Mystery Hoofprints

When I visited Abby yesterday, it was clear that someone had been charging around the paddock by the new barn.

 There were lots of divots

 and skid marks

all over the turf.

But which horse was it? Was it Siren, the new (and only) horse in the blue barn? Her pasture adjoins the paddock; had she gotten loose, trying to join Abby and the herd?

This mark identified the horse that had made the marks - it was Sultanna. She is the only horse on the property that currently has shoes on.

No doubt Tim was working on her training (that's why she has shoes - he's trailered her out for some rides recently.) She's also in foal, and when one of the mares has foaled in the past, he puts them in the new barn for the first few days of life before introducing them to the herd. This paddock acts as a nursery where the rest of the herd can see the baby, sniff it over the fences, and safely become acquainted.

My guess is that in preparation for the big event, he put her in there. Or, it may be that he had been riding her and turned her out in the paddock for a bit before returning her to the herd. Regardless, it caused a bit of a stampede!