Just last Tuesday Sprite knocked the veterinarian on her butt, twice. Glad I had cleaned the stall up nicely, only sawdust and a rubber mat to catch her fall.
This evening I was taking KC out of the dry paddock, moving him to field #2. I imagined I would come back for Skip right away. Instead, as plans go, Skip bumped the gate, swinging it out of my grasp, and he was now loose. I knew he would follow KC and me, but he made a slight detour and I couldn't reach the gate in time and Lil Fred and Sprite followed Skip out.
Now I have three loose horses.
I get KC in the field and Skip follows, close that gate. The 'littles' go to the edge of the parking lot, at the hay elevator, and drop their heads to eat grass. Cool.
As I approach, both trot the fence line, past my Adirondack chairs, and Skip immediately starts running the fence line, too. Great.
I follow them around to the road side of the fence, swinging wide around the septic tank lid and turn them back to the little woods. I keep on them and they get confused about where to go, with all the piles of debris (stone dust, dirt, fence boards) and decide to head out to field #3 across the new gravel on the dry paddock.
The gate to field #3 is open and they lit out of there like their tails were on fire. Meanwhile, he is weed-whacking the fence line of field #1, all the way around. He doesn't have his phone, couldn't hear it anyway, and I don't have mine. His sight-line prohibits him from seeing me and all of this playing out.
I can't close the gate because the gravel is too deep. It has also set up, like concrete, and I have to rake and dig a trench to get the gate closed. This takes time. He is still trimming the fence line. The 'littles' are so far down the field I can't see them.
I finally finish digging the trench and get the gate closed. Skip is not done running the fence line, his tail straight up, full speed ahead, and back again. He continues to incite a riot, and the 'littles' are running along with him, evading and eluding capture. I just took a shower, but my t-shirt is getting wet down the middle. Skip is soaked, too.
I get Skip, bring him in, putting him in field #1. He is distraught. I go into the house to tell him that the 'littles' are in field #3, and can he console his horse, who now is running the fence line and calling out in field #1.
KC comes up to the gate, but then goes back down to the bottom of field #2 to be next to the 'littles.' I walk, again, all the way down to bring him up, put him in his stall next to Skip, who now is in his stall and quiet.
He gets on the tractor and rounds them up. It took time, he was going as fast on that tractor as he could, and they were running through the field as if it was a movie set. A lot. Like "Misty of Chincoteague" or something, mane and tail flying with their speed. They both looked magnificent, really. Around and around we go. Mustang round-up!
Eventually she got tired, winded, and allowed me to catch her. Lil Fred needed more persuasion with the tractor, but he succumbed to the lead rope, too.
They really are cute.
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