Cats, Cows, and a Mare ~ my HiveGarden Animal Theme Entry

Five years ago we found ourselves in an opportunity to be caretakers of a 10 acre land. In exchange for taking care of the landscaping we get free rent and the electricity bill is covered by the owner who lives in another part of the country. The exchange is mutually beneficial not just for us and the owner but also for the other animals that live on this land too.

Would you like to meet them?

First I would like to introduce you all to our three cats. They were born here, in our living room nearly four years ago. They are indoor/outdoor cats who sleep inside at night and spend their days lounging around the front yard.

They also "help out" with the daily garden and foraging chores. Though they may not exactly contribute in the harvesting and planting, their presence is very valued. Homesteading in remote areas can be quite lonely so I really treasure the good vibes they always bring.

When we arrived five years ago there was a small patch of catnip under a tree. Over the years I have transplanted the herb around our front patio which is now my main garden area. Moving the garden to the patio and planting lots of catnip have been great changes because birds used to LOVE to destroy my microgreens and potted plants. Now that the garden is right outside the front door our cats guard the plants from bird attacks while they nibble on their favorite herb.

Luckily their mom didn't hunt birds and never taught them how so, although they enjoy chasing birds and watching them through the window, that is about as intense as the sequences get.

Unlike the majority of our neighbors, we don't have a pack of aggressive dogs messing with the wildlife. It really is a shame but, in Argentina having half a dozen bored and hungry dogs is the norm and they tend to be a menace to wild animals as well as wandering domestic ones. At the moment I don't have access to the images I have taken of the wild deer that visit us. They are so shy that I have only been able to take one good picture of them in five years! But, I have gotten several shots of the cows that wander onto the farm when greens are scarce elsewhere.

The Mare; Tila!

Now that you have met our cute cats I would like to introduce you all to another habitant of the farm. About three years ago we saw a mare wandering around in the creek that goes through the farm. While the owner of this land has claim to land on either side of the creek, the creek itself is public. This means that very often people wander though on walks and unleash their cattle, goats, or horses to range freely there.

This mare, however, didn't seem to want to go back to her owner and her owner didn't seem to want her back. In fact, she was extremely skittish and it took a year of giving her offerings of fresh grass before she trusted me at all.

One day I felt that it was time to lead her onto the main part of the farm where there was tons of grass for her to eat, grass that we normally had to mow at the request of the owner. Though there were a few trials and errors, I eventually was able to teach her how to find her way onto the land. Above is a picture of the first day she spent here!

With time we gained her trust albeit slowly. We named her Tila and she has made a huge transformation in the two years she has lived here. From a skinny, scared mare she has leveled up into a round mare that lets us pet and touch her! She spends her days and night eating grass, herbs, leaves from trees and napping on our front lawn.

We have never fenced her in. I know very well that horses crave company so we left a secret opening in the gate so she can cross the creek and socialize with our neighbors two horses. When we move on she will stay here on this land. She doesn't belong to use. She is free, and rather, the land belongs to her!