We Should Have Named Him “Houdini”
Posted by Mikki on Jan 16 2008 at 02:27 pm | Tagged as: The Barn
A couple of days ago, we came up to the barn in the morning to find Valentine in the aisle, happily munching hay from the three bales he’d pulled off of the stack. Bill immediately took the blame for forgetting to latch Valentine’s stall door, since he was the one who had put him in there and closed the door behind him the night before. This would be the third time one of us has forgotten to latch a stall door - once before for Valentine, and once for Moonshine. Heck, those things happen, though you try very hard to be conscientious about it.
Well, this morning I was letting Valentine out when I noticed that the rope I had tied to his stall latch to tie it open (it doesn’t have a chain affixed to the door for that yet - we just started using that stall) was all matted and nasty. I thought, “what the heck has been jumping up here to chew on this thing?” Then I realized that most likely nothing was jumping up, but rather something was leaning down: Valentine. I showed Bill, who agreed, and further theorized that since the rope was tied to the latch…and a horse was pulling on it…that if he pulled it the right way, he would slide that latch right out. Suddenly the earlier escape didn’t seem to be so easily pinned on Bill.
I took the rope off.
Yep, the old rope on the latch trick. works every time.
Keep writing. I am getting a horse in March, and find your stories humorous and helpful!
Oh me, oh my, my horse is a crazy guy. My Tesoro can undo any gate with a chain and most latches. What he can’t get? Carabiners. So, if you find your horse becoming even more of a Houdini, give one of those a try!
My horse does that too! I found that a stall guard on the INSIDE of the door helps the keep him in! I’m glad my horse ins’t the only Houdini in the world!
learninghorses, that’s a good idea. Probably a bit easier for the humans to work, too. And I love your horse’s name - Tesoro, “treasure.” How true that is.
katiegate, what do you mean by putting a stall guard inside? What’s a stall guard, and how do you install it to help keep him in?
I think we’re okay now, since I took the rope off. At least until he figures out he doesn’t really need the rope.
When cleaning our horse’s stall, we block of the feed area of the barn with a rope across the doorway (attached to hooks) and let him roam the barnyard at will. This has always worked…until he figured out that the grain bag was behind that rope! He forces his way through the barrier now and has actually broken our “gate!” What a grain-junkie! He is now always put beyond an actual gate/fence…but I’m waiting for the day he figures out how to get past that too!
We use carabiners on our gates too - very easy to use and inexpensive to install.
Just found your website and enjoyed reading about your life with your horses. I just got back into horse ownership after nearly 20 years. I didn’t realize how much I’d forgotten about the world of equines. They are wonderful animals!! I live in Arizona and your place looks and sounds wonderful! I have 5 horses. Three of them are rescued Thoroughbred mares.
Take care and ride safe,
Theresa
a stall guard is basically just what Vanessa did with the rope, only its usually a chain covered in rubber. They more expensive ones are canvas or web with two snaps on each side that form a square.