Horsin' Around

There's rarely a dull day here at the homestead. Meet our latest adventure, a young, dark brown gelding with a black mane and tail, and a white coronet/foot. No, we didn't purchase a horse. We're not that crazy.... yet. This guy is a stray. Hopefully he won't stay long. (City folks get stray cats and dogs. Rural folks get stray dogs, cows, and horses.) 

My husband stopped to get the mail today, and this horse was hanging out near our mailbox. After enquiring at the neighbors to see if they were missing one, and having no luck, he was heading back to the horse wondering what he should do next when a young woman driving by stopped to help. Her grandfather lives near us, and she used to keep her horses on the empty land next to us. She didn't recognize the horse, but thought he was very young. 

After calling her father for advice, it was decided that we should keep him until the owners turned up, and that he should be reported to the sheriff. We do have three empty horse stalls after all. Since she was so knowledgable and experienced with horses, she helped my husband to walk the horse up to our barn. (He had the oldest 2 kids with him and his truck too, after all.) She took a picture of him, took down my husband's name and number, and promised to stop by the Sheriff's office with the information while he set up the animal with hay and water.

My husband then called another neighbor who has horses in order to start spreading the word. She volunteers at the local horse rescue place. We plan on dropping a picture of him off there tomorrow. If no one shows up soon, she promised to give us a tutorial on horse care.

We also plan to check in with the Sheriff's office tomorrow, canvass everyone on our road, and call the man we know who used to run the horse section of the local 4-H chapter. (His daughter runs it now.) That ought to get word to any owners who might be looking for a horse. If no one contacts us tomorrow, I suppose we'll arrange to put a classified ad in the local paper on Monday.

In the meantime, my husband is making excuses to go out to the barn. He's clearly smitten already. My 3 year old, who is terrified of the goats, petted him. My 13 year old son practically volunteered to clean up after him and feed and water him. My 4 year old has decided we should name him Cocoa or maybe Brownie. It won't be long before my 9 year old daughter is besotted too. After all, she is the appropriate age for the stereotype.

As for me, I have to admit that I find horses appealing. After all, I remember sitting in the bleachers next to the dusty horse ring at the local fair with my little sister, the horse lover. Affection for them rubs off. I also remember riding a few times at my uncle's neighbors. Horses are strong, intelligent, communicative, graceful... I mean, you have to respect a creature that manages to look noble despite looking at you with grass hanging out of its mouth. 

But I'm pretty pragmatic and practical. I would never choose to get a horse. Horses are big animals that require lots of care and specialized knowledge (that we don't have.) They eat a small fortune's worth. But before I start a litany, let's just sum it up and say that my cons list would far outweigh a pros list.

I'm hopeful that the owners will come claim him quickly, before my family finds it difficult to part with him. I hope even more that he wasn't turned loose due to the crazy feed prices and water problems. It seems a little suspect that he turned up at the end of our driveway... a place that was a horse ranch for 17 years. After all, the locals know that the newbies don't have any horses and that we have hay, etc. It's akin to having a baby dropped on our doorstep

But his ribs aren't showing. His coat is in good shape. He's wearing a halter. And stallions are known for causing a little trouble. I've been telling myself all afternoon that he probably just jumped a fence or loosened a gate. I hope that's true, and that we aren't saddled with a horse that we never planned to have. I really don't need any more to worry about, care for, or spend money on. But I guess there could be worse things to befall us. He is a beauty.