The grande adventure

When I was much younger I remember having a book about a baby horsey that used to follow his mommy as she pulled the buggy to the town market/fair each day. Baby horsey fell in love with the merry go round horses that he could see from the distance and wanted to be one, so one day he escaped the paddock to go join the merry go round horses only to find they were too stuck up to talk to him or move. (He was a horse. He did not understand they were wood.) But by then it had gotten darker and baby horse couldn't find his way home and got scared. After reading books like Black Beauty I had trouble believing a horse could not find its way home...baby or not. Not the most gripping story line, but great art work!
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Usually in the morning I take bug spray out with me when I put the babies out so I can spray them off before they go out on grass, but this morning Coregel was horribly bug bitten (for some reason the pintos do not seem as affected) so I thought I would go a step further and furnish Coregel and Piper with fly sheets. I had a couple from when we had the ponies, and so I sewed up the rips and put them on the girls. Piper got a off white one and Coregel got a bright blue. Neither fit great, so I called Tudor to see if they had better sizes, which they did, and Rob picked them up for me, delivering them that night (thanks honey).

Coregel took one look at Piper in her new blanket and seemed angry...and kicked at it! Later on natalie and I noticed Coregel behaving a little odd...staring to the North and nickering like she was looking for someone...perhaps she didn't know Piper was still Piper in the blanket?

But my day continues. Riding horses, taking pictures, cleaning up Tango. Farrier comes to do Brie's shoes and trim Dexter, but arrived early. No big deal, I get Dexter to start with, and bring in Brie so she can eat a bit before being reset, and then start feeding the outside horses. All is going fine until I see some odd hoof prints outside the training mares pen...but I thought maybe Natalie took someone for grass down there. Then I get to Bliss's pen...and notice the babies' gate to their grass pasture is open...and so is there night pen gate (I momentarily thought someone brought them in for me). AHHHH. Drive a bit ahead and feel relieved as I see two pintos and Piper...but no Coregel. I grab a halter and catch Pipe thinking perhaps Coregel is just over the hill...but still can't see her. I lead Piper back to her pen while the other two follow along and get them contained...but still no Coregel....and no one is whinnying!

I go to the other side of the arena to see if she is flirting with the boys...but no. A quick tour of the horse paddocks and the front yard turns up no Coregel. Cr@p. Call Rob who calls the neighbour across the way to see if she is with the TBs. While waiting to hear back I get out back to see if she is on our hay feild. Instead of Corey I find a well fed Coyote. A very brave Coyote who doesn't seem to care about me...but then sees Ginger and is off like a rocket which I think did a lot for Ginger's ego!

Neighbour comes over, and nope, she is not there, but John comes over to help me look.

Meanwhile I call Wyn who is always complaining how bored she is to check the roads, and call the RCMP to see if a loose horse has been reported. Nothing. So I leave the farrier working on Brie and Christine T to bring in the last of the geldings (THANKS!) and John, Ginger and I head out to broaden the search. A search through tall, bug laden grass.

I searched along the fenceline between our neighbours and us, paying close attention to the forest thinking she may be caught in trees or fence and came across the coyote again. Assuming it was the same one. It stared at me.

Meanwhile John searched to the south. You know where she was? TWO properties over in the furthermost south east corner. Apparently completely turned around. John led her back from his Gator, and I followed behind with a tired and muddy Ginger in the Mule to keep Corey going (she kept stopping and spooking). She was THRILLED when she saw the yard again though! Piper and the other kids seemed happy to see her too!

She must have turned an ankle, and was ravaged by bugs, but overall seems ok. Put her fancy new while fly sheet tonight...make her easy to spot if she decides to go on another tour of Ardrossan (she better not...this was very stressful for me!) Piper got a fancy blue plaid blanket.

I do NOT deal with stress well and when she was not on our property I started to image the worse like a broken leg in the bush. No idea what did happen though. Coyote chase/spook her? Was she looking for the "real" Piper, not believing the horse in the blanket was her sister?

But I guess that shows that horses really can get lost.

Karen