The Herd is Loose!

Someone opened the gate and let the horses out yesterday. We don't know who did it or why, but Alice, the elderly lady who lives in the old farmhouse that's by the old barn called Tim and told him the herd was in the field across the road instead of in the pasture where they belonged.

All except Abby. 

Abby stayed in the pasture until just before Tim got there, calling to the others and agitated but not going through the open gate and running loose. Abby finally went through but her freedom was short lived; Tim got them rounded up and home shortly after she got out.

The road that runs past the old barn is fairly well traveled for a country road and has a 50 mph speed limit. Thank goodness none of the horses were hit by a speeding car or truck!

This is not the first time that someone has opened the gate. But it is a gate that we normally do not move the horses through, and those are the gates that Tim secures really well. Whoever did it had to work to get it open. No doubt at all that it was a malicious act.

I am going to discuss options with Tim - since this is at least the second time someone had opened the gate, we need to padlock it shut.