Whatcha doin'?

Alan still doesn't want me to touch him, but that's not to say he isn't interested in me. Whether I'm mucking his stall, or playing with George, or freezing my butt off taking pictures in the pasture, Alan is always right there, watching and wondering what I'm doing. Shorty, the farrier, will be here again in two weeks, and I doubt Alan will be ready to have his hooves trimmed. I think I'm going to have to separate Alan and George for awhile to break their bond in order for Alan to then bond with me. But until the weather warms up some and I'm able to spend significantly more time outside, I'll just leave them together and continue to be patient.

Postscript...
Normally, Smooch and I take our daily walk while the boys are up in the barn, eating their dinner. Today, we decided to walk before dinner, thinking it might be a little warmer. Alan and George were grazing near the front gate as we left. Well if Alan didn't take his curiosity to another level. Smooch and I walked on the outside of the fenceline and Alan, on the inside of the fenceline, followed us...and followed us...and kept following us. George followed him, not wanting to be left out, but clearly it was Alan's idea to stick with us. And stick he did for 1.25 miles, until Smooch and I veered down the road away from the ranch. And when we got back to the corner where we left Alan and George, darn it if they weren't there waiting! And Alan followed us again all the way home. Time will tell whether this was day one of pack-string practice or just a happy, pied-piperlike coincidence.