Hoof It

(If you're not familiar with the ongoing stray horse story, you should go back and catch up on old posts if you want this one to make much sense: Horsin' Around, Gift Horse, Sorry, Charlie, Charlie, Suzie, and Zebo, Horse Trading, The Horse Saga.)

My husband took advantage of the only snow/rain-free day this week to head out and pick up fallen branches and sticks. What with the storm that packed 50 mph winds, the heavy snow, the myriad of trees near our house, and the fact that we've not picked any up since mowing ended, there were tons. He made a dent in the job and got some fresh air, accompanied by our 3 year old. While engaged in this task, he noticed the hoof prints of a horse in our side yard and by the barn on the other side of the house.

He told me about seeing them later that night. At first it crossed my mind that the men who had come looking for their horse had followed the tracks here and thought I was lying when I told them we didn't have their horse. Then my husband pointed out that the prints were fresh and would have been blotted out by the heavy rains we had. As well, there was lots of snow on the ground the day they came looking for him, so there wouldn't have been any prints in the mud, only the snow. I was relieved about that.

But now I am wondering. Was Charlie/Cy here recently because he is still on the loose (since the beginning of January?!) Or had he gotten out again since then?! And how on earth had we not seen a big, dark gelding when all of us have been home for 3 weeks straight? Perhaps he was here in the night. And why does he come here? There is only the drive and the small unfenced portion behind the house that he could easily get through. The rest of the perimeter of our property is fenced.

Well, wherever the horse is, we wish him well. And if he survives, it seems that we are destined to cross paths often, even if the only proof we see of our crossing is hoof marks in soft mud.