The Grass Is Always Greener on the Other Side of the Fence-- Paneled Fence

Now is the time to help all the horses trapped in their pastures by plastic or wooden panels. There is a way to get to that greener grass.

Step 1. Push your nose against random fence panels until you find one that is looser than the rest.

Finding the loosest panel may take awhile.

Step 2. Slam your butt into the loose panel. Not too hard--just giving the fence a nice jolt will do. This should loosen it up even more and possibly even pop it out, getting you closer to freedom.

Step 3. Stick your head under the loose panel.

Step 4. With the loose panel right above your neck, gently start to raise your head.

Step 5. The panel should start to rise with your head, and then fall to the ground. If it doesn’t, STOP raising your head and remove your head from under the fence panel. Repeat Step 2 and try again. If this doesn’t work, try another fence panel.

Step 6. With the top fence panel on the ground, you are free to start on the middle panel, repeating Steps 2, 3, and 4. Or, if you feel bold, you can try to get a running start and jump over the remaining two panels. (This is for horses with jumping experience only.)

Step 7. When as many panels as needed are gone, you are free to enjoy the grass on the other side of the fence! Happy eating!!

That’s our two bits!

The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side of the Fence--Barbed Wire

To all horses with barbed wire fences, REJOICE! There is a way out. Sometimes. Follow these steps carefully to get to the other side of your fence. Please note that your fence layout may not match up perfectly with the one used in the instructions. If you find this to be true, follow steps with caution. The process may not work perfectly.

Step 1. Use caution. Barbed wire can be VERY dangerous.

Old, rusty barbed wire is most dangerous. Do not attempt to escape if your fence looks like this.

Step 2. Find the lowest and highest strands of fencing that are in your pasture.

Step 3. Once you have located these strands, determine if it is easier to a. step over the lowest stands or b. slip in between the highest and lowest strands.

Step 4. If you chose a., step one hoof over the fence at a time. Once the whole leg is safely on the other side of the fence, proceed to step the rest over one at a time. If you chose b., duck your head down and get as low as possible and slowly move your head under the fence. Step all of your legs over the bottom strand. Keep your neck and back as low as possible. Once your back legs have stepped over the bottom strand, tuck your hindquarters down low and glide the rest of the way out!

The spokes on barbed wire can be very dangerous. Try not to cut yourself while slipping through the fence or get your mane stuck. Once on the other side of the fence, do not attempt to get back into your pasture. Wait for your human to catch you and put you back in, the easy way. 

That’s our two bits!

The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side of the Fence--Electric Fence

                

Any horse who has ever stuck their head through the fence to nibble at the grass on the other side knows that this saying is true. But instead of just getting a quick nibble or two, what would it be like if you got to feast on that lush, green grass?

Caddy stares at the greener grass, dreaming about the taste.

To get to this grass, you must escape. Break out of your pasture and feast. Here are the steps to successfully get you to the other side of the fence.

For the electric fence--

Step 1. Carefully check to see if the fence is actually on. Many times humans forget to make it shock, giving you the perfect opportunity to escape.

Step 2. If the fence is on and hot, we advise that you patiently wait for the one day that it is off. This may take a while or may never happen, but be ready just in case. If it is off, start walking the fence line to find the widest gap in between strands. Usually there are only two strands.

Caddy has found the widest gap in the fence.

Step 3. Once you have found the widest gap (and are 100% sure the fence is off), calmly stick your head and neck up to your shoulders through the fence. Try to keep your head level and do not raise it up.

Step 4. Step one front leg at a time over the bottom strand, making sure to keep your head low. Please refrain from eating the grass at this time; soon enough the time will come.

Step 5. When both front legs are over the bottom strand, start inching your way forward. The top strand will rub across your neck and then onto your back. DO NOT FREAK OUT. Stay calm.

Step 6. Once your back legs are up against the bottom strand of the fence, carefully pick them up and over the bottom strand, one at a time. As you do this, the top fence strand should fling over your hind quarters. Again, stay calm.

Once the top strand is behind your hind quarters and your back legs are across the bottom strand, you are free! Stay within sight of your pasture and enjoy the green, lush grass!

If you have a barbed wire, wooded paneled or plastic paneled fence, stick around. Steps for getting out of those pastures are coming soon!

That’s our two bits!

The Farrier Is NOT Your Friend

When the farrier comes, run. 

Whether your feet are getting trimmed, hammered, or burned, the first thing you should do is run when you know that the farrier is there for you. 

If you are in the pasture, be prepared for two things: your owner coming to bring you to the farrier or the farrier himself coming to catch you.

Now, when your owner comes to catch you for this dirty job and does not bring food, we recommend performing the pasture chase (as explained in an earlier blog post). If there is a bucket of feed swinging from your owner’s hand, stop what you are doing and go eat the feed--even if it means having your hooves messed with. 

If the farrier comes to catch you, we very highly recommend performing the pasture chase, whether feed is in the picture or not. 

Eventually, humans usually do win and will capture you. When this happens, you have two choices: standing perfectly still while the farrier does his work (meaning that it will be over quickly) or not standing still even for a second (meaning that it will take twice, if not three times as long, but the farrier will wish he was never born). 

If you choose to stand like an angel and let the farrier mess with your hooves, our only piece of advice is, well, to stand there perfectly still. 

Caddy demonstrates how to stand like an angel to get it over with quickly.

If you choose to hop all over the place making it extremely difficult and stressful for the farrier, we have one good piece of advice: You don’t need all four legs to move. If the farrier is holding one of them, by all means hop around on the other three! 

That's our two bits!

Water Wars

We horses need water to live. Obviously. There are three kinds of water and three things we can drink water out of. Today we will be going over the pros and cons of each.

Kinds of water: The first kind of water is the water that comes directly from creeks, rivers, etc. This water is preferred by most horses but does have a serious draw back. Sometimes the water can get polluted or tainted by something that will give us a nasty stomach-ache.

The second kind of water is the more chemically tasting water. Although we are not sure where this water comes from, we know that it is clean and refreshing. The odd taste is the only draw back to this water. If you do not like the taste of your water, refuse to drink for a while. When your human finds out, they will most likely put delicious flavors in the water.

The third and final kind of water is the kind that humans call “well” water. This water is very refreshing and tastes like just plain water. This water, like the more chemically tasting water, is usually clean and dirt free.

Kinds of things to drink water out of: The first thing you can drink out of is the creek, river, etc. itself. While the water is always full and fresh, sometimes it can be difficult to get to. Often small creeks are lower than the ground you are on, making you climb down a small drop to get to them.

The second kind of thing you can drink water out of is a bucket. Buckets come in all shapes and sizes. It could be a tub out in your pasture or a smaller bucket in your stall. Buckets and tubs have a few downfalls. One, they are not constantly full. They run out eventually and you are left with nothing until your human fills it back up. Two, they can get very, very dirty if not regularly cleaned. Dirt, slime, or poop can get stuck to the sides, making the water inside taste nasty.

Caddy takes a sip of water from a small bucket.

The third thing you can drink water out of is an automatic water fountain. While these all operate differently, the basic gist of the water fountain is this: They fill up with clean water when you put your mouth near or on them. Then when you are done, the water you didn’t drink is whisked away elsewhere so it doesn't become dirty or nasty. Although automatic water fountains are not very common, these water holders are very highly rated with only two small drawbacks. Sometimes horses find it challenging to operate these fountains, and some horses are even afraid of them.

Razzle drinks from an automatic water fountain.

Caddy's favorite combo is well water from a fountain, while Razzle prefers creek water from the creek. What's your favorite water/container combo?

That’s our two bits!