RockRiverTiff
Well-Known Member
I had a glorious early start to my morning. OH! At the crack of dawn, I got the call that the horses were out. Nothing gets me up faster than that! The whole way to the farm (about a 5-minute drive if I'm panicking), I couldn't stop thinking that it was all my fault. I turned the broodmare herd out onto a new section of pasture last night as a treat, and was just sure that I hadn't done a good job checking the fences prior.
So we get to the farm, and the horses are the closest they have ever been to the road. Turns out the new girl is much less inhibited than the homebreds. Thankfully the wonderful neighbors were blocking them off. I grabbed a bucket and a handful of halters/leads, and as soon as everyone sees me coming with the bucket they start heading in. Mo had the gate to the drylot ready, and the pasture gate closed, so I just walked in and everybody followed for an early breakfast. I am so lucky the girls are well-behaved and food motivated.
Here's the kicker. We walked the fenceline, and there were no breaks. We came around to the side facing the lane between the first and second barns (broodmares are in the first barn), and the gate is unlocked and pushed all the way in. To make a long story short, someone let them out. Again. It rained last night, and you could see their footprints in the mud. Some of you may remember that I had to lock the barns because people were stealing and moving horses. Well now that the barns are locked they're messing with the gates. So I have to lock the gates. When does it end?! They could have easily caused the death of my babies... I do run random checks now against schedule just in case, but at this point if I caught anyone I'd probably end up charged with assault. Friends have suggested cameras, but the front of the farm alone is 80-acres--I don't even know where I'd put them. What do the rest of you that don't live on your farms do?? I am at wit's end worrying about these...........people...
So we get to the farm, and the horses are the closest they have ever been to the road. Turns out the new girl is much less inhibited than the homebreds. Thankfully the wonderful neighbors were blocking them off. I grabbed a bucket and a handful of halters/leads, and as soon as everyone sees me coming with the bucket they start heading in. Mo had the gate to the drylot ready, and the pasture gate closed, so I just walked in and everybody followed for an early breakfast. I am so lucky the girls are well-behaved and food motivated.
Here's the kicker. We walked the fenceline, and there were no breaks. We came around to the side facing the lane between the first and second barns (broodmares are in the first barn), and the gate is unlocked and pushed all the way in. To make a long story short, someone let them out. Again. It rained last night, and you could see their footprints in the mud. Some of you may remember that I had to lock the barns because people were stealing and moving horses. Well now that the barns are locked they're messing with the gates. So I have to lock the gates. When does it end?! They could have easily caused the death of my babies... I do run random checks now against schedule just in case, but at this point if I caught anyone I'd probably end up charged with assault. Friends have suggested cameras, but the front of the farm alone is 80-acres--I don't even know where I'd put them. What do the rest of you that don't live on your farms do?? I am at wit's end worrying about these...........people...