect.

With the danger gone, Alcapone chewed on his bit and breathed a sigh of relief. The whites in his eyes didn’t show anymore and he was suddenly happy go lucky, prepared to rip away the reins and eat some grass. Of course he had to work again, but his behavior changed drastically.

What goes through a horse’s head when they spot a butterfly? They definitely don’t see a beautiful creature like most of us would. I can imagine they see something similar to the Freddy Krueger or even worse. This has happened multiple times to my horse, and recently I’ve noticed it with our other horse. Is this just an Arabian characteristic, or does this happen with all horses?

Either way, it’s hilarious.