When Your Horse Isn't There

Ever thought about what you will do when your horse just isn't THERE?

Now most of the time, it will be because the rascal was just asleep and didn't know the others walked off and left to come up to the stable to be fed. But your panic is, oh, so real.

After 50+ years of owning horses, I still do this. You'd think I'd know better-but no. I have learned to carry a knife and cell phone with me as well as a lead and halter. Nine times out of ten, I walk back with nothing only to see the cause of worry up at the gate looking perfectly innocent. Ah, well, needed the exercise anyway.

That tenth time, though, can be a real pain in the sitter. I've found mares with a new baby that has tumbled into something and is now upside down with no possible way of righting itself-mom is, naturally enough, frantic. There have been horses caught in fencing I didn't even know was there-left from who knows when-and my horse is up to their hinny or chest in the stuff. (That's a risk you take when you purchase property that was once owned by a farming family-they don't always remove all the fencing.)

Once my stallion tried to service the neighbor's mare who had been teasing him. She'd backed up to the panel gate, but was inexperienced at the job, so she moved away. Yep, he crashed down on his___ on top of the gate. The metal crushed down just enough to allow his feet to barely touch the ground-and there he stayed until I found him-madder than a whole nest of hornets. Husband and I had to remove the gate completely to get him off. That horse never did give that mare the time of day after that. It was probably a good thing he couldn't get to her. He would have given her one heck of a beat down.

But there's also the "oh, no-the horse just isn't HERE" situation, too-and that's a whole new bucket of worms. Here you have two or three possibilities:

• something happened to make them get out-fireworks, chased by dogs, kids on dirtbikes, ATVs, etc., wildlife, etc. 
• someONE left them out whether for a prank, stupidity, or whatever-the gate was open and the horses took off
• theft or intentional taking-and I'll get to this in greater detail. 

What do you do?

1. Breathe-panic is not going to help. 
2. Call family/friends and enlist help. 
3. Call work and tell them you'll be late. 
4. Call the local law enforcement. Chances are darn good if horses are out-somebody has already seen and called it in. 
5. Hitch up a truck and trailer-you might not need it, but you want to be ready to roll. 
6. Get cell phone numbers of everybody and fan out. Make sure everyone has a halter, lead, and feed bucket-and knows NOT to run after a horse. (If you run up behind one, they assume you are chasing and will run away that much faster. WALK in the same direction parallel to them until you get AHEAD of them.)
7. Look particularly well around places where there are other horses. Herd instinct will kick in and they will go to where other horses are. Even horses that you consider to be 'loners' will go to other horses-at least within sight of them. It's a safety instinct. 
8. Remember to look carefully in ditches, ravines, old wells, culverts, septic tanks, and the like. Even swimming pools can be horse traps. They fall in and can't get out. 
9. Check your hay-I'm not kidding. They'll climb the hay stack, loft stairs, whatever-and be up there looking down at you. Silly horses. 
10. Check every building with an opening-I've seen photos of draft horses that got into sheds and the walls had to be torn down to get them out. They are nosy and will get themselves into some interesting places. 
11. If no luck within 4 hours, print flyers with your name, cellphone, and email, GOOD photos of horse, and start papering the area with them. Recommended distance to start with is 10 miles first day, 25 miles the second. 
12. Still missing? Contact www.netposse.com and get them involved. Now that, my friends, is serious help. 

More to come.