Our grumpy old man

Chief is one old dude. He can be rather crabby and is quite moody. He has arthritis and on some cold mornings he's very stiff and very cranky. Ever watch "Grumpy Old Men?"Chief is the Walter Matthau character. He doesn't care much for other horses, at all. In fact, I think he'd prefer to never really be around another one again.

He's not a bad looking guy, considering he's closing in on equine geriatrics pretty quickly and he's an Appaloosa.

Before he came to live with us he spent his days standing all by himself in a back pasture with very, very little human contact. I went out to see him at his old barn shortly before he came to us and he was an angry, cranky old man. I'd have the same attitude problem if someone just tossed me into a back pasture and forgot all about me.

Today, Chief has a new best friend. He absolutely adores his kid and Unruly calls him her "boyfriend." When he first came to his new home, no one but Unruly could catch him. He's much better now. He's still wary about adults, but not angry and scared of us.

I think they make a pretty cute couple. I had NOTHING to do with Unruly's choice of clothing, by the way. The rust-colored riding pants and pink shirt was ALL HER. Goes well with the red saddle and sorrel horse, yes?