David picked me up from the Vancouver airport and we arrived back at Farcical Farm just as dusk was turning to dark. There was enough light for me to admire the Ruddy Beast and to reacquaint myself with the outdoor animals before turning in for the night. I've spend the past hour lying in bed, catching up on the day's email and enjoying the sounds of home. About 5 minutes ago there was a crash out in the horse paddock and the scramble of eight panicked hooves followed by some huffing and snorting followed by silence. Titan remained quiet through the whole episode (i.e. no monsters), so I think that Raven got her fly sheet temporarily tangled on one of the feeders. I know for sure that it's good to be home.
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8 hours ago
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Isn't it funny how we hear those little (or not so) noises, even through our grogginess? If it happens once, and then quiets down, you drift back to sleepi-land; twice or more and you're wide awake and headed for the door.
I had a big mare who would periodically put her foot through a panel and rattle it, getting back out. Once, however, the rattle happened several times, and I knew something wasn't right. Into the jeans/t-shirt and muckboots, out to the barn.
She had managed to drop her rear cannon into the 2-3 inch "slot" between a gate and post (and it wasn't one of those curved gates that "funnel" a leg down, either!), and was "hanging" on top of the sliding latch! She was barely able to touch the ground with the other rear, so all her rear (and it was substantial) was sitting on her cramped up leg! She was a very sensible gal (other than getting INTO these sorts of predicaments), so was just waiting for someone to get her out.
I actually had to start loosening the hinge-side of the gate, then she "harumphed" and kicked free. Minor scrapes, but vet said if she had fought at all, she surely would have broken the cannon!
On the same note, I actually put a baby monitor in the mares' stalls at foaling time, with the receiver in my nightstand, to alert me when they go into labor--have only missed one birth (same mare's first foal, Kate, in my avatar--Mama's sneaky)!
It turns out that Tonka got his fly mask caught up on the feeder. I usually take them off at night, but I guess it got overlooked in my tiredness. The horse and feeder are fine, but the same cannot be said for the mask.
We originally planned to have the horse paddock behind the house, but I didn't like the idea of not being able to see and hear them at night. Unless it's really dark I can get a pretty good idea of what's going on from a look and listen out the window.
It is funny how attuned you become to their normal and abnormal sounds. Good thing your sneaky mare is so sensible, as that could have been serious. We have been blessed with two level-minded creatures who never challenge fences or gates. I'm a big fan of free-choice feeding partially because they eat when they're bored rather than looking for trouble.
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