Yesterday I was working at home when quite a beautiful sight ran by my window….Two horses plodding through the snow. What struck me first was their form and gracefulness despite two feet of snow on the ground. Their strong dark bodies against the white of the snow and the evergreens was something out of a movie.
My delayed reaction was what was important: Our neighbors horses were loose!
Our neighbor happens to be my husband’s daughter so I knew where to find her- at work. I called her and told her the bad news and let her know I had the flexibility to go get them if she told me how. Her simple directions were: ”Get the grain from the barn which is in the trash can. Fill the bucket. They will follow you home with that in your hand.”
My husband is typically around when the horses get out and he wants to call someone. He does not usually want to try or have me try. He was nowhere around, so I took it on. I loved venturing out on a clear crisp winters day with a purpose.
Find the grain, check.
Fill a bucket, check.
Go toward the horses with bucket in hand. And they do follow completely and easily.
Get to the small gate – it is stuck.
Go to the large gate and observe how to unwind the rope to open the gate. Before I could try – a neighbor yells for me to come back as he has the small gate open for me.
Thanks to Jim – I lead the horse right back to their yard. And on our stroll down the road, he tells me how to find the opening in the fence so I know what needs to be repaired.
Sure enough it is easy to find the opening thanks to the horse tracks and the fallen branches on the electric fence. My repair skills are lacking. …but I piled some branches in hopes of deterring any future escapes in the short term.
Contented and rosy cheeked, with snow covered legs arriving home I was motivated to head back to work – at my desk. But first I left a message that mission was accomplished and Tracy had no need to worry. Later, her husband would come home and fix the fence.
But it was in the evening, when I told my husband what I did and how good it felt that my days activities were reinforced. He was impressed by what I did! That I could handle horses. Okay, handle may be too strong of a word. He is not a horse person. A true horse person would not think twice about what I did. As a first for me, I had two things going for me. I like horses. And I had some help from my neighbor.
Quite rewarding to do something new and different. And the balance of being outdoors and doing something physical against the ….inside stationery desk work was great …energizing.
I did not have to do it. I rescued the horses Just Because.