The Daily Dumb

[Jarpur]

Good boy, Norm!

Back when I was in graduate school, I boarded my horse. Went to the barn late one afternoon, and saw horses that also boarded there grazing freely on the roadside!

Went into the barn, expecting the worst, and there was my own good boy, standing in his stall, door wide open (someone had opened all the stall doors). His look said, simultaneously, “What the hey has happened?” and “Where’s my dinner?”

Never did find the culprit responsible for this, and none of the horses, thankfully, suffered any ill effects from their great escape. Other boarders began arriving (it was the time of day most came to the barn), which helped in rounding up the horses.

[lenapesadie]

Oh wow! I love your description of your horse’s expression! Definitely a good horse

[ThreeWishes]

Nothing worse than seeing a horse grazing along the road outside their farm. Happened to me when
I was a teenager. I was driving to the barn and saw my sweet old horse snarfing grass about a mile from the stables. I didn’t have any sort of strap good or halter or lead rope in my truck so I pulled over, took off my bra, wrapped it around his neck and led him home.

[Spudsmyguy]

Come home from work one day and saw my mare and foal out on the side yard. Mare was grazing, baby was flat out asleep in the sun. My other gelding was in the mare and foal paddock sticking his head out the run in shed’s window. I’m thinking “what’s wrong with this picture”? Park, go find out that paddock gate was left open so out the mare and foal went. There is a hot wire that ran across the top of the gate so mare went through it and took out the fencing for the geldings. Whiskey, who was in love with Annie, saw his chance and stupidly went into her paddock while she was outside of it (he wasn’t the brightest bulb on the tree) and then couldn’t find his way back out. My other two (luckily) stayed where they were and didn’t want to get involved.

So spent the next 2 hours repairing fences and sorting out horses, who goes where. DH has a habit of not closing things (see other thread about venting) so this was par for the course for him.

[TheDBYC]

@Scribbler

. But I’ve always thought 2 foot, at least for full size horses, was just beginner, the next step up from crossrsils. And 3 foot was where things get serious and you need a much more expensive horse.

If that was the case, the 3’ packer wouldn’t be such an elusive creature. Don’t forget that horses can be beginners, too. That’s why Open 2’ divisions exist at schooling shows & are usually the most crowded by far.

I know you dislike teenage girls with a passion. They’re still capable of relevant & rational thoughts, though you might disagree. She has a valid point in this case – this is not a Division large pony. It cannot course 2’9". Nor will a 2’9" division pony be available to lease for $7k. I’m not worried about that. We were all on the same page for that part of the equation. What I am beefed about is this: Per USEF record, this pony was coursing 2’6" prior to foaling 3 years ago. She’s medically cleared to jump 2’6" again. She’s shown enough that she is no longer green eligible. Yet here we are 6 months into the lease. And despite months of lessons they’ve yet to jump ANYTHING of any height in a show at all. Considering that this same teenager just skipped around a 2’9" jumper course 3 weeks into the lease with our other pony that is a much more complex ride, I’m kinda thinking this is a coaching issue…

[Scribbler]

@TheDBYC

Haha, no I don’t hate teenage girls. I just vividly remember what it was like being a teenager, and that there were some real no-win circumstances built into the structure that can lead to frustration because there is no good choice.

I absolutely agree that if you have a sane, sound pony with prior show experience and that the team can’t get her around a 2 foot course, that there is something wrong and it’s probably the coaching.

It’s also worth stepping back and looking at the general success rate in your coaches program. It sounds like many families have acquired “unsuitable” horses. Does this mean in actual fact there’s widespread coaching fails?

Maybe have daughter see if there is anyone in the program who is getting where she wants to be.

[quietann]

Sometime last year, I arrived at the barn and my mare was missing. She wasn’t in her paddock, she wasn’t in her stall, no one had handled her since she had been turned out in the morning. I was in a panic, even though she’s a sensible girl and unlikely to leave the barn area.

So there’s this garage next to her paddock that has a small enclosed grassy area behind it. And there were a few fence rails missing because she or another horse had chewed on them – but there was electric wire along the top of all fences. So… I look behind the garage, and the mare had done the limbo under the fence separating her paddock from the grassy area, because the bottom rail was missing, and was happily chowing down. She was NOT happy to see me! A barn worker took down the fence rails so I could lead her back into her paddock, but she refused to go because the electric fence wire was still in place (she isn’t big; she could have gone under it easily.) So he had to undo the wire, too.

