Monday, June 14, 2021

Freelance horses

I looked out our back door a couple days ago, and saw four horses loose on the road.

We don't know everyone in the neighborhood yet, but we do know one family with horses. I gave them a call, and they said nope, all their animals are accounted for. They suggested I get in touch with another family.

So I did, but all their horses were accounted for too.

Oh great. Freelance horses.

Meanwhile our driveway gate was open, so I closed it lest we have freelance visitors.

The horses were actually very sweet and calm, just happily browsing on the spring grass.

(Bonus photo: random pheasant.)

Meanwhile, the second family I called had an idea who the animals might below to, and were trying to reach them by phone. They drove two vehicles up with a vague hope of blocking the animals in.

It didn't work, and the horses slipped past the second vehicle and moved deeper into the valley. That was the last any of us saw them.

Hours later, a stranger drove up to the house and introduced himself as Will. He was the owner of the horses, and stopped at our place since we were the last people who had seen what direction the animals went. He said the horses had escaped from a loose gate on a piece of property located above our house. We weren't much help locating the horses, but he was a pleasant fellow and it was nice to meet yet another neighbor.

The next morning, as Don and I finished Mr. Darcy's morning walk, we looked up at the property above ours, and saw the horses contentedly grazing.

So the horses are freelance no more, but at least the road isn't blocked.

6 comments:

  1. Isn’t country living the best? We had a pig in our front flower bed a few weeks back, and it took us all day to find the owner, who incidentally lived 3/4ths of a mile away. He came over about sunset with a bucket of corn, and walked her home. Memories only a farm family could relate to! Have @ perfect week!

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  2. I love that! With neighbors so far apart in rural areas, it takes a wayward animal to bring folks together.

    While visiting us in a rented camper on our front property, our brother-in-law was disturbed to wake up one morning to the sound of heavy breathing outside his window. A wayward neighbor horse had escaped to come introduce himself. Gave the BIL a good story to tell when he got home.

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  3. Oh to be able to live out west and see horses...I'm in NC and see very few near where I live...I have seen many wild horsed on the island across the small canal by Beaufort, NC--4th oldest town in NC and Blackbeard's old stomping grounds...It's beautiful there by the Atlantic Ocean...
    Love from NC,
    Sandy

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  4. This is actually the way society is supposed to work.

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    Replies
    1. Yup. Gather up your neighbors cows, get them home, repair the fence all before the neighbor returns from town.

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  5. We had freelance horses visit us from time to time in Montana on occasion....sometime our horses took a walk around the neighborhood too! We could count on them to mosey back home on their own, if we had trouble finding them! Nowadays...it's not unusual to come home to a group of cows in my yard! Love country living.

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