The Great Escape parts 2 and 3....

So I rearranged the fence yesterday morning to get electric to it (or so I thought), and turned the bird brains out. We were planning to go into town to get some stuff (yay library!) later in the morning so I wanted to get them out there early. The morning goes on, we are getting ready to go, and Tsu looks outside and says, "Oh ****, they are out back!"

So I look out back and all three are out there running at high speed for the back of the property. *head desk*

Brego and Mary get out and they just want to eat, Sparrow gets out and he RUNS. Stupid runs. Brainless "Oh crap I am out what do I do now oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh" runs. And Mary and Brego get caught up in his panic. Well, to be honest I don't think Brego knew it was panic, he just looked like he was having WAY too much fun.

*deep breath*

My land is a half mile deep and only about 250 feet wide. Once you get about 1/4 mile back there is old barbed wire down in the grass. It was supposedly removed years ago by my ex but when I went back out there after moving back I found it, still there. Plus we have what we euphemistically call "the pond". Which is, in reality, just a mucky hole about 12 feet wide where my ex dug out dirt to build motorcycle jumps. It is steep sided and if a running horse were to hit that and not see it I'm not sure what would happen but it wouldn't be pretty. But all of these are way way back there and in all the years I have had animals here I have never had one go past the line of bushes that looks like a pretty solid dividing line between the front and back of the property.

Until yesterday.

Morons.


So I calmly start to whistle for them, get a bucket with some feed in it, move the temp fence so they can get into the barn lot, make sure the drive is still blocked by the other side of the fence to keep them out of the road... but they take one look at me and go, "Oh crap! We are in so much trouble! KEEP RUNNING! She has a bucket? IT'S A TRAP!!!!!"

Tsu is outside having a smoke, so I set the bucket next to him and say if they come close to try and get their face in the bucket, then I go grab halters. I start wishing I had a tranquilizer gun and wondering how much those cost and if you can even buy them. When I come back with their halters Tsu is walking back from out back with a line of horses behind him like he is the Pied Piper of Stupid-Horse-Ville.

I get them back in the barn lot, grinding my teeth to keep from yelling at them (I'd already had a bad cat day with one of the cats barfing in my rubber shoes, so I was cranky). Then we went and did our stuff. When I got home I was trying to figure out what to do. If I can't keep them in the temp fence I have to buy hay for the summer. Which just seems stupid when I have all this GRASS out here.

Tsu wants to get a new fencer box so if they try it again it will just dump them on their butt and that will be that. My fencer is OLD (I bought it in like 1991/92 when we lived working as a care taker for a VP of General Motors and I needed to divide some pastures, i think. So... OLD...) so I DO need a new one. Anyway, I was going to replace some of the wire on the temp fence with tape hoping that it being tougher would require the moose to be in contact with it longer so he might get a good zap and back off before actually escaping when I realized that the way I had the fence hooked NO ELECTRIC was getting to the top wire at all.


DUH!

*slaps forehead, twice*

So... I added a third row of electric, tape this time, along the top. I made sure all three lines were connected so juice would get to all of them. I tightened up the temporary posts, I marked the fence with neon surveyors tape. I made sure all three lines were hooked to the electric. And I prayed that Sasquatch was slowly pushing through the fence and not just running through it, because if he just ran through it none of this would matter.

I was counting on the fact that two days of successful break outs would have him feeling cocky and he would try it fairly soon after being turned out this morning, so I got the fence going and let them out then went in the house to watch.


Sure as shooting about 15 minutes later Brego walks right up to the fence and starts slowly walking through it. Leaning his chest into it. Mary and Sparrow right behind him expectantly waiting for their personal escape professional to let them out so they could have a fun run again. One step, I cringe. Two step, I start saying "aht! AHT!" (not that they can hear me). Three step, I'm kinda getting pissed, standing there in the living room with my coffee in hand wondering why the heck he isn't getting zapped as he pops fence posts out of the ground when suddenly he shoots straight up into the air, lands on all fours at the same time then shoots backward four steps with a loud squeal as the fence collapses in that spot and he turns tail and makes a screaming b-line for the barn lot.

I don't think I have ever been so delighted to see a horse get zapped in my life.

My fencer is so weak it couldn't have been much of a shock but after two days of pushing through and not getting so much as a tingle it obviously was enough to set him back. I went out and tightened the fence back up and they have been peacefully grazing out there and avoiding the fence for an hour now. I'm hoping that lasts. The idea of mowing down all this grass then having to feed hay to the horses just chaps my behind. I may still pick them up a round bale to give myself some time to get more fencing up and a new fencer box with some more Oomph to it. Hairy bear is learning if he gets it just right the hairiness will protect him from the zaps so I think we maybe should upgrade before winter otherwise he will be roaming the neighborhood every chance he gets.


On a side note, Holy moses did he look gorgeous running around when he was loose. And he shakes the ground like a draft horse. How is it possible that he shakes the ground that way? He weighs less than most of the horses I used to care for and they never shook the ground like that. maybe it has something to do with the fact that for his size his feet are huge and he moves like a draft. I dunno but it sure is a rush when he goes galloping by and the ground just shakes.


So wish me luck, or something, that the fence changes will remain effective.


The stinkers.


I'd rather not have to make any more great escape posts.