Loose Horse

I can not understand why people can't keep their dogs and especially their horses from roaming the neighborhood. Last night, again, we had a loose horse out stomping around our fences upsetting my horses especially my blind mare. And the horse, as usual, managed to do some damage to my fences. I wish I could get the money from who ever lets their horses get loose for having to repair my fences. We are on a corner lot which means that every loose horse running down any of 4 roads comes right to our property and on realizing there are horses here come to see them being the social creature they are. But even though social the process of a 'meet and greet' causes a lot of squealing, kicking, rearing, biting, and destruction of any fences.
     And at 10 at night it is hard to even see the color of the horse for sure. Not only that someone appeared out of the night, caught the horse, and led it off with out even answering when I asked if they needed any help. No answer of a minor apology of any kind for upsetting my horses, or the fence repair that we had to do this morning. NO NOTHIN'!
      And it took me over an hour to get my blind mare to settle down. I have thoughts that she might be in season as it is the right time of the year for all mares to being coming in. And remember that we have caught three different stallions in our yard, two times for each of those three that now don't live near here. Two of those stallions we lost count on how many times we caught them. Then they were gelded and then they moved. Plus we have caught four other stallions at least once. I know one of those is still near here and it is possible that it came to see my mares. Plus a couple of geldings and a four different mares that either we let come in our yard so they could be caught or we went out on the street and helped catch them.
     But if I can manage to keep my horses contained (knock on wood, say prayers that it never happens to me) why can't other people do the same?
      Yes, some readers may remember that a few months ago my QH mare got out of her pen and wondered our yard. I have spent much money, time and effort making sure that all four horse pen gates open into our fenced yard so that if I accidentally don't get a gate shut good the horse is only loose in my yard not out on the street to get hit by a car or hurt a child, or destroy some one elses property.
     I can't understand why the average person around here is of the opinion that all male horses should be left stallions and all mares should have a foal every year. It is only making the over loaded horse population worse. And may of these 'mutt' horses are not animals that should be allowed to breed. The results are animals who do not have good looks or conformation and there seems to be a lot of in-breeding going on which can result in animals that aren't as intelligent. Yes, some of them can be good horses but not most of them.
       I wasn't planning on breeding my 'mutt' mare and when she went blind it made it even more imperative that I not breed her. As she is mostly Appaloosa she could have a genetic gene for blindness and that should not be passed on to any offspring. I wouldn't mind breeding my Quarter Horse mare but would only breed her to another registered horse which means that money wise I can't afford the stud fee, vet fees, and then any doctor bills if she has problems having it plus the additional feed bills for another horse. And no I would never breed to sell the foals as I am such a softy that I could never sell any horse, dog or cat (or even give them away) to any one as I would always fear that it would end up in the hands of someone who wouldn't care for it properly.

Wondering Horse

The other night about 8pm I heard the neighbors dogs barking and my mare, Star, whinnying so I went out to see what was going on. At first I didn't see anything then something nudged me in the back. I knew instantly it was a horse, I've been nudged like that so many times, but what was one doing in front of the garage? It was my Quarter Horse mare, Nita. Apparently hubby or I didn't get her gate shut good when we gave them their afternoon snack and filled water buckets. I'm not sure how long she was out but by the time I got to her she was ready to go back to her pen for the night feeding we do at about 9pm.

Since we still have mud from all the rain we have been having it was easy to follow her tracks the next day and see where she had been. First she went to the cottonwood tree right outside her pen that has a nice bunch of grass growing at the base of the truck and ate the grass. Next she sampled some of my roses near the tree and tip-toed through a pile of used lumber and sheets of tin that we had pulled of the hayshed roof last year to replace with better material so the roof didn't leak. We have slowly been using the lumber and tin for some other minor projects but it was a messy pile of junk that no horse should have been in. Next she visited the two ponies in their pen and went on by the kitchen window and into the back yard. To get there she had to go under the brase that helps hold up the gate that is usually left open. The brase is just over 6 feet tall, enough for hubby to walk under. Nita is 15 and a half hands tall so if she had her head up she would have smacked into the brase. (you can see it in the photo taken last week when it snowed) She made a trip around the back yard and walked right by the hole that the dogs had dug that morning (I think they were after one of the rats that tunnel under the garden). She then when back out the same gate and by the kitchen again to where she was by the garage when she and I found each other.

I couldn't find even a tiny scratch on her. I think she might be the kind of horse the cowboys called a 'night horse' because they can get around in the dark so well. I was just glad she didn't get hurt.