What Is Taffy Saying?

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July 1887

I was resting with a brand-new baby Jared sleeping next to me. Mother was out in the kitchen, fussing around. I was bored and restless, so I scrounged through my stack of journals and started reading through the very first journal I ever received (Melinda gave me my first journal one Christmas). I came across a nostalgic entry. It was one of my first entries. Taffy’s twins, Shasta and Sunny, had recently been foaled. I was sitting in the stall just watching them. It was so quiet (kind of like right now, with a sleeping baby on my lap), except for the occasional snuffing, stomping, whickering, and other noises some of the stalled horses were making. Taffy’s ears pricked up. I wondered what she was hearing. Then I cast my memory back and thought about all the sounds (talking) Taffy made. It was time to write them down, and I did . . . By the time I read the entry, I was in tears. Taffy! Oh, my Taffy!

Riley rescued me in the nick of time, bringing a lunch tray Mother had prepared. He let me read the entry to him, listened patiently while I cried a bit (passing it off to post-birth, new-mother tears, which is understandable), and then I felt much better. When he left, the baby woke up hungry, and my mind moved on to caring for my sweet baby.

January 1882

I didn’t think I would like writing in my journal, but you know what? It’s kinda fun. It helps pass the time while I’m watching Shasta and Sunny stumble about in the huge foaling stall on their too-long legs. They’ve gotten the hang of nursing just fine, and Chad promised that as soon as the latest rainstorm passes, I can take them outside. They are three days old, and believe me, they need to go outside as soon as possible. They flopped onto the straw and instantly fell asleep. Taffy made a funny little sound in her throat and it got me thinking of all the times Taffy has “talked,” mostly to me, but she’s made some horrible, scary vocalizations during her life. Let’s see. I think I’ll write them all down and explain what they mean.

The Nicker

This is the sound Taffy makes the most, when she’s happy to see me. Her mouth is close and she’s moving her nostrils, with her ears pricked forward to call to me. She’s being very affectionate and wants me to come have some fun. I’m pretty sure Taffy will nicker to Shasta and Sunny as they get older. Here’s what it sounds like.

Blowing & Huffing & Snorting

After a good run or a race, Taffy will blow through her nostrils to catch her breath. Sometimes, she blows softly, especially when she’s poking around and trying to find a treat in my pocket. I have also noticed that when Taffy is exploring something new, she sniffs pretty loudly and blows out. But the best blowing of all is when my sweet mare sniffs and blows onto my neck, saying, I trust you. You make me feel safe. Taffy did this as soon as I rescued her from that horrible Felicity Livingstone a year or two ago. It felt good!

Sometimes, if Taffy is a little impatient or wants to let me know she’s not exactly happy, she’ll give me a short huff, like, Where is my breakfast? She might snort too. These are a little bit hard for me to tell apart.

A Whinny

Oh, Taffy, and your whinnies! Sometimes it sounds like a neigh, and these are a bit hard to distinguish too, but I know my Taffy! Her whinny is much softer than a loud, impatient neigh! I’ve heard the Circle C mares whinny a lot. They’re checking on their foals. When a foal hears its mother’s whinny, she or he come running, at least most of the time. I expect that Taffy will have a lot of whinnies in her throat with two rambunctious foals to watch out for.

A Neigh

Taffy isn’t shy about neighing. When she gets excited–like seeing a new horse on the ranch, or a runaway, or maybe even the ranch hands stirring things up, Taffy will run around her paddock and neigh her head off! What’s she telling me? She is shouting for attention, like Wait for me! I want a piece of this action! Her ears might flick back and forth too. Sometimes, she will neigh if she’s lonely and calling for the others in the herd. Sometimes, she calls me with a loud neigh, Let me out of here! The neigh is the loudest noise she makes, although screaming comes close, if you ask me. Depending on how loud, high-pitched, or long it lasts gives me an idea of what Taffy is feeling. Is she nervous? Frightened? Feeling out of sorts? Sometimes she neighs to let the other horses know who she is. Each horse has his or her unique voice! I can tell the difference between Sky and Taffy, Chase and Thunder, and pretty much each family member’s horse.

I’ll tell you what. Taffy will neigh her head off if the twin foals go missing, I’m sure! And I remember long ago, when Taffy was being weaned. Her neighs broke my heart, and her dam, Snowflake, would not quiet down for a long time. Here is a sample. She’s not completely angry but you can tell she’s not happy, either.

Squealing and/or Screaming

Is Taffy screaming? Squealing? These sound a lot a like to me But believe me! When I hear this, I know there’s trouble afoot. Mostly mares squeal (and wild stallions scream challenges to each other). Taffy will aim her squeal at anything she thinks is threatening her. She tenses up too. Taffy squealed a lot when a mare she didn’t like was put in the corral next to her. She took a sudden dislike, flattened her ears, kicked out, and squealed, Get out of my space! The other horse backed off and went and stood in a corner of the corral, and Taffy settled right down. I’m the boss, she was telling that newcomer.

Like I wrote above, screaming is something I don’t hear much on the Circle C, leastways not from Taffy. It’s mostly a stallion thing, although I have heard a blood-curdling scream occasionally. I stay out of the way when that happens!