L'Escape du Farm
Beep, the red pony was the ring leader in the jailbreak on Saturday. I left for a cyclocross race and while I’d closed the gate in the barn leading to the aisleway I didn’t latch it. Beep knows how to push the gate open and has bolted out twice already but she didn’t get far as the main door was closed. This time though I not only didn’t latch the gate but left the big door open about two feet.
So I’m tooling home from my cyclocross race and I stop at Tractor Supply to get some more bedding. I shoved four bales in on top of my bike and as I was driving home I get a phone call. It was my old neighbor, Myranda, who had come by the farm with her husband. “Did you know your horses are across the street in the alfalfa field?”
Yipe! (say that like Scooby doo).
We had a bad cell phone connection but managed to communicate that yes, I would like her to catch the horses and yes, put them back.
I had no idea how long the two of them had been munching on fresh alfalfa but I don’t think it was more than an hour. I saw their tracks in the field and they weren’t that far in. Even better, they were in Joe’s front yard, more or less and no one noticed there were two equines out front.
So now I know; that pony is sneaky and crafty. I can just see the two of them crossing the street. If they could talk it’d go something like this:
Beep: “One two, hey, it’s open! I’m outta here.”
Oz: “Wait for me!”
Beep: “Alfalfa’s over here.”
Oz: “I know how to cross the street..follow me.”
Beep: munch munch
Oz: snurf, snorf crunch crunch
Hour later: Human voice: “Oscar!!”
Oz: “Busted, whoa, gotta go! Oh hey, an apple!”
Human: “Sucker”
That’s all for now.
b
3 comments:
Ha! Loved the dialog ending with "sucker!" Too funny. I've had similar experiences with Cowboy being the ringleader. Mike installed a special cowboy-proof latch on the gate inside the barn to replace the one that the old man had mastered. Seriously, what a horrible feeling to know they are out and probably pissing off the neighbors and possibly getting hurt - or worse. Once, at North Hill Farm, the school horses broke out during the night during a light snowfall. I followed their tracks all the way down the driveway, around the corner and through the neighboring subdivision before I found that they had made nearly a 2 mile circuit back around nearly all the way to the back gate of hte farm. Luckily, I was an early riser and they were tired and ready to come back home. The whole time I followed their tracks, I was having sickening thoughts about how much trouble this was likely to be.
I recommend a piece of chain with a carabeener type snap as an addition to the gate latch for an advanced criminal mind like Beep's!
Don't you guys go blaming MY pony!
I actually hear the dialog more like this:
Oz - Hey beep looky here! You're short, you can see the latch better than me. Wadja think? can we get out?
Beep - Yeah I think it IS open a little.
Oz - Hey let's go! I know where there's a whole alfalfa field we can raid. You're so short no one will see you in it. And if they see me, I'll pretend I was just trying to catch you and protect you. If you go first I'll follow.
Beep - Naw, it'll just upset Becca and get you in trouble.
Oz - Well, I'm goin' and you're gonna be all alone here for the bears to eat.
Beep - Oh no! Wait for me! I'm coming and I wont tell.
Oz - Sucker!
Yep, that's how it was for sure.
Why are escaped horses so funny if they cause so much worry??
We had another adventure in teh alfafa today. Joe got to see me and Oscar in full gallop up a hill while Beep watched. That was courtesy of Gabby bolting out of the weeds at full throttle. But, Oscar's stride was long and loose and we had a fun time of it. Then we got to play "round up the pony" and I think oscar liked pushing Beep around with me nudging. The game was to not have to get off of Oscar to get the lead rope but instead to guide Oscar in moving the pony where I wanted her. It was working and then the pony stepped on her lead rope. Rats.
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