Horsekeeping
… time to get the horses … put Milton up … Rodney is right over there … hmm, were’d he go? … must have wandered off … he does that all the time … has no problem leaving Milton in the dust … walk out to his usual spot … not there … keep walking around pasture … no horse … I know the pasture is in summer growth but I can usually spot them … going around again … checking all the corners … WHAT??? …
… crap, crap, crap … NOT what you want to see when you have gone all the way around the pasture and not found a horse … crap, crap, crap … this is how Rodney got out last time [Fencing, A Photo Essay] … crap, crap, crap … okay, the fence isn’t as low … the underbrush on the other side does not look as if 1400 pounds of horse just went through … he *probably* didn’t escape … not something one wants to be wrong about … crap, crap, crap … exit pasture … check side field … no horse … crap, crap, crap … walk gingerly down driveway … listening for squeal of brakes … crap, crap, crap … no squeal, no horse in sight … he’s really not the sort of horse to head over the horizon … he’d stop at the nearest patch of grass … crap, crap, crap … come back up …
… block driveway with truck … crap, crap, crap … go back to barn … cr …
… Rodney standing quietly in the aisle. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Thank you. Time to go fix a fence … and take photos for a blog post.
Seriously, I got agita all over again just typing this.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Virtual Brush Box 
Always a sinking feeling! I drove home the other day and saw the red and blue lights on the main road. My property is on a side road but the pasture extends towards this main road. Two cop cars. They are looking around. I don’t know why that’s where my mind went but it did. I got home and they still couldn’t be found. They have been hiding out in a cove of trees this summer but usually come down the hill to greet me and get breakfast. After calling them and walking up the hill here they come!
Whew! Don’t you hate it when that happens! So glad it turned out well…or at least Rodney was OK. Your willies will fade over time. Thanks for sharing.
Oh, I totally felt your worries and anxieties over this. Growing up on a farm, and dealing with fences. I was so glad to see the photo of Rodney, just standing in the barn.
Anonymous is me. I clicked on something by accident on my keyboard. I was very glad to see photo of Rodney in the barn. Funny, how we can get anxious about all sorts of things, and they just look at us, and blink, chomp.
From Meg McKinney – not an Anonymous person. But, could have Luddite tendencies.
Nothing strikes fear into the heart of a horse owner like finding an open gate or a breached fence. Well, maybe colic, but we won’t talk about that. Glad the boys stayed put. Nobody needs that kind of excitement!
Some things go directly to our panic reflex. The open gate. The flashing sirens. That first sign that all might not be well. Shudder.