Down and Out

Most foundered horses spend a lot of time off of their feet, but I have only caught Tonka lying down twice. In both cases he and Raven were resting in the horse paddock late at night, wide awake due to the commotion of dogs out for their bedtime walk. This morning I was surprised to see both horses lying down in the pasture -- Raven loves to sunbathe in the grass, but Tonka has always preferred to eat while the eating is good. Several neighbors tell slightly different stories about a horse breaking its leg in our pasture, so I was feeling panicky on my way to investigate. Raven watched me walk towards them, but Tonka had his back to both of us and I was about 10 feet away before I heard the snoring. With muzzle-clad nose planted firmly in the grass he was sleeping so soundly that he didn't notice me until I started rubbing his neck (which scared a mighty snort out of him). It was stormy here last night and I assume that he was on high alert through the wind and the rain. It's nice to know that he was feeling comfortable enough this morning to let his guard down.