[Maythehorsebewithme]

A couple of years ago I got to the barn to find my horse’s stall stripped and my horse missing. Large fans were blowing into the stall. Located him in a formerly empty stall at the end of the aisle.

It seems my rocket science steed sat on the automatic waterer, the kind that has a sort of bulb underneath that removes the bottom to clean. Hooked his blanket tail cord under the bulb, walked away, and flooded his stall. Barn staff found him (calmly) standing in several inches of water. I can’t imagine how long the waterer ran. They had to use buckets and a shop vac to bail out the stall, then the fans. Took two days to dry out.

Horse was fine. He no longer has tail cords on his blankets.

[Spudsmyguy]

I was keeping one of my horses at a barn where I worked part-time. I had her in a paddock with shed situation but there was one narrow area where there was no fencing so I used lawn chair webbing to crisscross across that area to close it off. I didn’t see it, but heard about it - my horse had somehow carefully put her feet through the webbing and eased her rotund body through that gap so she could go graze on the lush grass next to the indoor. The webbing wasn’t disturbed and was still intact. I wouldn’t have believed it but there was photographic proof. Moved to her to a more solidly fully fenced paddock.

[punchy]

Yesterday, in haiku format:

Rushed. Stand on one leg to peel off breeches.
Heel gets stuck;
I fall, sprain toes.

[Jackie_Cochran]

@punchy, I hope your toes heal quickly.

[JBCool]

Last week at work, I managed to misplace the forklift. Yes, the large piece of equipment for moving 1 ton pallets of merchandise. Twice. In my defense, I did not move it the first time, but I did ask the person who do to move it.

[SuzieQNutter]

Hubby did the same thing he forgot where he put the arena rake. I looked in and behind all the sheds we use. He said it must have been stolen.

Out of all the stuff we have, why just steal that?

Then he remembered he put it in the old dairy.

[endlessclimb]

Welp, came off the young one for the first time today.

I had set up two ground poles 3 strides apart. She was getting strong inbetween them, so I went to circle after the first one to unlock her neck and rebalance her.

She threw her head in a little tantrum, and then tripped all the way to her knees.

That is the first time I’ve come off due to a horse tripping, and is hands down the hardest I have ever hit the ground. Her knees were on my back, and there is a shoe scuff on my helmet, but she managed not to step on me. Thank goodness I was wearing one, else I’d be hospitalized for sure. Bit the jeebus out of my tongue, nose was pouring blood. I’ve never hurt so bad immediately after a fall, either.

I got up, caught her (she was pretty shook up, too, and had a small wound on her leg), put a halter on over her bridle and went to the washroom to stop the nosebleed and text someone what happened. I got back on her, and went right back to that exercise. Lo and behold, she was no longer strong between the poles.

Lesson learned, maybe? Sheesh. I hope that never happens again. Not “her fault” persay, but I’m not the one responsible for putting my feet on the ground and not falling, so it is kinda. Certainly not intentional on her part, though.

I got home and took 4 ibuprofen, and will be in bed shortly. The word of the day is : helmet.

[lenapesadie]

Glad you’re ok!

Tripping falls suck.

Once had a horse go down like that and get a grass stain on his blaze. Yes, horse literally face planted.

[Bluey]

Hope you are ok, didn’t break anything.
You will know by tomorrow if something is off.

I had a colt I was starting faint under me, as we were taking a little gallop in a pretty green valley.
He went down in slow motion, I picked him up a bit, next stride he was lower, picked him some more and we splattered out there, him out of it, laying on my leg, that was hurting mightily.

My first silly thought when my head cleared and I could not get out from under him was, hope there are no ant beds around!

So glad when he did come to and slowly scrambled up, so I could get my leg free.
The leg was sore, but not broken and he was fine, vet said he fainted.
I ended up with a broken lower last rib, never figured how that happened.

OP, hope you have someone checking on you, in case you start feeling worse and need help.

[PNWSunnyDay]

My barn’s little lesson pony tripped and got arena footing stuck in her front teeth. Poor thing. Tripping is scary for everyone!

[endlessclimb]

I’m ok this morning, just feel like I got hit by a train. Pretty concentrated to the right side, where is where the impact was. More ibuprofen, and some movement to loosen it all up is in order.

[Bluey]

@endlessclimb

I’m ok this morning, just feel like I got hit by a train. Pretty concentrated to the right side, where is where the impact was. More ibuprofen, and some movement to loosen it all up is in order.

Good to hear you are ok, noting quit working overnight.

[Willesdon]

New helmet, please